Vampires, but this time, a bit more as you know them. Literature and films have done much to make us aware of them, what they are and how they are apparently above us in the ‘food chain’ and what their ‘habits and weaknesses’ are. My previous article They are vampires, but not as you know it speculated on them being energy harvesters, rather than the old fashioned portrayal, but that is where it begins, with the old fashioned view.

Dracula – the book as I haven’t seen the film, but same premise I believe. An ancient blood drinking evil in the form of a human, mingling amongst its food and being hunted when its true nature is revealed.

There are also many stories and legends around Europe about vampires and blood drinking demons, with the above being centred about Transylvania in Romania.

The Lost Boys – A modern take on them, bringing them into now and making them cool and trendy.

Blade – Another one with an ultra-modern overtone, with trendy clothes, music, fast-paced and violent. Definitely catering to a market, and slightly different maybe as that one came from the comic book world.

Near Dark – an interesting, back road vampire story. Of how they can just drift along through society, not really standing out as long as you blend in.

From Dusk til Dawn – not what I was expecting at all as a film, but gave more of a demonic inhuman makeup to the vampire that other movies hadn’t really. The exterior flesh reflecting the monster within once exposed.

Interview with a vampire – a good representation of how an immortal could slip through the ages, changing with the times and showing only what was needed to get by. Then being the only one to go into the future knowing others are long since dead.

Twilight – haven’t seen it, but the way it was talked about and fawned over online, made me think it was just another new trendy version for the next generation.

And really, isn’t that the fountain of youth? The key to being immortal. They always say that whoever found the fountain of youth, would quite probably keep it to themselves, not wanting to share that kind of power. But what if that fountain also needed to be maintained, with a steady stream of young blood? You wouldn’t want everyone knowing about it, because you would face problems on a few points, firstly you wouldn’t be able to decide who will be there with you when everyone else is gone. And secondly, you wouldn’t want too many immortals, otherwise there may not be enough to ‘feed’ to the fountain. Which places us as their food source.

Suddenly sounds very similar to rituals we are told were performed in certain ancient civilisations, blood-letting, bathing in blood, sacrifices and mass graves. The killing of their own, apparently. Which may well have happened, as they say, just as an appeasement to god, or whatever they believed it was for. But what if those graves were the ‘leftovers and rubbish’ just as we say when we find old pits from previous times. How would you know years later if they had been drained of blood?

If it is an elixir though, then adrenochrome makes more sense, and why it’s taken from the young by the old. They might just not look that old if they are rejuvenating themselves. Saying it’s surgery or just disappearing from public view if it starts to become too obvious. Remember that film Death Becomes Her, with the potion? Well, they never really specify what it is or where it comes from.

How we use blood within society from a medical perspective, could easily have another world harvesting and controlling certain blood for another purpose running alongside it, might almost go unnoticed. There have been many things revealed lately about the true horrors that we live around, not safely tucked away in films you can just switch off, or a book you put down and walk away from, even if they do give us hints at what really is there. But existing alongside us nonetheless, where we can’t just turn it off or walk away. Many things have taken rather a demonic turn, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to give some thought to why that is…

(c) K Wicks