Are You Sure You Want to Live Forever?

Welcome to Season 3 of Vampire Campfire! We’re kicking things off this season by asking the biggest (vampiric) question of all: would you really want to live forever? We sure wouldn’t want to join the ranks of the undead, but there are plenty of vampires who aren’t so hot on the idea, either.While some stories paint immortality as a dream, the horrors are always lurking just below the surface — and today we’re breaking out the shovels. What haunting fears of loneliness lie beneath the promises of eternal romance? What nightmares emerge when you consider how it would really feel to never see the sun again? And what (God forbid) do you become when the promise of everlasting life doesn’t come with a dip in the Fountain of Youth?You don’t get to be immortal without making a deal with the devil. And these horrors don’t come with a return policy.Come vamps and join us around the campfire.CW: discussion of suicide, rape, and self harm in fictionMajor Spoilers:* The Hunger directed by Tony Scott, 1983* Cronos, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, 1992* Only Lovers Left Alive, directed by Jim Jarmusch, 2013* Therapy for a Vampire, directed by David Rühm, 2014* Aubrey Wants to Die by Pip Knight, 2026Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* “The Wood Devil” by Thomas Peckett Prest, 1836* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 1976-2018 (series)* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978* Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin, 1982* Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, 1992* Stainless by Todd Grimson, 1996* My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due, 1997* Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004* Fledgling by Octavia Butler, 2005* The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, 2005-2008* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010* “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” by Karen Russell, 2013* The Vampire Gideon’s Suicide Hotline and Halfway House for Orphaned Girls by Andrew Katz, 2018* Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda, 2022* *The Buffalo Hunter Hunter* by Stephen Graham Jones, 2025* Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, 2025* Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, 2025* Brokeula by Michael J. Seidlinger, 2026* Children of the Night: A Graphic Novel by Victoria Setain, 2026Film* Nosferatu, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Blacula, directed by William Crain, 1972* Dracula, directed by Dan Curtis, 1973* Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979* Once Bitten, directed by Howard Storm, 1985* Lifeforce, directed Tobe Hooper, 1985* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan, 1994* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000* Blade II, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, 2002* 30 Days of Night, directed by David Slade, 2007* Let the Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson, 2008* Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, 2008* Daybreakers, directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, 2009* Vamps, directed by Amy Heckerling, 2012* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025* Wes and Kyra, directed by Kevin V. Doan, 2025* Dracula: A Love Tale, directed by Luc Besson, 2025TV* Forever Knight, 1992-1996* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* The Originals, 2013-2018* The Strain, 2014-2017* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024* Interview with the Vampire, 2022Games* Vampire the Masquerade, 1991-Correction: Forever Knight ran for three seasons, from 1992-1996.Liked this episode? You’ll also like…When You Get to Date Your High-School Boyfriend… ForeverTo Live Forever and Never Grow Up: The Vampire ChildWhen Did Dracula Become a “Love Tale”?Want more vampire content in all your feeds?Follow us @vampirecampfirepod on Instagram and TikTok for podcast updates & vampire memes.Find us on Letterboxd and Goodreads for a peek at what we’re consuming next.Consider becoming a paid member of our Substack to get new bonus episodes and access to the full archive!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman — without AI, ever.Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our link — allowing you to support indie bookstores and an indie podcast at the same time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe