Monstrum Athenaeum Tearing open the cryptid world of werewolves, vampires & zombies.
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Vampires hold a certain fascination in the hearts of millions of people around the world. Whether they’re in a Hollywood horror film, or tucked neatly inside the pages of a book, vampires tug at a romantic notion that love, or at least the torment of a love lost, can last for eternity. However, for special few, this love for the creatures of the night goes much deeper. Some people fall so far in love with the idea of vampires that they start their own vampire cults.
As discussed before, there is a difference between clinical vampirism and those seeking to live “the vampire lifestyle”. For most, the lifestyle is a way of interacting with like-minded people; sharing the love for the darkness. This may lead to body modifications, such as custom dental implants (fangs), special contact lenses, as well as the rituals of drinking the blood of the other cult members. For an even smaller few, this lifestyle is much darker, triggering something of a primal nature which leads them to commit bloody murders. It’s these individuals that give true vampires a bad name, as the media limelight is not where a vampire should be spending his or her time.
Real vampires have remained a mystery because of their true nature: they are predators. They hide out of necessity and, save for those buried with bricks in their mouths, won’t succumb to media traps, nor would they fall for the illusion of Hollywood fame; be it good or bad. A true vampire should never be so careless as to leave a crime scene with a trail of evidence leading right to where he or she resides.
Perhaps so many of these so called “vampires” get caught up in the romantic illusion portayed by Hollywood movies that they are driven to insanity; ultimately killing friends, relatives, or sometimes complete strangers. In the end, using vampirism as a scapegoat. For those suffering from clincial vampirism, Dr. Krafft-Ebing has theorized, from his research, that the cause is related to a perversion of the individual’s sexual instinct:
Dr. Krafft-Ebing documented that many of these ‘lust killings’ were actually a combination of hyperesthesia and parathesia – increased desire and the perversion of the sexual instinct. His case studies inspired the later works of Sigmund Freud and were also said to have influenced Bram Stoker and his depiction of the sexuality of the blood lust in Dracula.
Are these select few really predetermined by some unknown factor lurking within them to commit these murders? What snaps inside their minds and drives them to kill a friend to drink their blood? Is it greed or lust for power? Could it be revenge? Perhaps it’s a combination of these things. The ironic inevitability of these sudo vampires is that, by and large, they’re captured and tried for murder, obviously forgetting to work out this one last detail before entering their plea to the court. A true vampire could never be held by concrete and bars. A firm reminder they are not, by any means, the real deal.
Finally, an idea most sketpics don’t consider, or dismiss entirely when trying to explain the mental workings of these loonies, is the possibility the person on the six o’clock news being tried as a “vampire” for murder is actually the scapegoat for a real vampires. As discussed in the case of Manuel Romasanta, there’s a distinct possibility these supernatural predators are using the clinically insane to take the fall for their appetites. What better way to stay hidden than offering the police a clue in the wrong direction?
The vampire lifestyle will remain a thriving option for those who don’t fit in with “normal society”. However, if you believe in the real deal, there’s a good chance something’s lurking there, in the darkness, with them; being ever vigilant to the growing vamp scene and the delicious possibilities it may bring.
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