Much ado about vampires

I've always been fascinated with vampires, but not as much as my friend Riya who's obsessed with them. So it's not surprising that she's been persuading me to grab a copy of the Twilight series and eventually get hooked (like her)on the central character named Edward. I haven't read a book since I finished The Da Vinci Code but I would love to get a copy of Twilight based solely on Riya's persuasion and her numerous blog entries chronicling her fixation about this novel.
Incidentally, I've seen some of the publicity photos of Twilight (courtesy of Access Hollywood) and I must admit that I was smitten by the actor who plays Edward. However, my dilemma now is this: should I read the book first before I watch the movie or vice versa? The problem with movie adaptations is they are shortened versions of literary masterpieces hence they sometimes lack the gritty details of full-length novels. I've seen a couple of movies based on best-selling novels (specifically The Da Vinci Code, A Time to Kill, and Memoirs of a Geisha)and found them somewhat lacking. As a viewer and a natural whiner, I can't help but compare these two versions. More often than not, I end up in regret for pillaging my piggy bank to buy tickets to that movie.
Going back to Twilight, I'm still torn between buying the book and stretching my patience till the local premiere of this much hyped Hollywood flick.

Btw, mukhang hindi naligo si Robert Pattinson in one of the pictures. He admitted it himself in one of his interviews. "I haven't washed my hair in about six weeks. It's disgusting," Pattinson reveals to USA Today. What the heck, vampires don't take a bath!