On December 21, 2001, The Alamogordo Daily News reported that some illegal immigrants sneaking into the United States had actually encountered vampires. According to the article, Chief of the Border Patrol’s Alamogordo Sector Dan Jimenez said the following: “One gut told use vampires dragged away two of his friends.” These alleged sightings have taken place in a place known as “Journado del Muerto” (Spanish for “Journey of Death”), so named because of the harsh terrain.
The idea of vampires is perhaps as old as man himself. However, the term vampire came into prominence during the 18thcentury, when stories from Eastern Europe began to proliferate in Western Europe. According to most legend, a vampire is an undead human that feeds on the life essence of the living—the essence can be blood but can also be a human being’s soul or life spirit.
Vampires go by many different names and possess a variety of characteristics. For example, in Greece vampires are known as vrykolakas, which crush their victims by sitting on them while they sleep. In Romania, vampires are known as strigoi, which have two hearts and flaming red hair. In West Africa, the Ashanti people tell of the asanbosam, an iron-toothed creature that can take the form of a firefly and consumes children. And in Japan, there is a hideous creature known as the nukekubi, which can detach is head from its body when hunting human prey at night.
Arguably the most famous of vampires is Count Dracula, invented by Bram Stoker and played in film by Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Gary Oldman. Dracula was inspired by Vlad Tepes, a Voivode of Wallachia who brutally tortured his enemies. Another real-life “vampire” was Countess Bathory, who bathed in the blood of virgins in an effort to retain her youth.
In literature, vampires have been a staple of the monster world. In addition to Stoker’s Dracula, early vampire fiction includes The Vampyre by Lord Byron (1819, although the story was actually written by Polidori), Varney the Vampire (a penny dreadful that started in 1847), Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu (1871). Modern vampire tales include the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley, I am Legend by Richard Matheson, Ann Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, The Hollows series of books by Kim Harrison, and the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton.
Filmmakers continue to have a love affair with the vampire, with many films modifying folklore and expanding on the vampire’s powers. Popular movies right now include the Underworld and Twilight series. In New Mexico, Cloverfield director Matt Reeves filmed Let Me In in parts of Los Alamos, Red River, and Albuquerque. Let Me In is a remake of a Swedish vampire film known as Let the Right One In.
So, what’s your favorite vampire story or movie? Comment below.
About the Monster of the Week: Every week, I will pick a monster that has captured my attention above all others. I hope you enjoy this series, so please leave a comment after you have read this article.
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