Latest vampire installment 'New Moon' hits theaters tonight

It's here, so let the vampy chaos begin.

"New Moon," the highly anticipated second film in "The Twilight Saga," hits theaters Friday and promises even more swooning opportunities for its passionately devoted fans.

Smothered in heartbreak, "New Moon" is a far different beast than "Twilight," focusing on Bella's (Kristen Stewart) recovery after her vampire boyfriend, Edward (Robert Pattinson), leaves her broken-hearted and leaning on her (newly ripped) werewolf pal, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), for emotional support.

Big changes were made when approaching this next installment. Director Chris Weitz replaced "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, Lautner had to fight to keep the role of Jacob, and actress Rachelle Lefevre (who plays Victoria) was replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard for the soon-to-be-shot third film in the series.

We spoke to a few Edward Cullen siblings - aka "Twilight" stars Kellan Lutz (Emmett), Nikki Reed (Rosalie) and Jackson Rathbone (Jasper) - about "New Moon" and their experiences with being apart of this series.

Whenever a book series with a massive fan base like this takes to film, there's a lot of pressure for the movies to be as good - if not better - than the books. How do you deal with that pressure?

Lutz: "I didn't know there was a book series and fell in love with what everyone else fell in love with. You really see why the fans love it so much and support it, so, yeah, there's a little pressure trying to make it the best we can and trying to do it justice for how beautiful it is."

Reed: "I think that none of us were actually aware of the fan base while we were shooting. Not because we were completely oblivious, but because the kind of enthusiasm that you now feel with this fan base has come from putting faces and actors with these characters. Making the films definitely sparked a different kind of passion."

Rathbone: "Whenever it comes to a book being made into a movie, there's always that worry of, 'Is it going to be as good as the book?' And honestly it's a completely different animal. You really cannot compare a book to a movie."

With the new filming budget and new director, what differences or improvements stand out in your mind in the filming of "New Moon?" How does working with Chris Weitz differ from your experience with Catherine Hardwicke?

Lutz: "A lot of it is having more fun and exploring our characters more in 'New Moon' and having Chris Weitz there, and Stephenie (Meyer), too, to ask questions to and have answers for."

Reed: "I think it's just a different approach with Chris Weitz. He came to this project sort of prepared with what it demanded, in terms of CGI and special effects and what the fans were expecting. In terms of quality I think he did a really great job. He knew what he wanted long before I met him and had my first meeting with him."

Except for the beginning, your characters aren't around as much in "New Moon." Is it the same in the movie, or does the script include them a bit more?

Reed: "I think we all figured out early on that the best way to make the series was to stay as true to the books as possible. So we're not in the second movie because we weren't in the second book." Jackson had a really nice moment in the beginning and something I think he was really looking forward to and getting Jasper the opportunity to show another side of his personality. ... We all get really excited when we get the opportunity to show another aspect of our characters because it sort of justifies what we were doing previously. We all get to explain to the audience, the audience that hasn't read the books, why we act the way we do."

With the fan hysteria, do you guys ever feel like it's too much or too intrusive or are you still really enjoying the enthusiasm? What's the craziest thing a fan has done or asked you?

Rathbone: "It's both. There are some that get to be a little too much and a little bit too grabby and try to handcuff themselves to some of us, but there's also 90 percent that are just sweet, loving individuals who understand that we're not vampires; that we're actors and love the way we portray these characters that they fell in love with from Stephenie Meyer's books."