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October 31, 2003 | Vampire Killing Kit Sells for $12,000
June 03, 2003 | Dracula Scholars Plunge Fangs Into Vampire Legend May 07, 2003 | Elton John to Take a Bite Out of Broadway ? | Valerie (2002) April 01, 2002 | Vampire Rapist Commits Suicide June 03, 2002 | Buffy Game Rises at Last August 02, 2002 | U.K. Teen Convicted of Killing Widow ? | Media Release: Vampire Tours |
Vampire Killing Kit Sells for $12,000
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Just in time for Halloween, a vampire-killing kit complete with a wooden stake and 10 silver bullets sold for $12,000 at auction Thursday.
The kit, a walnut box that also contained a crucifix, a pistol, a rosary and vessels for garlic powder and various serums, was bought by an anonymous phone bidder.
According to Sotheby's, some experts believe that such kits were commonly available to travelers in Eastern Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, while others think the kits were made in the early 20th century, possibly to cash in on interest in vampires sparked by the 1897 publication of Bram Stoker's "Dracula."
Elaine Whitmire, head of 19th century furniture for Sotheby's, said she believes the kit was assembled in the early 20th century and sold to travelers as a souvenir.
"My opinion is this is a memento that you bought while you were in Europe," she said. "I doubt it was cheap to buy."
A label on the kit says: "This box contains the items considered necessary for persons who travel into certain little known countries of Eastern Europe where the populace are plagued with a particular manifestation of evil known as Vampires."
The vampire killing kit was part of Sotheby's sale of 19th century furniture and decorative works of art.
The auction house did not identify the seller of the kit. The price includes Sotheby's auction house's commission.
© Copyright 2003 Associated Press Information Services, all rights reserved.
Posted on Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Dracula Scholars Plunge Fangs Into Vampire Legend
Reuters
SIGHISOARA, Romania (Reuters) - Bloodied fangs painted on their T-shirts and silver bats dangling from their ears, they swoop to the heart of Transylvania to feed their hunger for the occult.
The guise of academia is swiftly dropped. Ghost stories dominate the dinner table, passionate debate swirls around which character actor played the best Count Dracula and midnight strolls usually head straight to the nearby cemetery.
Folklorists, historians and scientists seeking the origins of the legend of Dracula joined amateur vampirologists from around the globe during the third World Dracula Congress, held this month in Romania's medieval town of Sighisoara.
"Romania can almost be described as a spiritual home for people who enjoy stories of ghosts, witches, werewolves, vampires and the supernatural in general," said Sir Alan Murdie, chairman of England's Ghost Club.
Among the creatures of the dark side, Dracula is king. Few characters in the history of world fiction have attracted a cult following, launched a movie genre or created an entire sub-culture. Bram Stoker's vampire has done all three.
The origins of the blood-sucking count have been shrouded in mystery. Was Romania's 15th century hero Vlad Tepes the Impaler the inspiration? How much did Stoker know about him? Did the superstitions of rural Transylvania dictate the story?
In the diary-form novel, which had mixed reviews when published in 1897, Count Dracula leaves his castle for the rich feeding grounds of bustling London only to return home and be destroyed, hunted down by his cross-bearing foes.
Hundreds of vampire films -- including scores of cheap B-movies, comedies and classics such as Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" -- followed Hollywood's first silver screen Dracula, starring Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi, in 1931.
BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN
Hidden behind the Iron Curtain for decades, most Romanians know nothing about the count and his gory exploits. The gothic novel was translated into Romanian only after the 1989 overthrow of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
"Everyone in Romania knows Vlad Tepes. Nobody knows Count Dracula," said folklore professor Silviu Angelescu.
He said Vlad was attributed horror characteristics by his enemies, the same way many Romanians believed Ceausescu used the blood of orphaned children to stay young or to sell abroad.
For this and other reasons, communist comrades barely tolerated the count. Few foreigners ventured to a remote 1970s hotel where the count's castle was supposedly located, in the Borgo Pass near the northern town of Bistrita.
The Wallachian Prince Vlad, who defended his realm against invading Ottoman armies and brought order by swiftly killing criminals, had never ventured this far north in the Carpathians.
He was notorious for his cruelty but he was no vampire and vampires are not part of Romania's superstitions, which include the belief that garlic protects from evil.
"Interestingly, a Romanian scholar presented a medieval paper instructing Transylvanian priests how to handle widespread rumors the dead were rising from their graves," Murdie said.
Vlad Tepes is believed to have been born in Sighisoara around 1431 to Vlad Dracul or Dragon. The young Vlad was named Dracula -- meaning son of Dracul -- by his father but in Romanian the word also means the devil.
Popular culture has long associated Vlad, who liked to dine while watching impaled Turkish prisoners writhe on wooden stakes, with Count Dracula, who feeds on human blood and can die only if a wooden stake strikes his heart.
"BUNCH OF NONSENSE"
The connection has been picked up by academia, with some writers trying to link Transylvania's superstitions with the book, to the dismay of some congress participants.
"It's basically a bunch of nonsense," said retired American professor Elisabeth Miller, a Dracula scholar long infatuated with the subject. "Stoker borrowed the name Dracula for his vampire but knew very little about the real Dracula."
The Anglo-Irish writer, a London theater manager who penned his novels in his spare time, never set foot in Transylvania. He got most of his information from contemporary travel and occult writers.
A box of Stoker's notes shows one of his sources was the 1885 article "Transylvanian Superstitions" by Scottish author Emily Gerard, who also wrote the Transylvanian travel book "Land beyond the Forest."
Miller said Stoker did not even know that Vlad impaled his victims. His count is not Romanian but Hungarian, not uncommon in Transylvania, once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved.
Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003
Elton John to Take a Bite Out of Broadway
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — No capes, no crosses and definitely no tap-dancing vampires. Longtime musical collaborators Elton John and Bernie Taupin are planning to bring The Vampire Lestat to Broadway, and they promise a production free of gothic excess.
"It will be dark, sexy and scary, but that doesn't mean it has to be cliche," Taupin said Tuesday at a news conference to announce the show.
The project, based on the character from Anne Rice's novels, is the first production from Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and is scheduled to hit the stage in 2005. John already has two productions on Broadway, the Disney hits Aida and The Lion King. This is Taupin's first effort.
"Bernie and I have been huge fans of Anne Rice's books for a long, long time," John said, adding that the New Orleans-based author supported the project and had heard and approved of the music that has been composed so far.
Aside from John, the production has others with Disney connections. The book is being written by Linda Woolverton, who wrote the stage version of Beauty and the Beast, and it will be directed by Robert Jess Roth, who was nominated for a Tony award for his direction of that Disney production.
John said he expected all the content — music, lyrics, and book — to be completed by the end of September, and hoped to have a read-through in November.
The collaborators said the musical would be based on three Rice novels — Interview With the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned — with emphasis on the first two. (A movie version of Queen of the Damned came out last year, starring late singer Aaliyah as an ancient vampire. Neil Jordan's 1994 film version of Interview With the Vampire starred Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.)
John said the music he was composing was for an orchestra and would have no electronic components or other modern sounds, since the books' settings largely were from a couple of hundred years ago.
"I didn't see where any modern music could possibly come in without sounding ridiculous," he said.
When asked who could play Lestat, John said whoever it was would have to have charisma — but most importantly, would have to be able to sing. "My main concern is finding people who can sing the songs properly," he said.
Broadway's last outing with vampires was the musical Dance of the Vampires, based on the Roman Polanski movie, The Fearless Vampire Killers. The production starring Michael Crawford closed in January after only 56 performances and a loss estimated at more than $12 million.
Vampire Rapist Commits Suicide
Associated Press
BOWLING GREEN, Florida (AP) -- A man dubbed "the Vampire Rapist" because he drank the blood of a kidnapped hitchhiker killed himself in his prison cell, officials said Monday.
John Crutchley, 55, who drained and drank blood from a 19-year-old woman he abducted in 1985, was found early Saturday morning at Hardee Correctional Institution with a plastic bag wrapped around his head, the Florida Department of Corrections said.
Crutchley drained nearly half of his victim's blood with a syringe and drank some before she escaped his home in Malabar, 60 miles southeast of Orlando.
Sentenced to 25 years in prison, Crutchley served 10 years before he was released to a halfway house in Orlando in August 1996. He was arrested the next day when state probation officials said he tested positive for marijuana. Crutchley received a life sentence after that violation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating Crutchley's death.
© Copyright 2002 Associated Press Information Services, all rights reserved.
Valerie (2002)
Jay Lind Films and Big Hat Productions
Written and Directed by Jay Lind
Produced by John Ebert and Jay Lind
Starring: Maggi Horseman (Valerie), Mellanie Love (Lori), Cristina Madarang (Vampiress), and Jay Lind (Jack)
Synosis: In the aftermath of a Violent Rape an 18 year old Long Island Girl, Valerie Borden (Maggi Horseman) struggles to maintain her sanity after becoming convinced that she's turning into a Vampire. As fantasy and reality overlap, Valerie seeks help from her Psychiatrist, to no avail. Soon people are dying and Valerie fears that she may be the cause, her violent and erotic dreams lead her to the conclusion that she must find and kill the Vampire who attacked her.
Contains Violence, Nudity, Sexual Situations and Gore.
UnRated
Posted on June 03, 2002
Buffy Game Rises At Last
Sci Fi Wire
http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue267/news.html
The producers of the long-awaited Buffy the Vampire Slayer video game told SCI FI Wire that the title is about two weeks away from completion and is slated for a July release. "Buffy is ... an actual lost episode from [the show's] season three," assistant producer Harish Rao said in an interview at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles last week. "It's actually about two episodes rolled into one. It's certainly not a rehashing of an existing episode. It's actually brand new and exists in the [Buffy] universe."
Rao added, "[The main villain] is kind of a secret, but it is somebody from Buffy's past that everyone is going to be able to recognize." The game will feature Buffy's allies from the show—Willow, Xander, Giles and Spike—as well as Angel and his evil alter ego, Angelus.
Joss Whedon, creator of UPN's Buffy series, and fellow producers had a say in the game's storyline, Rao added. "Initially, we were going back and forth with them," he said. "We wanted their creative input, and then they signed off on our script. They liked the design and the direction of the game, so we kind of just went with it." The Collective developed and Electronic Arts will publish Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the Xbox gaming platform, with a suggested retail price of $49.95.
Blade II, for the Xbox and PlayStation 2, shares little with the movie of the same name, but it does feature Wesley Snipes as the half-human, half-vampire hunter and the film's villains, the Reapers. Blade II is slated for release in September, coinciding with the release of the Blade II DVD.
Posted on August 02, 2002
U.K. Teen Convicted of Killing Widow
JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) - A teenager who prosecutors said wanted to be a vampire was convicted Friday of fatally stabbing an elderly woman, cutting out her heart and drinking her blood.
"You hoped for immortality, but all you have achieved is the brutal ending of another person's life and the bringing of a life sentence upon yourself," said the judge, Sir Stephen Richards.
A jury at Mold Crown Court found Mathew Hardman, 17, guilty of slaying 90-year-old widow Mabel Leyshon at her home in the north Wales town of Llanfairpwll last Nov. 24.
He was ordered detained "at Her Majesty's pleasure" - a sentence that applies to juveniles convicted of murder and carries a minimum 12-year prison term.
Richards said the murder was "an act of great wickedness."
During the two-week trial, prosecutor Roger Thomas said Hardman was obsessed by "his two main questions - how do I become a vampire and how do I become immortal?"
The teenager's belief in the fictional creatures spawned the killing, Thomas said.
"He believed they existed, believed they drank human blood, and believed most importantly that they could achieve immortality - and he wanted to be immortal. What may have started out as a bizarre interest became an obsession and led ultimately to murder," the prosecutor said.
Hardman had denied the charge and said he had only a "subtle interest" in vampires.
Hardman wept as the verdict was read, while his mother sobbed in the public gallery. As the teenager was led away, she called out, "I love you, son."
Richards said the evidence against Hardman was compelling. Police who searched the teenager's house found books and magazines about vampires - including Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula" - and records of visits to Internet sites on the occult. They also uncovered traces of Leyshon's blood on a knife in Hardman's room.
"One might hope for a psychological explanation for your behavior, but none is offered," the judge said.
"Why you should have acted in this way is difficult to comprehend, but I am drawn to the conclusion that vampirism had indeed become a near obsession with you, that you really did believe that this myth may be true, that you did think that you would achieve immortality by the drinking of another person's blood, and you found this an irresistible attraction," Richards said.
During the trial, prosecutors said the teen entered Leyshon's house by breaking glass in the back door and attacked her as she watched television, stabbing her 22 times and then removing her heart.
Prosecutors said Hardman appeared to believe in the existence of vampires. They said he was arrested in October after using force to get a 16-year-old student he believed was a vampire to bite his neck.
Copyright 2004 Knight Ridder. All Rights Reserved
http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/news/world/3787561.htm
Vampires are back, they're everywhere and they're more popular than ever! Fans of the blood-suckers are even traveling to Transylvania for Vampire vacations!
The recent films "Queen of The Damned" and "Blade 2" were both box office smashes, and videos releases of films with vampires are consistently top rentals in the stores. A Broadway extravaganza on vampires is in rehearsals with Michael Crawford in the lead. There are some 16,000 websites dedicated to vampire lore. Horror conventions across the country build their events around Vampires, and Vampire make-up is the most popular choice for those who dress up every Halloween. A planned "DraculaLand" theme park is in the works for Romania, and there are more creatures of the night on the horizon.
It seems that humans worldwide continue to be intrigued and entertained by Count Dracula and his spin-offs. Vampire fans cross all demographics, from older movie-goers who recall seeing Bela Lugosi on the silver screen to younger club-goers, who add fangs to their teeth for the complete vampire/goth visual effect. Upscale Vampire-theme parties are in vogue throughout Europe, and the trend is expected to catch on in America before too long.
Vampires date much farther back than Bela Lugosi`s portrayal of the Count, obviously. Novelist Bram Stoker got the name "Dracula" from Vlad The Impaler for his vampire character. But there is a great deal of myth and legend involved in figuring out where and when vampires first appeared. As far as pop culture is concerned, however, 2002 commemorates the 80th anniversary of the first Vampire film, "Nosferatu." It is the 105th year anniversary of the publication of the novel, "Dracula." This year also marks 90 years since the death of Bram Stoker, author of "Dracula." For the most die-hard followers, this year is the 5th anniversary for the "Dracula Tour" which actually brings travelers to Transylvania on an annual basis.
"Dracula Tour" is billed as the only true fully-escorted "vampire vacation" professionally organized by fans especially for fans. It travels from the U.S. on October 27th and returns on November 3rd, planned so that participants spend their Halloween celebration in Draculas Castle`. This annual pilgrimage to Transylvania, in Romania, is presented by Tours of Terror. The travel adventure follows Jonathan Harker`s trail from the novel "Dracula," while throwing in all sorts of spooky surprises along the way. There is a mock witch trial, visits to haunted graveyards and time spent in the world's largest and oldest tools of torture museum. There is both educational and entertainment value as the tour includes historical Bran Castle, Clock Tower, the Black Church, Vlad`s birthplace, Vlad`s castle (also known as Dracula's fortress) and also the monastery where Vlad is buried. It`s the perfect combination of fun and fear, for anyone looking for an unusual week-long ghoulish getaway.
The highlight of the "Dracula Tour" is undoubtedly spending Halloween at Dracula`s Castle. All travelers dress in their best costumes, eat a lavish meal, experience a "vampire" show, descend to the dungeon of the castle where "the coffin" lies waiting, dance to appropriate macabre music (everything from "The Monster Mash" to music from "Rocky Horror" and "Phantom of the Opera"), partake in the moonlit bonfire and simply have the times of their lives ... even if they're part of the undead.
Last year one couple took the experience one step further -- they got married on Halloween with their ceremony and reception at Dracula's Castle, and all their fellow travelers were guests at this unique wedding! Instead of kissing after they cut their wedding cake, the couple bit each other's necks (lovingly, of course). Another wedding is planned for this year.
The annual "Dracula Tour" is open to all ages, and is currently accepting reservations. For further information, write to: Tours of Terror, 315 Derby Avenue, Orange, CT 06477 USA. The toll-free number is (866)T-E-R-R-O-R-T-O-U-R or email DracTour@aol.com. To read about past vampire vacations or for additional details, visit the website www.DracTour.com.
It should be noted that travelers on the tour have the option of returning by plane with the rest of the group, or flying back on their own if they're turned into a vampire while on vacation.
www.DracTour.com
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