Vampire Campfire

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.comWelcome back to the Campfire — our special bonus section! In this episode, Hannah regales Rebecca with tales from Lynsay Sands’ long-running Argeneau vampire romance series. Yes, these are the vampires from Atlantis we mentioned in our last episode, and no, learning more details does not make it make sense! They discuss nanobiotech, Stockholm syndrome, …

Vampires are creatures of folklore. So why do some writers feel the need to create their own origin stories for how the first vampires came to be? Do we really need to know, especially if it involves reptilian creatures that live in long-lost, technologically-advanced cities (no names)? Are they tying themselves in knots trying to answer a chicken–egg question nobody asked? In this episode, Rebecca, Hannah, and very special guest Jay Martin explore the gamut of vampire mythologies, from the slightly-more-sensical origins in magic and religion to those that appropriate real-world cultures and give them a vampiric spin. They encounter #1 frenemy of the pod, Lord Byron; shout out monster-f*ckers everywhere; try to unpack Anne Rice’s most questionable choices; and travel from the cradle of civilization to Virginia, USA, as fast as Damon Salvatore in a sports car.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Content warnings: mention of suicide in fictionMajor Spoilers:* Ganja & Hess, directed by Bill Gunn, 1973* The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice, 1988* My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due, 1997* Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice, 2016Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas, 1980* Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice, 1995* Pandora by Anne Rice, 1998* Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, 2006* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010* Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, 2020- (series)* Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, 2024* Argeneau by Lynsay Sands, 2003-2025 (series)Poetry* “The Bride of Corinth” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1797* “The Giaour: Fragment of a Turkish Tale” by Lord Byron, 1813Film* The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott, 1983* Vampire in Brooklyn, directed by Wes Craven, 1995* From Dusk till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez, 1996* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000* Atlantis: The Lost Empire, directed Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, 2001* Queen of the Damned, directed by Michael Rymer, 2002* Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton, 2012* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, directed by Timue Bekmambetov, 2012* Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, directed by Spike Lee, 2014* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025TV* Dark Shadows, 1966-1971* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2027* The Originals, 2013-2018* From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, 2014-2016* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024* First Kill, 2022* Interview with the Vampire, 2022-* Dimension 20: City Council of Darkness, 2026Games* Vampire: The Masquerade, 1991Liked this episode? You’ll also like…Schools & RulesAn Episode of Fangs & FateUnholy Communion: Vampires and the ChurchWant more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.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 bonus episodes — available now!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.comWelcome back to the Campfire — our special bonus section! In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah tell our very first Vampire Campfire guest (Hannah’s mom!) all about the extremely 2000s movie Dracula 2000. As a pretty ridiculous member of the Dracula-verse, this time-capsule film has it all: a teeny tiny computer, a massive Virgin Megastore, high-flying leeches, Judas Iscariot, questionable justifications for vampires’ fear of silver, dream-like visions, garden tools, and a neon Jesus. It was also definitely not produced by Wes Craven, despite all evidence to the contrary.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Content warning: mention of suicide in fictionMajor Spoilers:* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000Other media mentioned in this episode:

Intentionally or not, vampires (and their associated tropes) are pretty good at making us laugh. What we want to know is, when are we laughing with them, and when are we laughing at them? Is our mocking mean-spirited, or does it come from a place of love?In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah venture into the land of comedy, camp, and parody to see how these genres not only add a spin to our most familiar stories, but may lie at the very heart of the Gothic itself. They trace 18th-century satire all the way to 21st-century humorous horror, uncover some remarkably strange tropes (including glow-in-the-dark vampires?!), demand justice for definitely-not-a-dummy Jonathan Harker, explore the studio’s sound board, and pay respects to two of their favorite childhood comics.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Content warnings: discussion of misogyny, racism, homophobia, and other bigotry in fictionMajor Spoilers:* The Fearless Vampire Killers, directed by Roman Polanski, 1967* Love at First Bite, directed by Stan Dragoti, 1979* Vampire in Brooklyn, directed by Wes Craven, 1995* Dracula: Dead and Loving It, directed by Mel Brooks, 1995* What We Do In the Shadows, 2019-2024* Renfield, directed by Chris McKay, 2023Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, 1764* The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, 1794* Vampire City by Paul Féval, 1867 (trans. Brian Stableford, 2003)* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Goosebumps: Vampire’s Breath by R.L. Stine, 1996Non-fiction* Dissertations upon the Apparitions of Angels, Dæmons, and Ghosts, and Concerning the Vampires of Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia by Dom Augustin Calmet, 1746Film* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, directed by Charles Barton, 1948* Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958* The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott, 1983* Once Bitten, directed by Howard Storm, 1985* The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, 1987* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, 1992* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000* Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, 2008* The Twilight Saga: New Moon, directed by Chris Weitz, 2009* Vampires Suck, directed by Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg, 2010* The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, directed by David Slade, 2010* Breaking Wind, directed by Craig Moss, 2012* Only Lovers Left Alive, directed by Jim Jarmusch, 2013* What We Do In the Shadows, directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, 2014* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003Stage* Twihard: An Unauthorized Twilight Musical Parody, Otherworld Theatre, 2025Additional Reading* “Notes on ‘Camp,’” Susan Sontag, 1964Liked this episode? You’ll also like…* From Monster to Muppet: Making Vampires for Children* Romanticizing the Vampire & the Gothic Story* The Hottest Newest Oldest Vampires: Nosferatu, Sinners, and AMC's Interview with the VampireWant more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.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 bonus episodes — the first one is available now!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Despite what her marketing team will tell you, Carmilla was not the sole inspiration for Dracula — but she does get the honor of being the first lesbian vampire and, along with a few mythological goddesses, has inspired a whole lineage of sapphic vampires over the last 150 years. In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah explore the extensive history of the sapphic vampire, from the uses and abuses of vampirism as a metaphor for lesbianism, to how queer audiences reclaimed exploitation films through camp, and why it always comes back to the vagina dentata and their fave girl Lilith.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Major Spoilers:* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Dracula’s Daughter, directed by Lambert Hillyer, 1936* Blood and Roses, directed by Roger Vadim, 1960* Crypt of the Vampire, directed by Camillo Mastrocinque, 1964* The Vampire Lovers, directed by Roy Ward Baker, 1970* Daughters of Darkness, directed by Harry Kümel, 1971* Vampyros Lesbos, directed by Jesús Franco, 1971* The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott, 1983* Nadja, directed by Michael Almereyda, 1994* Jennifer’s Body, directed by Karyn Kusama, 2009* Carmilla, directed by Emily Harris, 2019* An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson, 2024* Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk, 2024* Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, 2025Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* “The Mysterious Stranger” by Karl von Wachsmann, 1844* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978* The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez, 1991* Fledgling by Octavia Butler, 2005* A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson, 2021* Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste, 2022* Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, 2025Film* The Brides of Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1960* The Velvet Vampire, directed by Stephanie Rothman, 1971* Blood for Dracula, directed by Paul Morrissey, 1974* Alucarda, directed by Juan López Moctezuma, 1977* Carmilla, directed by Janusz Kondratiuk, 1980* The Mark of Lilith, directed by Bruna Fionda, Zach Mack-Nataf, and Polly Gladwin, 1986* Vampire’s Kiss, directed by Robert Bierman, 1988* Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell, 2023* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* First Kill, 2022Additional Reading* Christopher Craft, “’Kiss Me with those Red Lips’: Gender and Inversion in Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Representations no. 8 (1984)* Dracula’s Daughters: The Female Vampire on Film, edited by Douglas Brode and Leah Deyneka, 2013* Medieval Bodies: Life and Death in the Middle Ages by Jack Hartnell, 2018Liked this episode? You’ll also like…* Dracula's Older Gayer Cousins* Are All Vampires a Leetle Gäy?* I Vant to Suck Your... EnergyWant more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.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 bonus episodes — the first one is available now!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

From glowing crosses to squirt guns full of holy water, it’s hard to find a piece of modern vampire media that doesn’t at least pay homage to the “common knowledge” that vampires are anathema to all that is holy. But this may be a more recent trope than it seems, and in this episode, Rebecca and Hannah take a metaphorical walk through the churchyard to trace the early vampire literature that established our most taken-for-granted religious tropes.They uncover the historical connection between the Catholic Church and vampirism, Hannah gets very confused thinking about Communion, and Rebecca creates a mini trivia game to test Hannah’s vampire media knowledge. Plus: the possible 19th-century inspiration for Dracula 2000, a miniseries that casts vampirism as a miracle worthy of Christ, and a YA romance written by a real-life nun.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Major Spoilers:* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Midnight Mass, created by Mike Flanagan, 2021* The Curse He Chose by Sr. Allison Regina Gliot, 2025Other media mentioned in this episode:Non-fiction* Dissertation Regarding the Vampires by Giuseppe Davanzati, 1739* Dissertations upon the Apparitions of Angels, Dæmons, and Ghosts, and Concerning the Vampires of Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia by Dom Augustin Calmet, 1746Fiction* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* The Viy by Nikolai Gogol, 1835* “The Curse of the Vourdalak” by Alexis Tolstoy, 1839* Varney the Vampire: or, the Feast of Blood by James Malcolm Ryder and Thomas Pickett Prest, 1845-1847* “The Mysterious Stranger” by Karl von Wachsmann, 1844* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* “A Kiss of Judas” by Julian Osgood Field, 1893* ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975* Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976* The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, 1985* Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, 1993* Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice, 1995* “For the Blood is the Life” by Francis Marion Crawford, 1996* Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, 2005* New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, 2006* Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, 2006* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010Film* Nosferatu, directed by F. W. Murnau 1922* Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958* Ganja & Hess, directed by Bill Gunn, 1973* ‘Salem’s Lot, directed by Tobe Hooper, 1979* The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, 1987* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000* Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, 2004* Vampires vs. the Bronx, directed by Oz Rodriguez, 2020* Morbius, directed by Daniel Espinosa, 2022* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024* Interview with the Vampire, 2022-Additional Reading* The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom, 2018* Stephen Purcell, “Not Wholly Communion,” Christianity and Literature, vol 67, no. 2 (2018)* ldiko Limpar, “Vampirism as Apocalyptic Hypocrisy in Midnight Mass,” Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies, vol 31, no. 1 (2025)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 bonus episodes — the first one is available now!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.comWelcome back to the Campfire — our new bonus section! In this episode, Rebecca regales us with the utterly nonsensical plot of Morbius as a (formerly) passionate Marvel fan. Hannah questions the difference between “living vampires” and “dhampirs,” ponders the feeding habits of vampire bats, and gets confused about science and the mechanics of blood-draining. They come to the conclusion that the director has never encountered any animal ever in his life and touch on the important connection between vampire media and the AIDS epidemic — as well as the responsibilities writers have to consider the implications of their metaphors.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Major Spoilers:* Morbius, directed by Daniel Espinosa, 2022Other media mentioned in this episode:

Moving on from last week’s discussion of (spooky scary) child vampires, in this episode Rebecca and Hannah look at how and why the vampire was turned into a character for children’s consumption. They do their best “bleh bleh bleh” impressions, share their lingering childhood fears, and break down the different types of vampy scares made for the younger generation — from the “all bark, no bite,” to the real vampire villains.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* “Adventure of the Sussex Vampire” by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1924* ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975* Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe, 1979* The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, 1979* Goosebumps: Vampire’s Breath by R.L. Stine, 1996* The Vampire Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner, 2009Non-fiction* Vampireology: The True History of the Fallen Ones by Dugald Steer and Nicky Raven, 2010* Hanging with Vampires: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural by Isha Fitzpatrick, 2023Film* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, directed by Charles Barton, 1948* The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, 1987* Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire, directed by Steve Boyum, 2000* The Little Vampire, directed by Uli Edel, 2000* Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire, directed by Scott Jeralds, 2003* Hotel Transylvania, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, 2012* Liar, Liar, Vampire, directed by Vince Marcelo, 2015* The Little Vampire 3D, directed by Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich, 2017* Vampires vs. the Bronx, directed by Oz Rodriguez, 2020TV* “Transylvania 6-500,” Merrie Melodies, 1963* The Munsters, 1964-1966* Sesame Street, 1969-* “Pink Plasma,” The Pink Panther, 1975* Little Dracula, 1991-1999* “Vampire’s Breath,” Goosebumps, 1996* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* Vampirina, 2017-2021* Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, 2025-Further Reading* “Great Cartoon Vampires In Animation History,” Vincent Alexander, 2025Check out part one of this series: To Live Forever and Never Grow Up: The Vampire ChildWant more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.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 bonus episodes — the first one is available now!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Immortality isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be — especially if you end up trapped in the body of an immortal pre-teen. In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah discuss when the promise of eternal youth turns into the horror of never-ending childhood, what it would feel like to be a grown woman trapped in the body of a little girl, the logistics of sourcing blood when you look like a doll (it may or may not work in your favor), and the relationship between maturity and memory. Be warned, these kid vampires are not for kids.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: pedophilia, sexual assault, and child abuse in fictionMajor Spoilers:* Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976* Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan 1994* Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004* Fledgling by Octavia Butler, 2005* Let the Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson, 2008* Interview with the Vampire, 2022-* Abigail, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, 2024Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* “Morella” by Edgar Allan Poe, 1835* The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, 1985* Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, 1993* Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, 2008Film* Dracula’s Daughter, directed by Lambert Hillyer, 1936* The Twilight Saga, 2008-2012* Let Me In, directed by Matt Reeves, 2010* Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023* Weapons, directed by Zach Cregger, 2025TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014Additional Reading* Dracula’s Daughters, edited by Douglas Brode and Leah Deyneka, 2013Want more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.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 bonus episodes — the first one is available now!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.comWelcome to the Campfire — our new bonus section! In this episode, Hannah regales Rebecca with all the steamy and silly details of the 2024 romantasy novel Forged in Blood. They discuss “why-choose” romance, Hannah’s unwritten book about a hummingbird shifter, vampires who like period blood, and why so many vampires’ girlfriends love Wuthering Heights. Hannah’s most repeated line is: “Doesn’t make sense, but yes.”Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: discussing “5 chili-pepper spice” romance, including blood playMajor Spoilers:* Broken Bloodlines Series by Sadie Kincaid* Forged in Blood, 2024* Promised in Blood, 2025* Bound in Blood, 2026Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — allowing you to support indie bookstores and an indie podcast at the same time!

While Dracula may not be a love tale (as we discussed last episode), there is genre of literature that wraps up vampires and romance in a pretty sexy ribbon. We’re talking about Romantasy! Today, Hannah and Rebecca explore how the “vampire boyfriend” has matured into the “adult vampire lover,” hearken back to the ancient origin of fated mates, talk blood bonds and born vampires, and consider whether the enemies-to-lovers trope is actually a convincing plot device. Plus, Hannah drops a shocking surprise on Rebecca that may or may not involve werewolves.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: murder, explicit mentions of sexMajor Spoilers:* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, 2020* Blood Orange by Karina Halle, 2022* The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, 2022* Quicksilver by Callie Hart, 2024* Bride by Ali Hazelwood, 2024* We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark, 2025Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, 1847* Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, 1847* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Dark Descent by Christine Feehan, 2003* Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007* The Vampire Diaries: The Return by L.J. Smith, 2009-2011 (series)* A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, 2015* Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, 2020- (series)* Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent, 2023* The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent, 2023* A Bargain So Bloody by Vasilisa Drake, 2025* Hot for Slayer by Ali Hazelwood, 2025Film* The Twilight Saga, 2008-2012* Hotel Transylvania, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky 2012TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* Game of Thrones, 2011-2019* Heated Rivalry, 2025Fairy Tales* “Bluebeard,” Charles Perrault, 1697* “Beauty and the Beast,” Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, 1740Want more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.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 bonus episodes — the first one drops next week!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

A new year brings us a new season of Vampire Campfire along with a new Dracula adaption! This take on the tale is explicitly romantic, which begs the question: when did Bram Stoker’s 19th century classic turn into a love story? Rebecca and Hannah dig into the family tree of Dracula adaptions to unpack the layers on layers of intertext, question if they themselves are the crazy ones, discuss why writers made these changes, and rant about CGI gargoyles.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: sexual assault, pedophilia, suicideMajor Spoilers:* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Blacula, directed by William Crain, 1972* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Dracula Untold, directed by Gary Shore, 2014* Dracula: A Love Tale, directed by Luc Besson, 2025Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954* Blood Orange by Karina Halle, 2022Film* Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958* Dracula, directed by Dan Curtis, 1974* Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979* Dracula, directed by John Badham, 1979TV* Dark Shadows, 1966-1971* Dracula, 2013Theater* Dracula by Hamilton Dean, 1924* Dracula by John Balderston, 1927* Dracula by Hamilton Dean and John Balderston, 1977Non-fiction* In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires by Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally, 1972Additional Reading* Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage and Screen by David J. Skal, 1990Want more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest to capture the aesthetic of this episode.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.This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Welcome back for a special bonus episode! Rebecca and Hannah take a break from cooking a Gothic Victorian feast for their family’s Thanksgiving to climb onto their soapbox about recent adaptions of classic novels, parse the various definitions of Gothic (and how much it has to do with “vibes”), get to the bottom of the Victorian obsession with the occult, and put out call for any choreographers who want to collab on a Carmilla ballet. Plus, they discuss the menu for their feast in mouthwatering detail.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, 1764* Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, 1818* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, 1847* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 1959* The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, 1985* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005* House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, 2022* Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024* Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis, 2025Film* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell, 2023* Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024* ‘Salem’s Lot, directed by Gary Dauberman, 2024* Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, 2025* Dracula, directed by Luc Besson, 2025* “Wuthering Heights”, directed by Emerald Fennell, 2026TV* “The Ghost of Suite 613,” The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, 2005* Interview with the Vampire, 2022-Visual Art* The Artist’s Despair Before the Grandeur of Ancient Ruins, Henry Fuseli, 1778* The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli, 1781* Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818Ballet* Giselle, American Ballet Theatre, 2025* Dracula, Colorado Ballet, 2025Additional Reading* Isabella Beeton, Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery Book, 1861* Alessandra Pino and Ella Buchan, A Gothic Cookbook: Hauntingly Delicious Recipes Inspired by 13 Classic Tales, 2024* Sarah Perry, “The Draw of the Gothic,” Paris Review (2018)* Hephzibah Anderson, “Why we are living in ‘Gothic times,’” BBC (2021)For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodTo understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman.Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Say hello to the vampire slayer, the hunter, the hero! Or are they the villain? Rebecca and Hannah chew on the big questions: Who has the right to slay? Where do they get their mad skills? And isn’t killing vampires murder? They discuss their favorite (and least favorite) hunters, break down the five main slayer archetypes, and sing a little Corey Hart.Come vamps, join us around the campfire — for the final episode of Season 1!Major Spoilers:* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, 2020* House of Crimson Hearts by Ruby Roe, 2024Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954* The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, 1985* Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy A. Collins, 1989* Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton, 1993-2023 (series)* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010* Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff, 2021* Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024* Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, 2024* Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, 2025Film* Vampire Hunter D, directed by Toyoo Asahida, 1985* The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, 1987* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, 1992* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000* Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, directed by Toyoo Ashida, 2000* Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro, 2002* Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, 2004* Daybreakers, directed by Peter Spierig, 2009* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, 2012* Only Lovers Left Alive, directed by Jim Jarmusch, 2013* Vampires vs. the Bronx, directed by Oz Rodriguez, 2020* Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennel, 2023* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers **2024* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025TV* Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* Dracula, 2013* The Strain, 2014-2017* Castlevania, 2017-2021* What We Do the Shadows, 2019-2024* Legacies, 2018-2022* First Kill, 2022* Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, 2025Comics* Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures, 2006-2008* Tomb of Dracula #10, July 1973For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodTo understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

What makes a vampire story apocalyptic? What makes an apocalypse story vampiric? And why don’t more vampire stories end with the end of the world? In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah do some vampire math, face their wor(mie)st fears, nail down the difference between zombies and vampires, and rant about haunted houses. Would you survive the vampire apocalypse? Be warned, there might be ancient viruses, antique furniture, human blood farms, and lots and lots of tiny worms.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Content warning: brief mention of suicide in fiction, wormsMajor Spoilers:* I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954* ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975* Salem’s Lot, directed by Tobe Hopper, 1979* Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro, 2002* I Am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence, 2007* Daybreakers, directed by Peter Spierig, 2009* The Strain, 2014-2017* V Wars, 2019* ‘Salem’s Lot, directed by Gary Dauberman, 2024Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 1959* Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, 1992* The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, 2009Film* The Last Man on Earth, directed by Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, 1964* Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, 1968* The Omega Man, directed by Boris Sagal, 1971* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Shadow of the Vampire, directed by E.Elias Merhige, 2000* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014* Castlevania, 2017-2021* Midnight Mass, directed by Mike Flanagan, 2021For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodTo understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman 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

What happens when a vampire, a werewolf, and witch walk into a bar? Turns out, they either fight, fall in love, or work together to defeat evil! In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah look into why we so often see vampire stories that include werewolves and witches, discuss how they add to (and take away from) the vampires’ plotlines and powers, and uncover the lore that brought them together in the first place.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Content warning: brief mention of suicide in fictionMajor Spoilers:* The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman, directed by León Klimovsky, 1971* Underworld, directed by Len Wiseman, 2003* Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, 2004* Bride by Ali Hazelwood, 2024* Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024* Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis, 2025Other media mentioned in this episode:Poetry* “Thalaba the Destroyer” by Robert Southey, 1801* “The Giaour: Fragment of a Turkish Tale” by Lord Byron, 1813Fiction* The Golden Ass by Apuleius, late 2nd century* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* The Viy by Nikolai Gogol, 1835* The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Tolstoy, 1839* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, 2001-2013 (series)* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005* A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, 2011* Lightfall by Ed Crocker, 2025Film* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Werewolf of London, directed by Stuart Walker, 1935* The Wolf Man, directed by George Waggner, 1941* Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, directed by Roy William Neill, 1943* House of Frankenstein, directed by Erle C. Kenton, 1944* House of Dracula, directed by Erle C. Kenton, 1945* Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, directed by Charles Barton, 1948* The Monster Squad, directed by Fred Dekker, 1987* From Dusk to Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez, 1996* Vampire Academy, directed by Mark Waters, 2014* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014* Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* Being Human, 2011-2014* The Originals, 2013-2017* Legacies, 2018-2022* A Discovery of Witches, 2018-2022* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024Comics* “A Little Stranger!” Haunt of Fear #14, 1952* “Enter: Werewolf by Night,” The Tomb of Dracula #18, 1973* “Death of a Monster!” Werewolf by Night #15, 1973Games* Vampire: The Masquerade, 1991* Werewolf: The Apocalypse, 1992Additional Reading* David Walter Leinweber, “Witchcraft and Lamiae in ‘The Golden Ass,’” Folklore, 105 (1994)* Francis Butler, ”Russian ‘vurdalak’ ‘vampire’ and Related Forms in Slavic,” Journal of Slavic Linguistics 13, no. 2 (2005)* Brian Cooper, ”The Word ‘Vampire’: Its Slavonic Form and Origin,” Journal of Slavic Linguistics 13, no. 2 (2005)* Tudor Balinisteanu, ”Romanian Folklore and Literary Representations of Vampires,” Folklore 127, no. 2 (2016)* Agnes Hollyhock, Vampires: A Handbook of History & Lore of the Undead, 2024For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodTo understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Have you ever met a vampire? There’s a good chance you have — they might just have consumed energy rather than blood. In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah talk metaphorical vampires, from the earliest cinematic vamps to modern men who dance naked to early 2000’s disco-pop (iykyk). They argue that certain human characters are as vampiric as your favorite bloodsucking undead, discuss how classic vampire tropes like “crossing the threshold” show up in metaphor, and name-drop lots (and lots) of bodily fluids.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: mention of suicide, brief mention of sexual assault, discussion of body (dental) horrorMajor spoilers:* Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, 1862* A Fool There Was, directed by Frank Powell, 1915* The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood, 1993* House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, 2022* Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennel, 2023Other media mentioned in this episode:Poetry* “The Vampire” by Rudyard Kipling, 1897Fiction* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* “Good Lady Ducayne” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, 1896* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* “Luella Miller” by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, 1902* Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, 2023Film* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979* The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed Anthony Minghella, 1999TV* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024Additional Reading* Sarah Sceats, “Oral Sex: Vampiric Transgression and the Writing of Angela Carter,” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 20, no. 1 (2001)* Dracula’s Daughters: The Female Vampire on Film, edited by Douglas Brode and Leah Deyneka, 2013* Charles Bramesco, Vampire Movies, 2018* Christopher Frayling, Vampire Cinema: The First 100 Years, 2022For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Have you ever wondered why the hell so many vampires are Confederate soldiers? Or why so many of your favorite vampire stories are set among the mists and mosses of New Orleans? In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah weed through the blood-soaked history of the Southern Gothic; examine the vampire books, movies, and TV shows that take place in and around the southern United States; and reveal what they tell us about U.S. history, culture, and myth-making (and what they have to say about one another).Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Content warning: discussion of anti-Black racist ideologies (e.g., white supremacy, slavery, Lost Cause narrative), brief mention of suicide in fictionMajor spoilers:* Dracula 2000, directed Patrick Lussier, 2000* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976* Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin, 1982* The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, 2001-2013 (series)* Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, 2007* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010* The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, 2020Film* Gone with the Wind, directed by Victor Fleming, 1939* Son of Dracula, directed by Robert Siodmak, 1943* Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan 1994* The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, directed by David Slade, 2010* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, 2012* Vampires vs. the Bronx, directed by Oz Rodriguez, 2020TV* True Blood, 2008-2014* Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* The Originals, 2013-2018* First Kill, 2022* AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, 2022Additional Viewing* “Why Are There So Many Confederate Vampires?,” Princess Weekes, YouTube, 2022* “’First Kill’ & the Lesbian Vampire,” Verity Ritchie (@verilybitchie), YouTube, 2022Additional Reading* Stephen D. Arata, “The Occidental Tourist: ‘Dracula’ and the Anxiety of Reverse Colonization,” Victorian Studies 33, no. 4 (1990)* Mark Helmsing, “Grotesque Stories, Desolate Voices: Encountering Histories and Geographies of Violence in Southern Gothic’s Haunted Mansions,” Counterpoints 434 (2014)* Tricia M. Kress, “‘Why Do They All Have Powers?’ De/Constructing Southern ‘Otherness’ in ‘True Blood,’” Counterpoints 434 (2014)* Mark Vicars, “Subaltern Desires: Queer (in) Southern Story Lines: Looking at Movies and Queering of/in the South,” Counterpoints 434 (2014)* Lorna Piatti-Farnell, “‘The Blood Never Stops Flowing and the Party Never Ends’: The Originals and the Afterlife of New Orleans as a Vampire City” M/C Journal 20, no. 5 (2017)* Marita Woywod Crandle, New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend, 2020For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

To celebrate back-to-school season, Rebecca and Hannah enter the world of dark academia and vampire institutions of learning. Focusing on four books, Blue Bloods, Marked, Vampire Academy, and Immortal Dark, they discuss why vampires attend school, what rules keep them in check, and how they break free from expectations. Have you ever wished you could learn magic at a gothic campus with dusty libraries, thick fog, and many cups of coffee?Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: mentions of self-harm in fiction at the end of the episodeMajor spoilers:* Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, 2006* Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, 2007* Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007* Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, 2024Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Secret History by Donna Tartt, 1992* Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, 1997-2007 (series)* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005* Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007-2010 (series)* House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, 2007-2014 (series)* Crave by Tracy Wolff, 2020* An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson, 2024Film* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Vampire Academy, directed by Mark Waters, 2014* The Twilight Saga, various directors, 2008-2012TV* Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* Legacies, 2018-2022* Vampire Academy, 2022Additional Listening* “Episode 1.1: An Introduction to Dark Academia,” The Dark Academicals, Jan 25, 2022Additional Reading* My Immortal by Tara Gilesbie, 2006For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodTo understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Rebecca and Hannah chew on the question: Are all vampires are a little gay? We discuss the background of Bram Stoker’s Dracula; consider food, appetite, and eroticism; and critique the connection between vampire media and the AIDS epidemic. Rebecca rants about the infuriating homophobia in Vampire Academy, Hannah gets excited about the many vampiric scenes in Saltburn, and it’s determined that for vampires, sex and feeding are one and the same.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Major Spoilers:* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007-2010 (series)Other media mentioned in this episode:Poetry* “The Vampyre” by John Stagg, 1810Fiction* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* Varney the Vampire: or, the Feast of Blood by James Malcolm Ryder and Thomas Pickett Prest, 1845-1847* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* “Manor” by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, 1885* “Good Lady Ducayne” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, 1896* I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954* ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975* Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978* The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez, 1991* The Awakening by L.J. Smith, 1991* The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate, 1998* The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, 2001-2013 (series)* A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands, 2005* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005* Peeps by Scott Westerfeld, 2005* Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste, 2022* Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024* Bride by Ali Hazelwood, 2024TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014* Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* Interview with the Vampire, 2022-Current* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024Film* Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922* Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan, 1994* The Twilight Saga, 2008-2012* Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennel, 2023* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024* Dracula, directed by Luc Besson, 2025Additional Reading* Bram Stoker, “The Censorship of Fiction,” 1908* Bram Stoker, Lady Athlyne, 1908 (for Stoker’s views on bisexuality)* Christopher Craft, “Kiss Me With Those Red Lips: Gender and Inversion in Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Representations, no. 8 (1984)* Talia Schaffer, “‘A Wilde Desire Took Me’: The Homoerotic History of Dracula,” ELH 61, no. 2 (1994)* Sarah Sceats, “Oral Sex: Vampiric Transgression and the Writing of Angela Carter,” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 20, no. 1 (2001)* Janai Subramanian and Jorie Legerwey, “Food, Sex, Love, and Bodies in ‘Eat Pray Love’ and ‘Black Swan,’” Studies in Popular Culture 36, no. 1 (2013)* Harry Benshoff, “Monster and the Homosexual,” The Monster Theory Reader, 2020Don't miss part one of this series: Dracula's Older Gayer CousinsFor podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Count Dracula wasn’t the first literary vampire, not even close! Rebecca and Hannah travel back to the 19th century to look at the vampire poems, short stories, and novels that came before Bram Stoker’s masterpiece. They talk about the scandalous relationships of Lord Byron, the canon of female vampires, the homosexual undercurrent of tales going back to 1810, and how these works set Dracula up for success.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: brief mentions of suicideMajor Spoilers:* “The Vampyre” by John Stagg, 1810* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* Varney the Vampire: or, the Feast of Blood by James Malcolm Ryder and Thomas Pickett Prest, 1845-1847* “Manor” by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, 1885* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897Other media mentioned in this episode:Poetry* “The Bride of Corinth” by Goethe, 1797* “Thalaba the Destroyer” by Robert Southey, 1801* “The Giaour: Fragment of a Turkish Tale” by Lord Byron, 1813Fiction* Glenarvon by Caroline Lamb, 1816* Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, 1818* “The Mysterious Stranger” by Karl Von Wachsmann, 1844* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010TV* “Are You Afraid of the Drunk?,” Drunk History, 2019Additional Reading* William Veeder, “Carmilla: The Arts of Repression,” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 22, no. 2 (1980)* Marjorie Howes, “The Mediation of the Feminine: Bisexuality, Homoerotic Desire, and Self-Expression in Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 30, no. 1 (1988)* Lloyd Whorley, “Loving Death: The Meaning of Male Sexual Impotence in Vampire Literature,” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts 2, no. 1 (1989)* Talia Schaffer, “‘A Wilde Desire Took Me’: The Homoerotic History of Dracula,” ELH 61, no. 2 (1994)* Elizabeth Signorotti, “Repossessing the Body: Transgressive Desire in Carmilla and Dracula,” Criticism 38, no. 4 (1996)* Sarah Sceats, “Oral Sex: Vampiric Transgression and the Writing of Angela Carter,” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 20, no. 1 (2001)* Barry McCrea, “Heterosexual Horror: Dracula, the Closet, and the Marriage Plot,” NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction 43, no. 2 (2010)* Ardeal Haefele-Thomas, Queer Others in the Victorian Gothic: Transgressing Monstrosity (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2012)Don’t miss part two of this series: Are All Vampires a Leetle Gäy?For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Rebecca and Hannah consider the origins of the gothic romance, discuss the pros and cons of vampire boyfriends, and share their thoughts on what it would be like to date your high school sweetheart for eternity, and dive into the lore of Stefan from Vampire Diaries, Edward from The Twilight Saga, and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: brief mentions of suicide and sexual assaultMajor Spoilers:* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005* New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, 2006* Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, 2007* Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, 2008* The Twilight Saga, 2008-2012* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978* The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause, 1990* The Awakening by L.J. Smith, 1991* Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton, 1993-2023 (series)* Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, 2001* House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, 2007-2014 (series)* Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, 2015TV* Dark Shadows, 1966-1971* True Blood, 2008-2014Non-fiction* The Twilight of the Gothic?: Vampire Fiction and the Rise of the Paranormal Romance by Joseph Crawford, 2014* Blood with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan, 2019* “Twilight | ContraPoints,” ContraPoints, YouTube, 2024For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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

Rebecca and Hannah discuss the 2025 original movie Sinners, the 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu, and AMC’s Interview with the Vampire and how the three are working together to redefine the modern vampire (or not). They share their thoughts on everything from Orlok’s mustache and their love for Lestat and discuss whether or not we’re really in a vampire renaissance.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.Content warnings: brief mentions of sexual trauma, mentions of suicide (in fiction)Major spoilers:* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, 2022-Current* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978* The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez, 1991* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005Film* Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958* Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Shadow of the Vampire, directed by E. Elias Merhige, 2000* Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, 2008* Vampires Suck, directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer 2010TV* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014* Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017Stage* Twihard: An Unauthorized Twilight Musical Parody, Otherworld Theatre, 2025Non-fiction* A Natural History of the Romance Novel by Pamela Regis, 2003* “Notes on ‘Camp’” by Susan Sontag, 1964Corrections:31:58 — Count Orlok in Herzog’s Nosferatu (1979) is played by Klaus Kinski. (John Malkovich plays F.W. Murnau in the 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire, a fictional re-telling of the making of Nosferatu (1922).)For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepodThis episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah SpiegelmanNote: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — 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