Highgate
Vampire
Many
popular books on ghosts mention
a vampire which purportedly haunted
Highgate Cemetery in the early 1970s.
The growth of its reputation is
a fascinating example of modern
legend-building, which can be traced
through contemporary media reports
and subsequent books by two participants,
Seán Manchester and David
Farrant. The most academic account
is given by a folklore scholar,
Professor Bill Ellis, in the journal
Folklore. He writes from the
viewpoint of sociological legend
study; this concerns public perceptions
of a real or purported event, and
how these are shaped into a narrative
by processes of rumor, selection,
exaggeration, stereotyping etc.
Other
narratives which treat these purported
happenings as fact are available
in the books and web sites of Seán
Manchester and David Farrant.
The
publicity was initiated by a group
of young people interested in the
occult who began roaming the overgrown
and dilapidated cemetery in the
late 1960s, a time when it was being
much vandalized by intruders . On
21 December 1969 one of their members,
David Farrant, spent the night there,
according to his account written
in 1991. In a letter to the Hampstead
and Highgate Express on 6 February
1970, he wrote that when passing
the cemetery on 24 December 1969
he had glimpsed "a grey figure",
which he considered to be supernatural,
and asked if others had seen anything
similar. On the 13th, several people
replied, describing a variety of
ghosts said to haunt the cemetery
or the adjoining Swains Lane. These
ghosts were described as a tall
man in a hat, a spectral cyclist,
a woman in white, a face glaring
through the bars of a gate, a figure
wading into a pond, a pale gliding
form, bells ringing, and voices
calling . Hardly two correspondents
gave the same story (a common feature
in genuine folk traditions about
eerie places).
A second local man, Seán
Manchester, was just as keen as
Farrant to identify and eliminate
what he and Farrant believed was
a supernatural entity in the cemetery.
The Hampstead and Highgate Express
reported him on 27 February 1970
as saying that he believed that
'a King Vampire of the Undead',
a medieval nobleman who had practiced
black magic in medieval Wallachia,
had been brought to England in a
coffin in the early eighteenth century,
by followers who bought a house
for him in the West End. He was
buried on the site that later became
Highgate Cemetery, and Manchester
claimed that modern Satanists had
roused him. He said the right thing
to do would be to stake the vampire's
body, and then behead and burn it,
but regrettably this would nowadays
be illegal. The paper headlined
this: 'Does a Wampyr walk in Highgate?'
(Manchester
has claimed, however , that the
reference to 'a King Vampire from
Wallachia' was a journalistic embellishment.
Nevertheless, the 1985 edition of
his book also speaks of an unnamed
nobleman's body brought to Highgate
in a coffin from somewhere in Europe.)
In
his interview of 27 February, Manchester
offered no evidence in support of
his theory. The following week,
on 6 March, the same paper reported
David Farrant as saying he had seen
dead foxes in the cemetery, 'and
the odd thing was there was no outward
sign of how they died.' When told
of this, Manchester said it seemed
to complement his theory In later
writings, both men reported seeing
other dead foxes with throat wounds
and drained of blood.
Farrant
was more hesitant in identifying
the phenomenon he had seen. In some
interviews he called it simply a
ghost or specter, sometimes he agreed
that it might be vampirism. It is
the 'vampire' label which has stuck.
The Mass Vampire
Hunt of March 1970
The ensuing publicity was enhanced
by a growing rivalry between Farrant
and Manchester, each claiming that
he could and would expel or destroy
the specter. Manchester declared
to his associates that he would
hold an 'official' vampire hunt
on Friday 13 March -- such Fridays
are always ominous dates in British
and American superstition (Friday
the Thirteenth), and are frequently
chosen for items on occult matters
in the media. ITV then set up interviews
with both Manchester and Farrant,
and with others who claimed to have
seen supernatural figures in the
cemetery. These were broadcast on
ITV early on the evening of the
13th; within two hours a mob of
'hunters' from all over London and
beyond swarmed over gates and walls
into the locked cemetery, despite
police efforts to control them.
Manchester's exorcism claims
In later years, Manchester wrote
his own account of his doings that
night (The Highgate Vampire 1985;
2nd rev. ed. 1991). According to
his narrative, he and some companions
entered the cemetery, unobserved
by the police, via the damaged railings
of an adjoining churchyard, and
tried to open the door of one particular
catacomb to which a psychic sleepwalking
girl had previously led him; but
try as they might, it would not
budge an inch. Failing in this,
they climbed down on a rope through
an existing hole in its roof, finding
empty coffins into which they put
garlic, and sprinkling holy water
around. .
Some
months later, on 1 August 1970 (Lammas
Day), the charred and headless remains
of a woman's body were found not
far from the catacomb. The police
suspected that it had been used
in black magic. Soon after this
incident, there was a noticeable
surge in both Farrant's and Manchester's
activities. Farrant was found by
police in the churchyard beside
Highgate Cemetery one night in August,
carrying a crucifix and a wooden
stake. He was arrested, but when
the case came to court it was dismissed
.
A
few days later Manchester returned
to Highgate Cemetery, but in the
daytime, when visits are allowed.
Again, we must depend on his own
published book for an account of
his actions, since neither press
nor police were present. He claims
that this time he and his companions
did succeed in forcing open, inch
by inch, the heavy and rusty iron
doors of a family vault (indicated
by his female psychic helper). He
lifted the massive lid off one coffin,
believing it to have been mysteriously
transferred there from the previous
catacomb. He was about to drive
a stake through the body it contained
when a companion persuaded him to
desist. Reluctantly, he shut the
coffin, put garlic and incense in
the vault, and came out from it.
A
later chapter of Manchester's book
claims that three years afterwards
he discovered a vampires corpse
(he implies that it was the same
one) in the cellar of an empty house
in the Highgate/Hornsey area, and
staked and burned it.
Manchester's
story is full of melodramatic details
mirroring the Dracula mythos: the
sleepwalking girl; the vampire transported
to England in a coffin; a coffined
corpse 'gorged and stinking with
the life-blood of others', with
fangs and burning eyes; his own
role as a Van Helsing figure. If
he did indeed act as he describes,
it can be regarded as a good example
of what folklorists (following terminology
established by Linda Degh) now call
'ostension' and legend tripping.
This means the real-life imitation
of elements from a well-known tale,
often involving role-playing, and
sometimes leading to ritual acts
of vandalism and desecration.
There was more publicity about Farrant
and Manchester when rumours spread
that they would meet in a 'magicians'
duel' on Parliament Hill on Friday
13 April 1973, which never came
off. Farrant was jailed in 1974
for damaging memorials and interfering
with dead remains in Highgate Cemetery
-- vandalism and desecration which
he insisted had been caused by Satanists,
not him. Both episodes kept memories
of the Highgate affair vivid. In
1975 Manchester wrote a chapter
about it in a book edited by Peter
Underwood, a well-known popular
writer on ghost lore. The Highgate
Vampire is now regularly featured
in books and internet sites on occult
subjects.
The
feud between Manchester and Farrant
remains vigorous to this day; each
claims to be a competent exorcist
and researcher of the paranormal;
each pours scorn on the other's
alleged expertise. They continue
to investigate supernatural phenomena,
and have both written and spoken
repeatedly about the Highgate events,
in every medium available, each
stressing his own role to the exclusion
of the other.
Seán
Manchester, former patron of the
Yorkshire Robin Hood Society, claimed[citation
needed] also to have discovered
a vampire by Robin Hood's Grave
on the Kirklees Estate which he
visited in 1991. The "vampire
nun of Kirklees" was assumed
to be the prioress who allegedly
had bled Robin to death.
New
Orleans and the Vampire Lore
Anne
Rice (born Howard Allen O'Brien
on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling
American author of gothic and, later,
religious-themed books. Best known
for her Vampire Chronicles, her
prevailing thematical focus is on
love, death, immortality, existentialism,
and the human condition. She was
married to poet Stan Rice for 41
years until his death in 2002. Her
books have sold nearly 100 million
copies, making her one of the most
widely read authors in modern history.
Rice's
first book, Interview with the Vampire,
in 1973 and published it in 1976.
This book would be the first in
Rice's popular Vampire Chronicles
series, which includes 1985's The
Vampire Lestat and 1988's The Queen
of the Damned. Rice has also published
adult-oriented fiction under the
pen name Anne Rampling, and has
written explicit sado-masochistic
erotica as A.N. Roquelaure.
Her
fiction is often described as lush
and descriptive, and her characters'
sexuality is fluid, often displaying
homoerotic feelings towards each
other. Rice said that the bisexuality
was what she was looking for in
her characters; a love beyond gender
especially with the Vampire Chronicles
because the vampires were not of
human society, therefore did not
go by the expectations of that society.
She also weaves philosophical and
historic themes into the dense pattern
of her books. To her admirers, Rice's
books are among the best in modern
popular fiction, possessing those
elements that create a lasting presence
in the literary canon. To her critics,
her novels are baroque, "low-brow
pulp" and redundant. A critical
analysis of Rice's work can be found
in S. T. Joshi's book The Modern
Weird Tale (2001).
.
Noted
serial Killers who were related
to Vampires because of their deeds.
"The
Vampire of London" —
John George Haigh, U.K. serial killer
John
George Haigh (July 24, 1909 —
August 10, 1949), nicknamed the
"Acid Bath Murderer",
was an English serial killer during
the 1940s. He was convicted of the
murders of six people, although
he claimed to have killed a total
of nine, dissolving their bodies
in sulphuric acid before forging
papers in order to sell their possessions
and collect substantial sums of
money. He acted under the mistaken
belief that police needed a body
before they could bring a charge
of murder. He was convicted through
forensic evidence and executed.
"The Vampire of Dusseldorf"
— Peter Kürten, German
serial killer
Peter
Kürten (May 26, 1883-July 2,
1931) was a German serial killer
dubbed The Vampire of Düsseldorf
by the contemporary media. He committed
a series of sex crimes, assaults
and murders against adults and children,
most notoriously from February to
November 1929 in Düsseldorf.
"The Vampire of Paris"
— Nicolas Claux (b.1972),
French murderer
Nicolas
Claux (born March 22, 1972, in Cameroon)
is a convicted French murderer and
was a self-proclaimed cannibal.
He is sometimes referred to as Nico
Claux or even the Vampire of Paris.
After his release from prison in
2002, he has been painting portraits
of serial killers and depictions
of crime scenes and murder victims.
He is currently residing in Paris.
In 2006, a company in the U.S. began
marketing a 2007 calendar showcasing
Claux's paintings. Demand was so
high that the company is considering
a 2008 calendar and a line of posters.
"The Vampire Rapist" —
Wayne Boden, Canadian serial killer
Wayne
Clifford Boden (c. 1948 - March
27, 2006) was a Canadian serial
killer and rapist active from 1968-1971.
He earned the nickname "the
Vampire Rapist" because he
had the penchant of biting the breasts
of his victims, a modus operandi
that led to his conviction due to
forensic odontological evidence,
the first such conviction in North
America and several years ahead
of another serial killer, Ted Bundy.
"Vesago" — Rod Ferrell,
U.S. murderer
Rodrick
Justin Ferrell (born March 28, 1980)
was the leader of a loose-knit gang
of teenagers from Murray, Kentucky
infamously known as the "Vampire
Clan". In 1998 Ferrell pled
guilty to the double-slaying of
a couple from Eustis, Florida, becoming
the youngest person in the United
States on Death Row. Ferrell told
people that he was a 500-year-old
vampire named "Vesago."
The
tendency of teenagers to be drawn
to this group, and to the charismatic
Rod Ferrell is thought to have been
helped by the presence of a ruined
structure nicknamed "Vampire
Hotel" that sat in the hills
of the Land Between The Lakes National
Recreation Area located in southwestern
Kentucky and northwestern Tennessee.
Following
the murders, the Vampire Hotel was
mostly destroyed and the roads leading
to it were closed off in an effort
to stop its use as a secluded meeting
place. Most of what remains is a
large foundation, resembling a bunker,
that extends out of the steep hillside.
Scattered bottles and charred piles
of wood serve as indications that
visits are still made to the structure,
located on the heavily wooded hillside
overlooking Kentucky Lake to the
west. Graffiti remains as a reminder
of the structure's role in history.
Skulls, pentagrams, cryptic numbers,
and phrases remain, including "Follow
me to death", "Deposit
dead bodies here", "Those
who came to this place fear not
even evil", and references
to the antichrist can still be found
on the approximately 10 foot high
portions of the foundation walls
that remain exposed.
On
November 25, 1996 (the week of Thanksgiving),
Naoma Queen and Richard Wendorf
were found beaten to death in their
Eustis home. While 42-year-old Richard
Wendorf was asleep on his couch,
Ferrell had entered the home and
beaten him multiple times with a
crowbar, fracturing both his skull
and ribs. When Queen had found Ferrell
in the home moments later, he bludgeoned
her to death, bashing her head with
the crowbar. The victims were found
bearing burn marks in the shape
of a V. It was said that the V was
Rod's symbol which he accompanied
with a dot for each person he considered
to be in his vampire cult.
The
victims were the parents of Heather
Wendorf, a long time friend of Rod's
who he was helping run away from
a home that she described as "hell".
Ferrell
and the rest of his clan fled the
scene. After four days of driving
through four states, the group was
found in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
It is believed that Ferrell liked
a video arcade in New Orleans and
they were headed there. One of the
girls placed a call to her mother
in South Dakota. The group needed
money and Remington thought her
mother could help them. But Remington's
mother informed the police about
her whereabouts, and, after negotiations,
Ferrell, Wendorf and the rest of
the teens agreed to be arrested
at a local Howard Johnson's hotel.
The four were held at a Baton Rouge
jail for a week before being extradited
back to Florida where they were
initially booked at Lake County
jail. They were later moved to a
juvenile facility in Ocala.
On
February 12, 1998, then-seventeen-year-old
Ferrell pled guilty to the murders,
claiming that the others travelling
with him were innocent except Scott
Anderson who was simply an accessory.
Anderson was convicted of premeditated
first degree murder, sentenced to
life in prison, while Charity Keesee
and Dana Cooper were convicted of
murder in the third degree.
For
two years Ferrell held the record
as the youngest inmate on death
row until September 1999 when the
Florida Supreme Court reduced his
sentence to life without parole.
Ferrell is serving his sentence
at the Union Correctional Institution
in Raiford, Florida as inmate DC#
124473.
Richard
Trenton Chase
.
Richard
Trenton Chase (May 23, 1950 –
December 26, 1980) was an American
serial killer who killed six people
in the span of a month in California.
He earned the nickname The Vampire
of Sacramento due to his drinking
of his victims' blood and his cannibalism.
He did this as part of a delusion
that he needed to prevent Nazis
from turning his blood into powder
via poison they had planted beneath
his soap dish.
Please
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Considered one of the preeminent figures of the classic horror film, the vampire has proven to be a rich subject for the film and gaming industries. Dracula is a major character in more movies than any other but Sherlock Holmes, and many early films were either based on the novel of Dracula or closely derived from it.
These included the landmark 1922 German silent film Nosferatu, directed by F. W. Murnau and featuring the first film portrayal of Dracula—although names and characters were intended to mimic Dracula's, Murnau could not obtain permission to do so from Stoker's widow, and had to alter many aspects of the film. In addition to this film was Universal's Dracula (1931), starring Béla Lugosi as the Count in what was the first talking film to portray Dracula. The decade saw several more vampire films, most notably Dracula's Daughter in 1936.[158] The legend of the vampire was cemented in the film industry when Dracula was reincarnated for a new generation with the celebrated Hammer Horror series of films, starring Christopher Lee as the Count. The successful 1958 Dracula starring Lee was followed by seven sequels. Lee returned as Dracula in all but two of these and became well known in the role.
By the 1970s, vampires in films had diversified with works such as Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), an African Count in 1972's Blacula, a Nosferatu-like vampire in 1979's Salem's Lot, and a remake of Nosferatu itself, titled Nosferatu the Vampyre with Klaus Kinski the same year. Several films featured female, often lesbian, vampire antagonists such as Hammer Horror's The Vampire Lovers (1970) based on Carmilla, though the plotlines still revolved around a central evil vampire character.
The pilot for the Dan Curtis 1972 television series Kolchak: The Night Stalker revolved around reporter Carl Kolchak hunting a vampire on the Las Vegas strip.
Later films showed more diversity in plotline, with some focusing on the vampire-hunter, such as Blade in the Marvel Comics' Blade films and the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy, released in 1992, foreshadowed a vampiric presence on television, with adaptation to a long-running hit TV series of the same name and its spin-off Angel. Still others showed the vampire as protagonist, such as 1983's The Hunger, 1994's Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles and its indirect sequel of sorts Queen of the Damned, and the 2007 series Moonlight. Bram Stoker's Dracula was a noteworthy 1992 film which became the then-highest grossing vampire film ever.
This increase of interest in vampiric plotlines led to the vampire being depicted in movies such as Underworld and Van Helsing, and the Russian Night Watch and a TV miniseries remake of 'Salem's Lot, both from 2004. The series Blood Ties premiered on Lifetime Television in 2007, featuring a character portrayed as Henry Fitzroy, illegitimate son of Henry VIII of England turned vampire, in modern-day Toronto, with a female former Toronto detective in the starring role. A 2008 series from HBO, entitled True Blood, gives a Southern take to the vampire theme.
The continuing popularity of the vampire theme has been ascribed to a combination of two factors: the representation of sexuality and the perennial dread of mortality.
Another vampiric series that has recently come out is the Twilight Saga, a series of films based on the book series of the same name.
With all the votes tallied here or your choices:
The Top Ten Best Vampire Books
Please also visit here for HAUNTED AMERICA TOURS TOP 100 BESTSELLER'S LIST!
The highest compliment any true Vampire book can receive is that it is voted by you the readers. Of course yopu alone have voted these great paranomal writers and authors books as your absolute favorites.
So if you seek to to uncover all that is the truth about Real Vampiers and all that falls into the category of the un -dead. Then of course here they are for you to enjoy.
1. The New Annotated Dracula By Bram Stoker
Buy it here now!
Cause for international celebration—the most important and complete edition of Dracula in decades.
In his first work since his best-selling The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Leslie S. Klinger returns with this spectacular, lavishly illustrated homage to Bram Stoker's Dracula. With a daring conceit, Klinger accepts Stoker's contention that the Dracula tale is based on historical fact. Traveling through two hundred years of popular culture and myth as well as graveyards and the wilds of Transylvania, Klinger's notes illuminate every aspect of this haunting narrative (including a detailed examination of the original typescript of Dracula, with its shockingly different ending, previously unavailable to scholars). Klinger investigates the many subtexts of the original narrative—from masochistic, necrophilic, homoerotic, "dentophilic," and even heterosexual implications of the story to its political, economic, feminist, psychological, and historical threads. Employing the superb literary detective skills for which he has become famous, Klinger mines this 1897 classic for nuggets that will surprise even the most die-hard Dracula fans and introduce the vampire-prince to a new generation of readers.
35 color; 400 black & white.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Klinger brings the same impressive breadth of knowledge that distinguished The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes to this definitive examination of one of the classic horror novels of all time. Adopting the conceit that Stoker's narrative is based on fact, Klinger elucidates the plot and historical context for both Stoker devotees and those more familiar with Count Dracula from countless popular culture versions. Because he had privileged access to the typescript Stoker delivered to his publisher, Klinger is able to note changes between it and the first edition and comment on the reasons for them. Through close reading, Klinger raises questions about such matters as the role of lead vampire-hunter Van Helsing and whether the villainous count is actually dispatched at book's end. An introduction by Neil Gaiman, numerous illustrations, essays on topics ranging from Dracula in the movies to the academic response, and much more enhance the package. 8-city author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Leslie S. Klinger’s great virtue as an editor is his sublimely willful and scrupulous disregard for the boundary between historical fact and literary falsehood. In The New Annotated Dracula, he reprises the same earlier annotated Sherlock Holmes, treating Stoker’s novel as nonfiction: real events happening to real persons. After a brief preface in which he explains his trick, Klinger’s edition becomes a surreal treat, book’s succession of journal entries and letters.
This is a book every serious reader of the horror genre should have on his or her shelf. You will read Dracula with new eyes. Fascinating! —Stephen King
About the Author
Leslie S. Klinger is the author of numerous books, including The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library and the best-selling The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. He lives in Malibu, California.
Leslie S. Klinger is the author of numerous books, including The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library and the best-selling The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. He lives in Malibu, California.
2. Complete Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the body Thief) by Anne Rice
BUY IT NOW!
Amazon.com Review
For the first time you can find all your favorite night-stalking, blood-guzzling undead--Lestat, Claudia, Louis, Akasha, Armand, and Memnoch--all in the same place at the same time. Here, collected in one box-set, are the four bestselling, original titles of Anne Rice's sprawling vampire series.
Anne Rice (born Howard Allen O'Brien on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American author of gothic and religious-themed books. She was married to poet and painter Stan Rice for 41 years until his death in 2002. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history.
She completed her first book, Interview with the Vampire, in 1973 and published it in 1976. This book would be the first in Rice's popular Vampire Chronicles series, which includes 1985's The Vampire Lestat and 1988's The Queen of the Damned.
The Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman made into a vampire in the 18th century.
The chronicles have gained a large fanbase since the publication of the first volume in the 1970s. The first five books, which feature Lestat prominently, are especially popular; the later books have been criticized as having lost some of the sparkle and vitality of the earlier works. Most of the books are in first-person perspective (in particular, those 'written' by Lestat), with only a few being in third-person. Interview With the Vampire was made into a 1994 film starring Tom Cruise (Johnny Depp had turned down the role of Lestat, leaving it to Cruise), Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Kirsten Dunst. portions of The Vampire Lestat and Queen of The Damned both were used for the 2002 film Queen of the Damned, starring Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah. In a recent interview with TIME magazine, Anne Rice stated that she was working with possible ideas for a final installment in her popular series. Assuming that the idea ever came to fruition, it would be written after Rice's current Christ the Lord series is concluded. Rice stated that the book would be a Christian novel, following her return to faith, dealing with Lestat and the Talamasca with a heavy theme of redemption and possible salvation for the vampire hero. Though Rice did not give an official name for the book, she hinted at the name "Angel Time" as a possibility on her website. She later changed her mind yet again and issued a statement on her website denying she would write such a book.
The Vampire Chronicles
* Interview with the Vampire (1976)
* The Vampire Lestat (1985)
* The Queen of the Damned (1988)
* The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
* Memnoch the Devil (1995)
* The Vampire Armand (1998)
* Merrick (2000)
* Blood and Gold (2001)
* Blackwood Farm (2002)
* Blood Canticle (2003)
New Tales of the Vampires
* Pandora (1998)
* Vittorio the Vampire (1999)
Anne Rice's vampires are different in several ways from classic vampires like Dracula. Rice's creatures are not affected by the usual weapons against classic vampires: garlic, crosses, and they cannot be killed with wooden stakes. Like classic vampires, most do chose to sleep in some form of coffin during the day because sun exposure can cause death/pain. Also, during the day, most "sleep", however, this differs from "mortal sleep" as: a) they become dead bodies, and b) the dawn often triggers their sleep against their will.
They need blood, but in some cases not every night (David Talbot suggests most "newborn" vampires must drink heavily everynight, himself included). Human blood is preferred as it is more nutritious, but animal blood can also be drunk. They do not age physically (instead becoming more "statuesque" as they age, developing very smooth, white skin), and in all but a few cases, vampires younger than a thousand years old can usually be killed by exposure to sunlight or fire.
They do not possess stereotypically "vampiric" magical powers, such as changing into bats, but some of the stronger, older ones do have the power to fly. Most of them also have the power to read the thoughts of mortals and weaker vampires. They have other physical abilities: they can move very quickly (faster than human eyes can see), and possess great strength and extremely keen senses. Very old vampires or ones who have been made or strengthened by feeding on blood that is close to the root of the vampiric mother may have additional gifts like the ability to move matter with the mind and the ability to set things ablaze by the force of will. They have many artistic talents, like singing, painting and acting, and a preternatural "understanding" of any type of problem, puzzle or machine. They also have the uncanny ability to almost perfectly mimic anything (movement, playing musical instruments, etc.).
The main characteristic of Rice's vampires is that they are all excessively emotional, sensitive, and sensual, being easy prey to intense suffering and aesthetic passions. They are usually quite attractive, even beautiful, as vampires tend to make fledglings from humans they have grown to love.
The physical changes are apparent: their eyes become luminous, their skin pale and reflective and their fingernails are like glass. Furthermore, if their hair or nails are cut, they will grow back as they were when they "died" during their sleep. As they lose all natural bodily fluids, they are unable to have children.
In Pandora and The Vampire Armand, David Talbot makes the wry comment that with his entry into the pantheon, vampires have "evolved" somewhat, as David can see spirits, while all other vampires cannot. This can perhaps be attributed, however, to David's limited control over Candomble spirits that he learned as a young mortal man.
Vampiric gifts
Those who have lived for more than a thousand years are by far the most powerful of the vampires; they are called the Children of the Millennia (including Khayman, Mekare, Maharet, Marius, Pandora, Mael, and Santino). After several hundred years, and depending on the strength of their maker, vampires begin to exhibit special powers, referred to by most of them as "gifts".
* Mind Gift (the combined abilities of telepathy and telekinesis). This is the ability to communicate and read thoughts, especially of humans, and to move objects with the mind. This gift is used largely to obtain blood - since via telepathy a criminal or amoral human can be sensed, and many of Rice's vampires refuse to feed on the innocent, this allows them to identify their prey. It is impossible for a maker or fledgling to contact each other directly, although in some cases it is possible for a vampire to seek out their master/fledgling by looking through the eyes of those near their fledgling, or by hearing the thoughts of their master/fledgling through others in a relay effect. A vampire of sufficient power or age may also unwillingly 'hear' the thoughts of all the humans within range of this power, leading to an old vampire saying: "If you do not learn to silence the voices, they will drive you mad." Khayman of the First Brood possessed this level of telepathic power, but had trained himself to hear the multitude of thoughts as "one annoying noise." Older vampires may also possess the ability to move objects with the mind, as witnessed through Akasha's destruction of the Elder, or Akasha's habit of opening the doors to the tabernacle, and Marius' opening and unlocking the doors to Akasha's shrine in Blood and Gold.
* Spell Gift. Mentioned in Blood and Gold and Queen of the Damned, this gift allows a vampire to cloud the mind of a human, bending the human to his or her will. Marius employs the Spell Gift often, especially when employing humans to move Enkil and Akasha to a new location. Armand uses it almost exclusively to draw those who "wish to die" to him.
* Enhanced physicality and senses. All vampires have superhuman senses (sight, hearing, etc) and strength, and are able do things many times faster than humans can, with little or no effort (for example, her superhuman strength allowed Baby Jenks to handle a large Harley-Davidson motorcycle without difficulty, despite possessing the body of a rather slight 14 year old girl). Eidetic memory from the moment of becoming a vampire seems to be natural, as Lestat tells David in Memnoch The Devil, however, memories of their humans lives, particularly those relating to sensation, fade over the years. They can move faster than the human eye can detect, see in the darkest of nighttime, pick one sound out of even the noisiest area, and raise the volume of their voice to painfully loud levels.
* Fire Gift. Another power usually only developed by a Child of the Millennia. This gift is known to be possessed by Marius, Akasha, Khayman, Lestat, Mekare and Maharet, and later the vampires Merrick Mayfair and Quinn Blackwood. With the Fire Gift, a vampire can set alight an object or being of their choice, for example, in Blood and Gold, when Akasha destroyed Eudoxia's body by fire, or in the film when she set fire to the vampires in bar and at the concert. Use of the gift on humans was performed by Lestat in Blood Canticle, when he set aflame gunmen on the tropical island. The Fire Gift is specially fatal to vampires, as the "changed" blood found within their bodies ignites easily, thus rendering them extreme vulnerable to fire.
* Cloud Gift (flight). Depending on the novels or the cinematic depiction, not all vampires have this ability. According to the books, Lestat, though young by vampire standards, gains this ability after repeatedly drinking Akasha's blood. Quinn Blackwood was given the strength to use this gift by his maker, Petronia. Otherwise, flight is a power only exhibited by the Children of The Millenia. Louis, Gabrielle, David Talbot, and Santino are among a few that do not have this gift or are never mentioned having it. Most if not all vampires dislike or even hate flying, as they find it extremely unsettling due to it being a sign that they are truly no longer human.
* Killing Gift. Believed to be possessed by the eldest Children of the Millennia, like most gifts it comes with age. Known holders of this power are Akasha, Marius, Lestat, Maharet, Mekare, Khayman and Mael. This power was originally combined with the Fire Gift in Queen of The Damned, but by Blood & Gold Rice had decided the two powers should be made separate abilities. The exact nature of the power is unknown, but it seems to cause numerous fatal ruptures in the entire cardiovascular system.
* Immortality. Unless killed by one of the vampire's weaknesses, namely sunlight and fire, or an elder vampire's powers, it is said that they have the potential to live eternally. As they age they become more powerful and slowly their skin becomes whiter, smoother, and more reflective, resembling marble as seen with Akasha and Enkil, Maharet, Mekare, and Khayman. Lestat and Jesse Reeves share much of this ancient appearance due to receiving blood from Akasha and Maharet, respectively. During their immortality, vampires will sometimes go into a kind of hibernation, either because they have become mentally unbalanced from knowing what they have become, or because their surroundings have changed too much for them to cope with. This is hinted to usually happen within 100-200 years of being created, and is mentioned as the "dangerous time" by the elders. Many vampires commit suicide if they continually exist in the world, leading to Marius' telling Lestat that he should live out one lifetime pretending to be human and watching the world change. Maharet is the only vampire explicitly said to have never "gone underground"; she has lived, night by night, for over six thousand years, mainly by keeping the records of her mortal daughter's descendants.
* Rapid Healing. Vampires are immune to most attacks other than their known weakness and even then are apparently able to heal quickly, especially if they feed or are covered in vampire blood. All vampires can potentially heal from any non-fatal wound, including decapitation, as proved by Mael in Blood and Gold, but time and blood are needed. A bullet wound, for instance, would heal within seconds, but serious burns from a fire would require decades, if not centuries, to heal.
3. REAL VAMPIRES, NIGHT STALKERS, AND CREATURES FROM THE DARKSIDE By Brad Steiger
"THE BEST VAMPIRE BOOK OF OUR TIMES!" "IT'S GOT BITE!"
.... KAREN BEALS
"I can't wait for twilight!"
... Lisa Lee Harp Waugh
AT LAST THERE IS HOPE!
AN ANTIDOTE WAS ACTUALLY RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC THAT WILL COMBAT THE HORDES OF SEDUCTIVE CREATURES OF THE UNDEAD WHO HAUNT MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION SCREENS PROMISING ETERNAL YOUTH AND UNDYING LOVE WITH THE FIRST BITE.
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Far more than a book that contains a number of frightening true accounts and a collection of truly magnificent original art, Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside expands the definition of the vampire to include parasitic entities that enter our reality from the far reaches of the multidimensional universe to possess their victims and to feed upon their life essence and their very soul.
Real Vampires are not the undead, returning from crypt or cemetery plot to steal blood, the vital fluid of existence from the living. Although they may look like us—and when it serves their purpose they may skillfully impersonate us in order to deceive and to prey upon us—they have never been human.
Real vampires are parasitic, shapeshifting entities that feed upon the energy, the life force, and the souls of humans.
From whatever dimension of time and space they may have originated, real vampires may be compared to an ancient, insidious virus that first infects, then controls its host body, causing it, in turn, to possess other victims, to form secret societies, blood cults, and hideous rituals of human sacrifice.
Regardless of the seductive aura of the vampire depicted in contemporary novels, films, and television series, none of these romantic transformations of an ancient menace to humankind portray real vampires. While the vampiric virus may infest handsome men and beautiful women, none of those infected have superhuman powers. Real vampires and those whom they possess are loathsome slashers, rippers, and murderers who do not promise immortality with their sensual “bite,” only a painful death.
Real vampires and their human hosts can walk freely in the light of day. The rays of the rising sun do not send them scurrying back to their coffins. Crucifixes do not cause real vampires to shrink back in fear.
Real vampires are the spawn of ancient entities such as Lilith, the seductive fallen angel, or of other paraphysical beings—such as the Jinn, the Cacodaemons, the Raskshasas, and the Nephilim—who have traversed the boundaries of time and space to prey upon humankind.
While this book focuses on the supernatural, the multidimensional, and the paraphysical beings who have interacted with our species since prehistoric times, we also visit the contemporary vampire community living among us today. Leading members of the vampire community share with us the basic findings and the extensive demographics of the Vampire and Energy Workers Research Survey for 2009. These "vampires" are not murderers, sociopaths, or supernatural beings. They are a subgroup within our society who are perhaps unique, but who are not after our blood.
Real vampires are immortal, and when the spirit parasite that has invaded a human body has tired of that fleshly residence, it dispassionately discards its temporarydwelling and possesses another, abandoning its former host to death and decay, rather than to an existence of attractive eternal youth and everlasting sexual prowess.
Although these entities cannot be killed, they can be driven away from their potential victims. We can resist them. We can become immune to their power. We can fight them and defeat them.
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A chilling chronicle of the often ignored history of vampirism as it has surfaced repeatedly in news articles, historical accounts, and first person interviews, this shocking account of occultist rituals and the inhuman forces that influence them shines a light on the horrifying truth. Revealing that real vampires are not immortal, do not have fangs or sleep in coffins, and have no fear of sunlight or crucifixes, the examination dispels many myths but also confirms the truth behind several traits of real vampires, such as the insatiable thirst for blood and the dream of an eternal soul. Complete with 30 spine-tingling tales of the hideous wraiths and creatures that lurk in shadow, this fascinating collection includes the stories of the Mexican prostitute who mesmerized an entire village, convincing them she was an Incan goddess who required human sacrifice for her magic; the three teenagers who left a trail across the South as they conducted blood-drinking rituals with animals; and the mysterious Lady in Black who draws psychic energy from men who dare approach her as she wanders through city streets and parks.
About the Author
Brad Steiger is an award-winning writer with more than five decades of experience exploring unusual, hidden, secret, and strange occurrences. He is the author of Conspiracies and Secret Societies; Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Houses; and The Werewolf Book. He lives in Forest City, Iowa.
4. Vampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism by Joseph Laycock
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What does it mean to be a vampire? Is vampirism a religion? Is it a fantasy? Is it a medical condition? Based upon extensive interviews with members of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance and others within vampire communities throughout the United States, Vampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism looks at the many expressions of vampirism. In this book the reader will meet "lifestyle" vampires, who adopt a culture and a gothic ascetic associated with the vampires of art and legend, and "real" vampires, who feel that they must actually consume blood and/or psychic energy for their well being. The reader will hear from members of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance and will learn about the Order of the Vampyre, the Ordo Strigoi Vii, and the Temple of the Vampire.
Throughout the world, untold numbers of people are identifying as "vampires" and following the ways of "vampirism." In the past two decades, modern vampirism has come under increased study, yet most scholarship has portrayed the vampire as a cultural phenomenon and at worst as a religious cult.
Having interviewed many vampires across the country, both "lifestylers" and "real," even those "reluctants" who try not to be vampires, Laycock argues that today's vampires are best understood as an identity group and that vampirism has caused a profound change in how individuals choose to define themselves. As vampires come "out of the coffin," either as followers of a "religion" or "lifestyle" or as people biologically distinct from other humans, their confrontation with mainstream society will raise questions about the definition of "normal" and what it means to be human. Here, readers will find the details of real vampire life—including vampire role-playing games, grimoires, "vampyre" balls, vampire houses like House Sahjaza and House Kheperu, the vampire "caste" system, and other details—utterly fascinating.
5. Vampires: The Occult Truth (Llewellyn truth about series) by Konstantinos
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Discover the strange world of the undead and the proof that creatures of the night exist when you read Vampires by Konstantinos.
The facts about vampires are stranger than anything you may have read, heard, or imagined before. In Vampires you''ll learn the truth about the undead. It rips away the myth and exposes the habits and lifestyles of these beings.
Vampires reveals the occult truths about these creatures including actual first-person encounters with vampires of all types—the ancient undead of folklore, contemporary mortal blood drinkers, and the most dangerous creatures of all: psychic vampires who intentionally drain the life force from their victims.
- Learn about the four types of vampires
- Read about vampire legends from around the world
- Discover vampires from history, including:
- Arnold Paole of Serbia
- Peter Plogojowitz and the Count de Cabreras of Hungary
- The vampire of Croglin Grange, Cumberland, England
- Countess Elizabeth Bathory, responsible for up to 650 deaths
- Gilles de Rais
- Fritz Haarman, of Germany, from ninety years ago
- John Haigh of Yorkshire, England, from just before WWII
- And of course, the real Vlad Dracula
- Present-day blood drinkers
- How to protect yourself from vampires
Included are letters from contemporary vampires. You will be shocked and surprised as you discover what these people are really like. Besides learning about the psychic vampire that unintentionally drains you of your energy as well as the intentional psychic vampire, you''ll learn rituals for protection and methods to avoid falling into their clutches.
Vampires finally reveals the truth about the undead. You will be fascinated when you discover who they were and what they are now, and you''ll be grateful when you learn how to protect yourself from them. This is not a book of fantasy and imagination, but of science, history, and spirituality.
Feeling drained? Perhaps you are the unwitting victim of a psychic vampire. Want to know more? In this his second book, Konstantinos explores the folklore surrounding the blood-drinking vampire and, more importantly, exposes the threat of 20th century vampires which feed on psychic energy. I found this amalgam of stories from the past with Konstantinos' experiences in the present appealing to both the folklorist and the occultist sides of my curiosity. Konstantinos' theories will be considered controversial by many, but I don't feel that they can be summarily dismissed.
From the Publisher
When I first saw the title of Konstantinos' manuscript, Vampires, I was rather hesitant to even look at it. The scientific side of me was quite doubtful. After all, vampires are fiction, aren't they?
No. They're not.
Konstantinos presents undeniable proof that vampires existed...and still exist today. He reveals the history of vampires throughout the world. Virtually every culture has records and myths of them. He then reveals historic vampires.
Vampires discusses the four types of vampires that walk this earth. You'll learn how to identify them and discover what they do. Vampires also gives you explicit instructions on how to protect yourself from vampiric attacks.
If you are a doubter, as I was, this book is a must. The facts become clear: vampires are a literal reality. You will read letters from real vampires who tell what their lives are actually like. This is more exciting than any fictional interview with a vampire because it is real!
Whether you believe in vampires or are a doubter, Vampires is a must!
About the Author
Konstantinos is a recognized expert on occult, new age, and paranormal topics. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and technical writing from New York Polytechnic Institute. He is a published author of articles and short fiction which have been featured in numerous publications including Popular Electronics, The Spook, and FATE Magazine. Konstantinos is a popular lecturer on the paranormal at colleges and bookstores in the New York City area and he has appeared on CNBC's After Hours and The Ricki Lake Show.
A Dark Neopagan, Konstantinos has been researching the occult and practicing magick for over fifteen years. Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Konstantinos now devotes his time to writing, singing Gothic rock music, and exploring nocturnal life in New York City and around the country.
Konstantinos is also the author of Vampires: The Occult Truth, Summoning Spirits: The Art of Magical Evocation, Speak with the Dead: 7 Methods for Spirit Communication, Gothic Grimoire, Nocturnal Witchcraft, and the forthcoming Nocturnicon: Calling Dark Forces and Powers (Sept 2005).
6. The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead By J. Gordon Melton
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"Re-staking" its claim as the most complete and authoritative source on the subject, this fully revised, expanded edition of "The Vampire Book" features more facts, more photos (including a color insert) and new features that are certain to quench the thirst of even the most die-hard fan of the undead. 200 photos.
Amazon.com Review
J. Gordon Melton has the credentials: he's a religious historian, author of 25 books about religion and vampires, president of the American chapter of the Transylvania Society of Dracula (founded in Bucharest, Romania), and chairman of the committee that put on Dracula '97: A Centennial Celebration in Los Angeles. The Vampire Book is meticulously researched and well organized. Included are an article on the cultural history of the vampire; a historical timeline; addresses of vampire societies all over the world; a 55-page filmography; vampires in plays, opera, and ballet; a 13-page list of vampire novels; and an extensive index. The A to Z entries, each with a short bibliography, include vampire lore in more than 30 different geographic regions and a comprehensive "who's who," and cover topics ranging from fingernails to sexuality, the Camarilla to Szekelys.
Review
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead covers the historical, literary, mythological, biographical and popular aspects of one of the world's most mesmerizing subjects. Here from A-Z are definitions of terms, descriptions of places and biographies of famous vampires (both fictional and allegedly real) the actors who have portrayed them and the authors who have immortalized them. Readers will be further spellbound by descriptions of vampire appearances in different cultures and other topics (like sexuality) associated with vampires. Many of The Vampire Book's 120 illustrations are rare, never-before-published images from the file of the Vampire Studies society. A Map of Vampire Country depicts major sites associated with Dracula in Roumania. Three separate chronologies present the development of the vampire myth in history, in novels and through cinema. -- Midwest Book Review
7. Vampires and Vampirism By Montague Summers
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Any investigation into vampire legends leads inevitably to the works of Montague Summers (1880-1948), whose research and writings in the 1920s established him as the subject’s preeminent authority.
This study examines vampire lore in fantastic detail, constituting a record of folk beliefs unequaled in its sheer scope and depth. It features all the apparatus of an academic work, including footnotes and references to rare source documents, and it addresses such issues as how vampires came into existence, vampirish behavior, vampire-like ancient myths, and vampires in modern literature. Unabridged republication of the classic 1929 edition. Introduction. Bibliography. Index.
Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an eccentric English author and clergyman. He is known primarily for his 1928 English translation of the medieval witch hunter's manual, the Malleus Maleficarum, as well as for several studies on witches, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe.
While his passing acquaintance Aleister Crowley adopted the persona of a modern-day witch, Summers played the part of the learned Catholic witch-hunter. His introduction to the Malleus Maleficarum declares it an admirable and correct account of witchcraft and of the methods necessary to combat it. In the introduction to his book on The History of Witchcraft and Demonology he writes: "In the following pages I have endeavored to show the witch as she really was – an evil liver: a social pest and parasite: the devotee of a loathly and obscene creed: an adept at poisoning, blackmail, and other creeping crimes: a member of a powerful secret organization inimical to Church and State: a blasphemer in word and deed, swaying the villagers by terror and superstition: a charlatan and a quack sometimes: a bawd: an abortionist: the dark counselor of lewd court ladies and adulterous gallants: a minister to vice and inconceivable corruption, battening upon the filth and foulest passions of the age".
He died at his home in Richmond, Surrey in August 1948. An autobiography The Galanty Show was published posthumously in 1980, though much is left unrevealed about his somewhat mysterious life.
8. Vampires and Vampirism : Legends from Around the World (Classics of Preternatural History)
By Dudley Wright
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Vampires and Vampirism is a treasured part of the folklore canon on vampires. Inside these pages are many accounts of the presence of nocturnal creatures with an unnatural hunger. Readers will discover that tales of vampires are whispered not only in the sleepy villages of easternand central Europe but also in the Middle East, the Asian sub-continent, and the isles of Great Britain. This book is the inaugural volume in the Classics of Preternatural History series.
Review
"If you have an intense desire to learn more about the mysteries of the undead, you need this book..." -- The Stygian Labyrinth (www.stygianlabyrinth.net)
Anyone with even a glimmer of belief in vampires will thoroughly enjoy reading Vampires and Vampirism from Lethe Press --Tara Mahovetz, Horror Books & Movies at About.Com
Anyone with even a glimmer of belief in vampires will thoroughly enjoy reading Vampires and Vampirism from Lethe Press. -- Tara Mahovetz, Horror Books & Movies at About.Com
If you have an intense desire to learn more about the mysteries of the undead, you need this book... --The Stygian Labyrinth
From the Publisher
This book is the first volume in the Classics of Preternatural History series which explores area of the occult, pseudoscience, and the supernatural that have had a lasting impact upon the history and psyche of civilizations.
About the Author
Dudley Wright was a prolific British author and folklorist who wrote several works on ancient religions, Freemasonry, and legends. His work in the area of vampirology remains important to this day.
9. The Science of Vampires By Katherine Ramsland
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The concept of the vampire has evolved from Bram Stoker's supernatural creature of the night to the pop culture anti-hero of today's TV shows, hit movies, and bestselling novels. Where were these legends born? In what ways have they evolved? How much is actually true? This revealing book answers these questions and more:
€ Are any vampire myths based on fact?
€ What is Vampire Personality Disorder?
€ What is the polysexual world of the vampire?
€ Could a vampire hide in today's advanced world of forensic science?
€ What happens to the brain of the vampire's victim?
Based on fascinating interviews with forensic experts, creative artists, and real-life bloodsuckers, this is a vampire book like no other.
Amazon.com Review
Forensic psychologist and horror-cultural journalist Katherine Ramsland's latest book considers the scientific possibilities and psychological implications of vampirism, from its literary genesis in Bram Stoker's Dracula to the present day. Ramsland's Piercing the Darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today chronicled the modern cultural impact of the vampire. Now she broadens her inquiry to examine vampire mythology and practice in scientific terms, taking the reader into discussions of psychoneuroimmunology, endorphins and psychedelics, psychopathology, and other areas of science and metaphysics.
Ramsland isn't advocating the existence of creatures of the night. Rather, she applies scientific methods and concepts to the aspects of the vampire that are most attractive--immortality, abilities of mental and sexual control, the maintenance of life through the blood or energy of others. The particular applications of theory aren't always convincing, but they will be entertaining and interesting to fans of vampire stories and culture who want to go beyond story into the realm of science. --Roz Genessee
From Publishers Weekly
Biographer of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, Ramsland (The Forensic Science of CSI) ranges over everything from quantum mechanics to feng shui in explaining the evolution of "a mostly fictional creature." Because every vampire television series, novel and role-playing game has created variations on exactly what a vampire is, Ramsland admittedly runs into some difficulty applying science to these "shapeshifters," making for some slippery discussions. For example, Ramsland reviews crime scene procedures or ponders such questions as whether vampires have a full range of bodily fluids with equal earnestness. In her quest for real-life vampires, she studies blood-drinking club goers who identify with the mysterious monsters but are not actual murderers, but also relates tales about serial killers such as Ted Bundy because they exhibit vampiric traits such as remorselessness and lust for destruction. The discussion of contemporary vampirism and its relationship to "goth" and bondage subcultures is informative, though the explanation of "psychic vampires" (those who manipulate others and feed off of their mental anguish) is less so. While this is not a scholarly book aimed at the scientific community, and it may not surprise Dracula devotees, it serves as a useful compendium of folklore and popular culture for those with a casual interest in vampires, a group whose membership regularly rises during the Halloween season.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Katherine Ramsland has a master's degree in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has published eighteen books, including biographies of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, and the novel Heat Seekers. She currently writes forensics articles for Court TV's Crime Library.
10. Vampires in Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices By Michelle Belanger
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"There's no book available on the vampire culture today with the range, depth, and diversity of Belanger's Vampires in Their Own Words."
—Katherine Ramsland, author of Piercing the Darkness and The Science of Vampires
"Belanger gives empathetic access to an emergent new magical-religious community . . . An important sourcebook for both the scholar and inquiring public."
—J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion, and author of The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead
The code of silence has been broken
For this anthology, vampire Michelle Belanger convinced nearly two dozen real-life vampires to break the code of silence that has kept their fascinating subculture shrouded in secrecy.
Sometimes provocative, sometimes surprisingly down-to-earth, these candid firsthand accounts come from both psi vampires who feed on energy and sanguine vampires who drink actual blood. Their true stories shed light on a variety of topics, including awakening to vampirism, the compulsion to feed and feeding practices, donor ethics and etiquette, and vampire traditions and codes of behavior.
Michelle Belanger (Ohio) is a popular author best known for her writings on psychic vampirism and the modern vampire subculture. A self-professed energy vampire, she has appeared on the British documentary American Vampires, Peter Anthony Holder’s Soul Call, Coast to Coast, the X-Zone, as well on the History Channel, WE!, and A&E. She has lectured at colleges across the United States and occasionally tours with her Chicago-based dark metal band URN.
For a thorough examination of traditional vampire folklore, see the works of Montague Summers and Anthony Masters.
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Stephen Kaplan,Vampires Are (ETC Publications, 1984)
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Anthony Masters, The Natural History of the Vampire (Berkley Publishing Corp., 1972)
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Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu, In Search of Dracula (New York Graphic Society, 1972)
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Montague Summers, The Vampire, His Kith and Kin (University Books, 1960)
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Montague Summers, The Vampire in Europe (The Aquarian Press Limited, 1980)
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James B. Twitchell, The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature (Duke University Press, 1981)
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Leonard Wolf, A Dream of Dracula (Popular Library, 1972)
Very real vampire games
