The truth behind a subculture of vampires is the topic of new research by a Glyndŵr University lecturer.
Dr Emyr Williams, a senior lecturer in Psychology, is aiming to discover more about ‘real vampires’ and the story behind them.
Interest in the myths and legends of vampirism are at an all-time high following an influx of movies and TV shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and the Twilight series.
But real vampires are not a myth; they live and breathe a set of laws and ethics, meeting regularly all over the world, including the UK.
“This is a subculture that exists in every country, especially in the west,” said Dr Williams.
“They are a group of people who drink blood and drain energy from people, but their well-established set of laws means they know who it can be taken from.
“Sanguine vampires take blood and have a donor. They can only cut from certain parts of the body and are not allowed to take too much.
“Psychic vampires have a different ability to gain energy, but they are the ones who, when they come into the room, feed off other people and leave them feeling drained.
“It is fascinating and all very real, which is why I wanted to conduct this study.”
Dr Williams drafted a questionnaire to garner more information for his research and hopes genuine vampires will support his efforts.
“There have been many sociological and journalistic interviews but nothing really on the psychology of this group,” he said.
“I’m asking about how they form communities, what their levels of happiness and self-esteem are and what are their religious beliefs – most would associate themselves with Christianity – and trying to create a psychological understanding of this subculture.”
Dr Williams added: “I don’t want to label them as mad, bad or dangerous, only interested in Gothic culture and graveyards. They’re just a group of people we need to know more about.”
Dr Williams admits access to the vampire community is difficult as they are so private, but is confident his research will attract their attention.
His interest in vampires began more than a decade ago after reading an article looking at social and religious beliefs of the subculture in America and Australia.
Together with Dr Janet Goodall, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of Warwick, he wrote Paradigmatic Brilliance— Or, So Sparkly, It’s Broken, a study into vampires and the legend of Nosferatu.
The paper explored how modern culture and vampire imagery has glamorised the myth and placed the subject back under the spotlight.
“If you look at Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight trilogy, vampires are sparkly and sexy and people want to marry them, and it’s the same with Ann Rice’s Interview with the Vampire,” said Dr Williams.
“Jan and I did a study on how we’ve gone from Nosferatu and the scare image of a vampire to this new type of vampire we see on our TV and movie screens.
“That was published in the Journal of Dracula Studies, so I have written on this subject before and gained some respect and trust within that community. I’m hoping that reinforces what I’m trying to do here.”
He added: “The psychology of vampires is so interesting and I genuinely don’t believe it is linked to mental illness or madness.
“Some sleep in coffins at night but the kind of literature written on them is usually through interviews and case studies and they are usually the weirdest and goriest people they can get to try and sell it, rather than those who do this for simple and less sensationalist reasons.
“It’s a religious belief, a belief in anything – we all have different belief systems and for many people vampirism is a genuine way of life.”
To take part in the survey, visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/vampyres
