Vampire legend

DVD - 2016

Bram Stoker penned his gothic horror Dracula and popularized the vampire myth, but evidence now suggests those myths originating in England, not Eastern Europe. Oxford professor John Blair follows clues that offer insight into the formation of the myths. The cases hint at a belief that the dead could rise and bring fear to the living, that predates Eastern European lore and forcing a reexamination of the modern vampire legend.

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DVD/133.423/Vampire
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Subjects
Genres
Documentary television programs
Science television programs
Published
Arlington, VA : PBS [2016]
Language
English
Other Authors
Nick Head (television producer), Jay O. Sanders, 1953- (narrator)
Edition
WIdescreen
Item Description
Widescreen (16x9)
Physical Description
1 videodisc (60 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in
Format
DVD, widescreen (16x9) presentation; Region 1; Stereo.
Audience
Rating: TVPG.
Production Credits
Director of photography, Chris Vile; film editors, Sue Outlaw, Simon Pearce.
ISBN
9781627895316
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-What if the myth of the vampire is not a myth at all? This question is the central premise of this exploration of vampire lore, which, the filmmakers argue, has its origins in the England of a millennium ago, not Eastern Europe as legend suggests. The theory is supported by the archaeological unearthing of "deviant" Anglo-Saxon burial plots of skeletal remains, in which the head was severed and placed between the legs. It gained momentum with the discovery of a 12th-century manuscript that describes a similar process for those corpses feared to be the walking dead. While audience members may scoff at the ignorance of the past, the filmmakers go to great lengths to show how the belief in vampires still exists today in their documentation of the vampire-slaying ritual performed in a small Romanian community in 2004, going so far as to locate the man responsible for some of the ritual's more gruesome acts. The mix of science and folklore is equitable in the film, and while viewers are asked to come to their own conclusions, one thing is clear by the end: humanity's natural fascination with monsters guarantees the myth of the vampire will endure. VERDICT The intriguing blend of history, fiction, and science will appeal to a wide audience, especially those with an interest in the supernatural.-Audrey Sumser, Kent State University Tuscarawas, New Philadelphia, OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.