Non-Humans R Us Newsletters

Vampires

Recently, I was watching Fangsgiving on the Chiller station. In case you’re not sure what that is, basically, I watched a bunch of vampire movies over Thanksgiving. No, the Twilight saga was none of them; most of the vampires in these movies were distinctly allergic to the sun, and did not sparkle.

Vampires have been around for a long time, but it’s only within the last couple of centuries that they have been called vampires. These creatures of the night have a thirst for blood, tend to fear the sun, garlic, silver, and crosses, and even water at times, especially Holy water.

In most stories, vampires are calculating seducers, in one form or another. In most versions of Dracula, Dracula tries to claim the Lady Murray, fiancée to Lord Harker, but is foiled by those who had wanted to marry her lady friend, whom he’d caused the death of, along with one Dr. Van Helsing. Other vampires also try to take the woman, or man, that they desire.

In other stories, such as the 30 Days of Night series, humans as simply seen as food, and potential recruits. Basically, the vampires attack humans because they are a very convenient source of food, and there is a large supply of them.

Then there are other stories where vampires and humans live side-by-side in relative harmony. Of course, problems arise during romance, as vampires are long-lived compared to humans, and thus would end up watching their human companion grow old while they stay about the same.

In other stories, such as the BloodRayne series, a vampire works with humans in order to destroy a very powerful, and evil, vampire.

Then there are some stories where vampires are a hidden society, such as Adrienne Barbeau’s Vampyres of Hollywood and Love Bites, where several of Hollywood’s earliest leading actors and actresses are actually vampires, and are still alive. Also, they have written most of the vampire movies, and included a great deal of lies about vampires in them. Problems arise when someone tries to hunt them, and they are forced to rely on a human detective for help.

Vampires and vampire-like creatures are found all over, though European versions are most often talked about in most English-speaking countries. They tend to have many weaknesses, but there are some very plausible reasons as to why.

The Sun- Hello, it can be very bright at times, and no one wants to get it in their eyes. Also, it can be hot out. That and pale skin tends to sunburn more easily.

Garlic- that’s a foul smelling herb with a regular nose- imagine if you had the sensitivity of a bloodhound- it would be a whole lot worse.

Holy Water- are you sure that’s actually water that a priest blessed? I saw some and it looked a little yellow in color- wouldn’t want that on myself either.

A Cross- What if the vampire was a Jew or a Muslim, or some such thing? Would you need to get the religious symbol of that vampire’s faith? Explanation for this has to be that the cross was actually part of the hilt of a sword, and name a person who wouldn’t fear being beheaded.

Silver- Gold is better anyways- it’s more valuable.

Stake- you get stabbed by one of these and you’ll die too.

Of course, if vampires have control of the media, in movies, television, books, and games, it’s possible that these weaknesses are all false information. In truth, their weaknesses might be more basic- deprive them of food, or wound them severely, and they will die.

Well, I hope this helps you on your quest to understand creatures from the realms of Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror/Scary. Just remember to protect your neck out there, and include garlic as part of your diet, in one form or another.