OT - Vampire Beliefs in Modern Day Romania

[Philippe Cordier]

My mom sent me this article from a Knight Ridder newspaper on modern day vampire practices in Romania.  Here's a link:


http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/8267146.htm

[Mysterious Benefactor]

vampires are ... people unfortunate enough to have black cats jump over their coffins.

Who knew it was that easy?!    (Something for the WB DS to keep in mind. Enough with the vampire bats already - just kill someone any old way and then have a black cat jump over their coffin.  )

"Before the burial, you can insert a long sewing needle, just into the bellybutton," he said. "That will stop them from becoming a vampire."

Well, apparently Ang was pretty stupid not to know that. Just think of all the trouble she could have saved herself and the Collins family. But... I suppose this proves what a really dumb witch she actually was in 1795. 

[coterie-mc]

Interresting story Vlad, I was thinking about the "Subspecies" movies as i read this article.  they touched on these beliefs/heritage and were beautifully filmed in Romania.

[Philippe Cordier]

Interresting story Vlad, I was thinking about the "Subspecies" movies as i read this article.  they touched on these beliefs/heritage and were beautifully filmed in Romania.

It's funny, when I read the article I thought: "I think I'll stick to fictional depictions of vampires ... ".  This was just too grisly!

The only thing I had come across that touched on real-life Romanian practices was the introductory chapter of a novel called "Diary of a Vampire" (which began very promisingly but went downhill in the last half).

I had no idea what "Subspecies" was about.  A quick check after your mention of it showed that a movie called "Vampire Journals" which I had caught the last hour of on TV (possibly Sci-Fi) and then found inexpensively on video is by the same director.  Don't know if it fits in with the Subspecies series, but I thought "Vampire Journals" was quite good -- very atmospheric and had a good modern-day vampire "look."  Had forgotten that it was filmed in Romania.

[LorraineAAB]

If they're REALLY finding corpses turned around in their caskets, hasn't the thought that they might be burying their loved ones prematurely EVER occurred to them?  Maybe they should wait a little longer to plant the deceased ?

In poor, remote villages where most people probably still die at home without a medical professional in attendance, no diagnostic machines, no autopsies, and no elaborate (and expensive) embalming practiced, one could see where that might still occur.

As for the business of digging up a supposed vampire, burning the heart and drinking the ashes, this was actually practiced in rural areas in THIS country even until the early 20th century, a charming tradition imported from the motherlands.   But mainly as a cure / preventive of "consumption", tuberculosis, which was one of several diseases frequently mistaken, by the superstitious, for the condition of vampirism.

L.