New Dracula in LA

October contains Halloween, and as a result theatre-goers with a taste for the gothic can look forward to productions of Dracula.  These vary from the Balderson-Deane classic (which made Bela Lugosi famous) to such fresh takes as last year’s “feminist” version or an adaptation on roller skates or for that matter more than a few…

The Deadly Dance of the Boabhan Sith

Gather ‘round, for I have a tale of indescribable horror. What began as a night of laughter quickly transformed into a night of soul crushing screams. This is the tale of the wicked fae of British folklore – the Boabhan Sith. The Scots Gaelic term boabhan sith (pronounced “boh-van shee”) translates to “wicked woman fairy.”…

Haunting Butterflies of Death

When one pictures a vampire, a fearsome being of death, they do not imagine a butterfly beautifully fluttering through the wind. That’s just absurd, right? Well, amazingly enough, many years ago when superstition ruled, people did pictures horrific vampires when seeing a butterfly. Since even ancient times, the butterfly has been a creature associated with…

Archaeologists Discover Vampire Skeletons in Bulgaria

At one point in history the belief in vampires was very much real and alive. People lived in great fear of the undead and precautions were taken to prevent a corpse from returning as a vampire. Common methods throughout Europe included staking the corpse with a certain type of metal or wood, placing a fish…

Archeologists Discover Vampire Skeletons in Ireland

Hundreds of years ago when the fear of vampire was very real, a common belief in many countries was that vampires not only fed on blood, but that they also spread the plague. At the time villagers took an assortment of precautions to keep vampires from terrorizing them, everything from putting a brick in a…

The Vicious Viesczy of Northern Europe

One of my absolute favorite things about vampires is their history, the countless myths and legends surrounding them. I love vampire folklore, I love that virtually every country has their own unique vampire, from the Sampiro to the Nelapsi. After countless time spent on  research I had thought I had covered every vampire species, but…

Vampire Hunting on ‘Destination Truth’

Over at Werewolves.com I chatted with our readers about Destination Truth, a show that I recently learned existed. It’s currently in its fourth season, so yeah, I’m a bit behind. Ah well, anyway, the show airs over on SyFy and explores a wide variety of myths and legends around the world – from werewolves to…

Vampires or Body Snatchers?

It’s time to bring a little vampire history into your bloodthirsty lives! As you may know, a few centuries ago mass vampire hysteria spread across the world, nearly everyone lived in fear of the undead. The reason for this widespread fear is mainly due to ignorance, you see, during those old times they simple didn’t…

The Life of a Vampire

How long are vampires granted to walk the earth? Most books and movies tell us that a vampire will live forever, wandering the earth for all eternity. But is that the case with all vampires? Actually, it’s not. If we take a look back and peek into the vast world of vampire folklore we’ll find…

Leech Lover Facts: Part 6

It has been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, so here it is, the sixth edition of Leech Lover Facts! For those that missed the past editions (tsk tsk) this is where I share some random bits of info on vampires – from historical facts to modern trivia. Enjoy! In Hungary, Romania…