True Blood's Muse: Rick Santorum

True Blood's just-begun Season 5 has its roots in the Republican primaries. No, there weren't any known vampires running for office—but the policies of Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum were scary enough, says show creator Alan Ball. While watching the primaries, Ball found himself "asking what would it be like to have a theocracy in America—which is way more terrifying than any fictional monster could ever be," he tells the Wrap.

The most "terrifying" thing about Santorum: "How many people agree with him," Ball notes. "Our jumping off point was 'OK, what is a vampire theocracy?' You don’t really see vampires being religious creatures," he says. "But what if there was a vampire bible? A religion? Theocracy? How would that impact our human characters, or vampire characters?" You'll have to tune in to find out, but in the meantime, you can read Ball's entire interview, which touches on sex, nudity, and why this season will be his last. (More Rick Santorum stories.)