The entertaining History Channel documentary Vampire Secrets might give short shrift to the earliest examples of the undead in literature (such as Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla), but covers the field reasonably well—beginning with Bram Stoker's Dracula, which chilled the blood of Edwardian-era readers—offering interesting insights into the evolution of the vampire in popular culture, backed with vintage film clips and newly shot dramatic recreations. The accounts of supposed real-life vampires here are just as fascinating, although the segment dealing with the notorious Countess Elizabeth Bathory—who committed violent atrocities against her servant girls and supposedly bathed in their blood—repeats embellishments to her story that were debunked years ago. Narrated by Corey Burton, this 2006 documentary was originally released as part of the Haunted Histories series, but has been repackaged to tie-in with the DVD release of Twilight, based on the first novel in Stephenie Meyer's wildly popular YA vampire series. Featuring interviews with authors Katherine Ramsland and Michelle Belanger, Vampire Secrets not only covers ancient legends and pop-culture depictions of vampires, but also examines such phenomena as present-day cults of bloodletters and the rise of the “Goth” subculture. Sure to be popular, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (E. Hulse)
Vampire Secrets
(2006) 100 min. DVD: $19.95. The History Channel (avail. from most distributors). PPR. ISBN: 1-4229-3718-6. Volume 24, Issue 3
Vampire Secrets
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