Vampires And Other Creatures Of The Night

Argues that people have used their imagination to transform frightening bumps in the night and mysterious phenomena into such night-stalking characters as werewolves and vampires.

The lusty vampire, the sympathetic werewolf, the tragic banshee are just a few of the dark and frightening creatures you'll discover in Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night. Huffington Post Weird News columnist and author Varla Ventura takes readers on a wild ride through the shadowy hills of rural Ireland, the dark German forests, and along abandoned farms and country roads across the world to discover some of the most frightening and freaktacular tales, tidbits, and encounters with all those beasties that go bump in the night. Along with classic pieces from Bram Stoker, Elliot O'Donnell, Sabine BaringGould, William Butler Yeats and many others, Ventura includes: • Famous vampires you may not know • The identity of the author of the first English vampire novel (and his relationship to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) • Excerpts from the first psychic vampire novel ever written • Stories of 19th century werewolf hunters • Why banshees are the most feared of supernatural creatures

Vampires and werewolves; phantoms and phantasms: looming out of the fog leaps the menacing spectre of the lycanthrope, ghoul or blood-crazed zombie. Intrigued by some of the most sinister, yet at the same time most compelling, legends of western civilization, Gregory L Reece dusts down his stake and crucifix, loads his silver bullets and takes off into the wilds in search of answers and fresh adventures. Rummaging around in crumbling tombs and cobwebbed sarcophagi, his latest quest leads him into the haunted realm of the dead and the undead: of those carnivorous, nocturnal hunters that might perhaps better be left undisturbed. Why, he asks, is our culture obsessed by the eerie and the macabre? Why, despite its horrors, does the 'dark side' of the supernatural - its seances and ghost-hunting, demonic possession and the occult - call to us with such dangerous allure? Whether tracking night-stalking werewolves, chanting black magic mantras with Satanists, or interviewing a funereal modern-day Count Dracula, Reece is determined to uncover the truth. A wry exploration of a secret and secretive subculture, "Creatures of the Night" is at the same time a bold and startling journey into a wraithlike world that has so often seemed to lie beyond the limits of rational comprehension - until now.

A chilling chronicle of the often ignored history of vampirism as it has surfaced repeatedly in news articles, historical accounts, and first person interviews, this shocking account of occultist rituals and the inhuman forces that influence them shines a light on the horrifying truth. Revealing that real vampires are not immortal, do not have fangs or sleep in coffins, and have no fear of sunlight or crucifixes, the examination dispels many myths but also confirms the truth behind several traits of real vampires, such as the insatiable thirst for blood and the dream of an eternal soul. Complete with 30 spinetingling tales of the hideous wraiths and creatures that lurk in shadow, this fascinating collection includes the stories of the Mexican prostitute who mesmerized an entire village, convincing them she was an Incan goddess who required human sacrifice for her magic; the three teenagers who left a trail across the South as they conducted blooddrinking rituals with animals; and the mysterious Lady in Black who draws psychic energy from men who dare approach her as she wanders through city streets and parks.

Explores vampire lore in a wide range of cultures to offer insight into everything from their characteristics and habits to the ways they have been fought and how they compare to vampires popularized by Hollywood depictions.

No vampire hunter should be without this guide--the very handbook that Dr. Cornelius Van Helsing himself carried to Transylvania. It includes firsthand, practical advice on how to handle vampires and other creatures of the night, from banshees to zombies. Illustrations.

Vampires and werewolves have existed alongside humans since antiquity, or at least the tales of them. Reawaken the fear, the dread and the obsession with the creatures of the night with this meticulously edited collection of the greatest horror classics of all time: Vampires: The Vampyre (John William Polidori) Dracula (Bram Stoker) Dracula's Guest (Bram Stoker) Clarimonde (Théophile Gautier) Carmilla (Sheridan Le Fanu) Vikram and the Vampire (Sir Richard Francis Burton) The Vampire (Jan Neruda) Varney the Vampire, or, the Feast of Blood (Thomas PeckettPrest and James Malcolm Rymer) The Vampire of Croglin Grange (Augustus Hare) The Vampire Maid (Hume Nisbet) The Room in the Tower (E. F. Benson) Mrs.Amworth (E. F. Benson) Vampires and Vampirism (Dudley Wright) Werewolves: The Lay of the Were-Wolf (Marie de France) The Wolf Leader (Alexandre Dumas Père) Wagner the Wehr-wolf (George W. M. Reynolds) The Werewolf (Eugene Field) The Man-Wolf (ÉmileErckmann&AlexandreChatrian) The Mark of the Beast (Rudyard Kipling) The Horror-Horn (E. F. Benson) In the Forest of Villefére (Robert E. Howard) Wolfshead (Robert E. Howard) Werewolf of the Sahara (Gladys Gordon Trenery) The Werewolf Howls (Clifford Ball)

Provides step-by-step instructions for drawing different types of vampires, gothic action poses, and monstrous vampiric creatures.