Pursuit of Vampires: Modern Day Research Societies

Vampire literature is all the rage right now, especially among young adults. Of course, the belief in vampires or similar creatures may pre-date written history; certainly, fear of the dead and belief in the magical qualities of blood are found in the histories of various cultures around the world. The publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) probably did more to popularize the idea of a blood drinking "undead" entity than any other piece of literature, although various works such as Goethe's poem "The Bride Of Corinth" and the John Keats poem "The Lamia" among others, pre-date it.

My purpose is not to explain the history of, or even to describe, the vampire or its place in history and literature. While doing research for a fictional piece of my own, I ran across some intriguing information about modern societies devoted to the study and/or pursuit of vampires or claims of vampiric activity. After eliminating various fan organizations (those devoted to books, such as Stephenie Meyers' Twilight, television shows such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and various movies) I was left with at least half a dozen.

Two of the organizations are headed by rivals who were involved in the Highgate vampire furor in Highgate Cemetery, London, England from 1969 into the early 70s. Briefly, David Farrant wrote in the Hampstead and Highgate Express February 6, 1970, that he had encountered what he believed to be a supernatural entity in Highgate Cemetery one night in 1969. A second man, Sean Manchester, weighed in on the matter, agreeing that there was a spectre of some sort in the cemetery. The newspaper reported that Manchester believed it was a vampire, and that the best thing to do would be to stake the body, behead it, and bury it. (Unfortunately, this type of activity is frowned upon by modern society; in fact, it's against the law.) Both men gave interviews to the press, and pursued the subject, becoming in the meantime bitter rivals. When Britain's ITV broadcast Manchester's proposed vampire hunt on Friday the 13^th, a crowd of vampire hunters and thrill seekers proceeded to mob the cemetery, many armed with crosses, stakes, garlic, and holy water.

Both Farrant and Manchester continued to hang about the Highgate Cemetery; Farrant was supposedly arrested in the churchyard one night, carrying a stake and crucifix, although the charges were dropped. Farrant says he does not believe that the spectre of Highgate was a vampire, and that the media were responsible for that erroneous claim. Manchester, on the other hand, has written a book about his experiences, which includes photographs, (The Highgate Vampire 1985; 2^nd rev Gothic Press, London, 1991) and apparently has no issue with being called a vampirologist. There is an enormous amount of information available on the Highgate case, including video clips from ITV and the Discovery channel on YouTube.

There is such a mass of material devoted to these two men and the occurrences at Highgate that I can't even begin to sort it all out.

David Farrant now heads the Highgate Vampire Society in London, which published Suspended in the Dusk, as well as the British Psychic and Occult Society. Both have homepages, which you can find under www.davidfarrant.org. It appears that membership is more or less by invitation. David Farrant states, most emphatically, that he does NOT believe in vampires.

Sean Manchester is head of the Vampire Research Society, London. The easiest way to get more information? Facebook, of course! They also have a website: www.holygrail-churchfsnet.co.uk.

TheVampire Research Center in Elmhurst, NY was founded by Stephen Kaplan in 1972. Although Stephen has passed away, an article in the newspaper The Queens Tribune 2004 says that according to their research, the center is still being run by his widow. Contact information is:

Vampire Research Center

P.O.Box 252

Elmhurst, NY 11373

Kaplan wrote the book Vampires Are, (ETC Publications 1984) detailing his interviews and experiences with self-proclaimed vampires. He claims that there are at least 300 vampires living in the US, and that contrary to some legends, they are not immortal (but do live exceedingly long lives, up to 150 years or more), do not necessarily kill victims (they only need a few ounces of blood at a time), and live and work among us at various jobs throughout life without detection. Readers of the book Vampires Are, as evidenced by several reviews I've read, seem taken with someone named Elizabeth in the book, who apparently made quite a convincing case for herself as being a real vampire.

Allen Gittens of The Vampyre Society was recently profiled by BBC Where I Live: Yorkshire on October 5, 2009, in an article entitled "Interview With A Vampire Researcher". They describe him as "one of the country's foremost authority's (sic) on Vampirism." Gittens apparently concentrates more on the origins, myths and legends surrounding the vampire, and seeks to educate others who have grown up on a diet of cinematic and television versions. As far as the actual existence of vampires? I couldn't find a definitive answer from him anywhere. I guess he's still looking. Contact information:

The Vampyre Society

c/o Allen J. Gittens

38 Westcroft

Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 OLY

UK

As I stated at the beginning of the article, this is just the merest taste (pun intended) as to what's out there as far as modern day vampire research. On the flip side, of course, are the modern vampires themselves. Under resources, I've posted links to three websites, the first of which offers information and resources on the "modern day vampire lifestyle". Read at your own risk; I never got past the table of contents.