Walpurgisnacht: a Collection of Classic Short Fiction

Is There A True "American Vampire" Myth?

The European settlers and African slaves brought the vampire mythology of their homelands to the New World. In some cases these myths became intertwined as settlers from many backgrounds melded into a single nation. While Native American mythology has some very fascinating monsters, some of them being flesh-eaters, others being shape-changers, none are true bloodsuckers. Yet, there is a true "American vampire," one born of this young nation, one found only here in America. This vampire is much more than a meld of the beliefs of the Native Americans and those of our forefathers.

Anne Rice's Vampires

In almost all cases, fledglings are created when a master vampire chooses a successor or 'child' and drains him or her almost to the point of death. The victim then, if possible, drinks some of the old one's blood in return. This is necessarily an act of will and trust as well as a physical exchange. One unusual characteristic is that after the transformation, the fledgling and the master can no longer psychically hear one another (see Gabrielle and Lestat, in 'The Vampire Lestat').

Monsters from the subconscious

As a Horror writer I've been often and pointedly been asked why I write this stuff. It's not ever said directly, but it's always there: Is there something wrong with you? In my own defense, quite a few people enjoy reading this same stuff and even more get a thrill out of watching it on the big screen. Just to hazard a guess, I'd say most people have in their life read a horror book or seen a horror movie. The question then becomes: What's wrong with us?

Nosferatu: the classic silent film

A million fancies strike you when you hear the name: Nosferatu!N O S F E R A T Udoes not die!

Vampires from the deep

Are there vampires who dwell beneath the waters of the world, and if so, what myth, legends, and folk tales surround them? Are they normal vampires who just prefer water to the land? Are they blood-drinking mermaids? Are there any such vampires in fictional books or movies? To fully answer such questions, a whole book would be required. But let me give some telling examples.

Are vampires really scary?

While at several local events the past two weekends in the Lexington area where I was either promoting my Lexington Vampire and True Blood Examiner page as well as doing my Vampire Tarot readings, I had several conversations with other vendors and guests about vampires and whether they are scary of not.

Christianity and Vampirism

The Old Testament warns against the drinking of blood: "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Genesis 9:4); "Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh." (Deuteronomy 12:23)

After 'Twilight': Where Do Vampires in Pop Culture Go From Here?

If Dracula wrote the book on the modern vampire fiction, Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer's four Twilight books (and their five film adaptations) have given it an enormously unfaithful, enormously successful rewrite. Even before the release of Breaking Dawn--Part 2, the Twilight franchise had earned $2.5 billion dollars at the worldwide box-office, and Breaking Dawn--Part 2 is on track to make hundreds of millions more.

How to Kill a Vampire (Try Wood, Ultraviolet Ammo)

As the vampire flick Twilight tops the U.S. charts and opens in Britain, female viewers are swooning over the impossible romance between mortal and immortal. But many of their male companions will be pondering the age-old question: "Just what kind of hardware do I need to take down that sucker?"

In the Blood: Why Do Vampires Still Thrill?

"Unclean, unclean!" Mina Harker screams, gathering her bloodied nightgown around her. In Chapter 21 of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," Mina's friend John Seward, a psychiatrist in Purfleet, near London, tells how he and a colleague, warned that Mina might be in danger, broke into her bedroom one night and found her kneeling on the edge of her bed. Bending over her was a tall figure, dressed in black. "His right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom.

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