Vampire Research Articles

Hearing and Feeling the Black Vampire: Queer Affects in the Film Soundtrack

There is very little scholarship that considers questions of queerness in relation to film music, and the scholarship that does (Paulin, 1997; Haworth et. al., 2012; Buhler, 2014; Dubowsky, 2016) tends to approach the subject from a representational standpoint, identifying instances in which the soundtrack participates in the representation of queerness in film. The role that the soundtrack plays in fostering queer engagement with film has been left relatively underexplored. In this essay, I assert that the theories of counteridentification and disidentification as articulated by Jose Esteban Munoz in his groundbreaking queer of color critique text Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics (Munoz; 1999) have much to offer scholars of film music interested in exploring questions of identification and auditory and/or emotional spectatorship. I will begin by laying out Munoz’s formulation of these theories and then briefly sketch counteridentification’s long history within film music criticism, an academic orientation that sets up Hollywood’s musical norms as the product of an oppressive “culture industry” and the disruption of those norms through modernist European musical practices as liberatory counteridentification (Adorno/Eisler; 1947). With these understandings in place, I will move to a discussion of two U.S. films from the 1970s whose soundtracks present Black audiences with audiovisual experiences that invite counteridentification and disidentification respectively: Blacula (William Crain; 1972) and Ganja and Hess (Bill Gunn; 1973).

Dracula as Absolute Other: The Troubling and Distracting Specter of Stoker's Vampire on Screen. SimonBacon. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2019.

Dracula as Absolute Other: The Troubling and Distracting Specter of Stoker's Vampire on Screen. SimonBacon. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2019.

Arguing with the Vampire

Abstract: Certain themes of L.A. Paul’s Transformative Experience are explored in the context of an argument with a vampire. The major disagreement is about the extent to which third-party data should inform our decisions as to whether to embark on a transformative experience. Three case-studies are explored: becoming a vampire, having a child, and eating durian. Keywords: Transformative Experience; Decision; Epistemologically Transformative Experience; Personally Transformative Experience Discutendo con il vampiro Riassunto: Affrontero alcuni aspetti del libro di L.A. Paul Transformative Experience nell’ambito di una discussione con un vampiro. Il punto di maggiore disaccordo verte sulla misura in cui fattori terzi dovrebbero informare le nostre decisioni in merito a un’esperienza trasformativa. Prendero in considerazione tre casi: diventare vampiro, avere un figlio, mangiare il durian. Parole chiave: Esperienza trasformativa; Decisione; Esperienza epistemologicamente trasformativa; Esperienza personalmente trasformativa

Los vampiros del conurbano: La calambre de Ángel Mosquito

En las últimas décadas, las nociones de espacio y lugar y el concepto general de espacialidad se han hecho prominentes tanto en las ciencias sociales como en las humanidades. Geógrafos como David Harvey y teóricos críticos como Edward Soja han llamado la atención sobre el espacio como una realidad producida simbólicamente, desde donde cuyos significados no se dan de antemano. Desde este punto focal, este trabajo estudiará la novela gráfica argentina La calambre(2017) dibujada y escrita por Ángel Mosquito. Esta es la historia de dos vampiros marginales de los suburbios de Buenos Aires. Estos vampiros, siendo cartoneros, buscan reintegrarse en la sociedad, tratando de silenciar los calambres que el hambre les produce. Propongo estudiar la representación literaria de este espacio que recodifica y reconstruye esta geografía olvidada, señalando simultáneamente la identidad cultural presente en esta área de Buenos Aires.

The Byronic Vampire in Ann Rice's Gothic World

الملخص:
 يبحث هذا البحث شخصية مصاص الدماء فى قصص ان رايس وعلاقتها بالابطال البايرونية .كذلك يدرس البحث كيفية ربط الخيال بالتاريخ وهل نجحت رايس في هذه المهمة .ولتحليل شخصية مصاص الدماء سوف يحلل البحث شخصية ليستات فى مجموعة قصص مصاص الدماء ل ان رايس ليبين كيف ان الكاتبة قدمت شخصيات مخيفة ومرعبة بطريقة رائعة ومثيرة.

“My Own Vampire” : The Fate of Those Let Loose from the Grave

“My Own Vampire” : The Fate of Those Let Loose from the Grave

Hookworms in Emergency Department: The ＂Vampire＂ Within.

Hookworms infection is a soil-transmitted helminthic disease particularly endemic in developing counties of tropical regions. It is attributed mainly to two human pathogens nematodes namely Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale. Although the disease has been characterized as "neglected" is very diffi cult to be eliminated and the economic consequences are great. Worms are fed with blood of hosts in small intestine and cause typically iron deficiency anemia with relevant symptoms as well as eosinophilia. Patients admitted in emergency department claim often diffuse general symptoms, whereas cases with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding can be seen. Within this brief review, after introducing some basic elements of hookworms' epidemiology, taxonomy and socioeconomic problem is emphasized, pathogenesis, and life cycle of parasite are concisely explained. Furthermore, clinical manifestations often or rarely seen in emergency department are described. Therapeutic options are also enclosed. Awareness of the problem and critical thinking of patients coming from endemic regions could result to identifying more hookworm cases and their therapy will efficiently alleviate not only the patients per se but health system and societies as well.

The Mathematics of Monstrosity: Vampire Demography in Richard Matheson'sI Am Legend

Richard Matheson explores the demography of vampirism in a hybridic last human on earth and vampire apocalypse novella, I Am Legend (1954). The survivor Robert Neville explores the legend and science of vampirism, grappling with the rhizomatic ontology of the gothic creatures; in turn, Matheson offers a dual portrait of monstrosity of the predator vampires and of Neville as a gothic hunter and slayer of vampires. Narratively, imagistically, and thematically, Matheson presents a Malthusian demographic dynamic (and struggle) as Neville deepens his understanding of vampirism, allowing him to refine his vampire-slaying techniques.

Foraging of vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus ) in Atlantic wet lowland Costa Rica

Extensive observations of the foraging activity of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) were conducted for eleven successive months at one locality in Atlantic wet lowland Costa Rica. This study period included parts of two wet seasons and one entire dry season. Data were obtained on nightly departures and returns of individual vampires at two roosting sites in order to estimate the amount of time spent away from roosts during the wet and dry seasons. Several individuals from these roots were marked (using different colored aluminum bands for different roosts) and nightly data were also obtained on their Occurrence, along with many unmarked individuals, attaching themselves to cattle (prey) inhabiting three nearby pastures. From these two series of observations, it was found that (i) vampires exploit local cattle populations for blood; (ii) vampires invariably return to the same roosts every night after foraging; (iii) vampires spend more time attached to their prey animals during the dry season than they do during the wet season, and (iv) presumably more blood is actually ingested during the dry season. A brief study of homing ability demonstrated that vampires can return to their original roosting sites from as far away as 10 to 18 miles.

Caring demons, vampires, werewolves and zombies in history between reality and fantasy

Las enfermedades son tan antiguas como el hombre y cada enfermedad presenta una variedad propia de signos y de sintomas, que se ven reflejados en lo fisico y en lo mental. Tienen, ademas, unas repercusiones sociologicas, dependiendo de sus manifestaciones clinicas, el estado del conocimiento actual, la ciencia y la religion, que las tratan de explicar. El objetivo a lo largo de este articulo es contrastar y reflexionar acerca de las explicaciones misticas y cientificas de varias enfermedades, que atormentaron a quienes las padecian y a las sociedades, por el desconocimiento que existia hacia ellas y las consecuencias que trajo para quien las padecia. A partir de conceptos definidos por el autor, asociando mitos y enfermedades, se realizo una busqueda sistematica y tematica de literatura cientifica, donde como resultado, se encontro que esta asociacion genero una epoca de irracionalismo y supersticion a lo largo de la historia del hombre, desde la antiguedad hasta la actualidad. Se analizo la depresion y la ansiedad, la epilepsia, la paralisis del sueno, la porfiria, la hipertricosis, la licantropia clinica y la rabia, donde se encontro que estas enfermedades, por su cuadro clinico, dieron lugar a explicaciones erradas y misticas, que llevaron a la sociedad a aislar, rechazar y actuar, de manera violenta, hacia las personas que las sufrian, fomentando mitos, cuentos y leyendas, que fueron reforzados y trasmitidos de generacion en generacion, en el folclor por la tradicion oral, la literatura, el arte y, actualmente, por el cine, la television y la Internet.

‘Vampire’ squirrel caught on film

‘Vampire’ squirrel caught on film

Incidence of Fungal attack on Aircraft Fuselage

Incidence of fungal attack on the fuselage of a few Vampire aircraft has been observed. The fungus isolated from the infected regions has been tentatively indentified as TorulaSp. Laboratory experiments have revealed that within four weeks this fungus causes about 44 percent loss in the tensile strength of the brich plywood used in the manufacture of the fuselage of the aircraft.

“Everyone Forgets That Knowledge is the Ultimate Weapon”: Information Seeking Practices in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

This paper examines how information seeking practices are depicted in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". As popular culture reflects culturally held assumptions, this paper examines what the depiction of information seeking practices in a popular television show can tell LIS researchers and practitioners about how such practices are culturally understood.Cette communication examine comment les pratiques de recherche d’information sont dépeintes dans « Buffy contre les vampires ». Puisque la culture populaire se veut le reflet de pratiques culturelles existantes, cette communication s’intéresse à ce que les pratiques de recherche d’information montrées dans une émission de télévision populaire peut apprendre aux chercheurs et aux praticiens en BSI sur la compréhension culturelle de la pratique.

Cerita Pontianak: Cultural Contradictions and Patriarchy in a Malay Ghost Story

This article explores the synergistic relationship among competing premodern and modern worldviews and gendered power differentials in Malay culture as reflected and constituted in the Malaysia cerita hantu (ghost story) about Pontianak (a female vampire). Narrative and feminist theory are used to suggest that this seemingly mundane and simple ghost story actually operates as one means of making sense of/negotiating the tensions between traditional mysticism and contemporary logocentrism. At the same time, the cerita Pontianak maintains and perpetuates an ongoing hegemonic masculine-feminine dichotomy (perhaps not surprisingly) because of and in the context of shifting cognitive paradigms.

Fanpires: audience consumption of the modern vampire

Fanpires: audience consumption of the modern vampire

Tracking the man-beasts: Sasquatch, vampires, zombies, and more

Tracking the man-beasts: Sasquatch, vampires, zombies, and more

Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad, eds. (2010) Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy: New Life for the Undead

Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad, eds. (2010) <i>Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy: New Life for the Undead</i>

L’11 settembre nella poesia italiana

The paper studies some Italian poems dedicated to the events of September 11th. A connection between formal analysis and application of categories of the cultural studies (orientalism, gender, post-human) reveals some costants in the description of the towers fall. On the formal level, it is possible to identify, in some texts, regular verses and quotations from works of the literary tradition. Some poems focus on the power relations between East and West; other poems go beyond the opposition organic/inorganic or renogotiate the human category by the inclusion of the literary character of the vampire.

Different Adaptations: The Power of the Vampire

Different Adaptations: The Power of the Vampire

Do Current Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) Population Control Practices Pose a Threat to Dekeyser's Nectar Bat's (Lonchophylla dekeyseri) Long-Term Persistence in the Cerrado?

The Cerrado is rapidly losing space to agriculture, pastures and urbanization. Current management practices to control rabies outbreaks through the eradication of vampire bat populations may put other bat species in peril. Our objective is to evaluate if the current vampire bat population control practices could pose a threat to Lonchophylla dekeyseri's persistence, an endemic bat of the Cerrado. We used the VORTEX program to model different vampire bat management scenarios, causing low (25%), medium (50%) or high (75%) incidental mortality to L. dekeyseri populations. Inbreeding depression has been identified as a threat to the species, therefore we also modeled scenarios evaluating such effects. Results show that current vampire bat management practices have serious impacts on populations of L. dekeyseri. In all cases marked declines in population sizes were observed (even when there was no decline in survival probabilities). For medium and high incidental mortality management scenarios, we also observed decreases in survival probability and in genetic diversity. In those scenarios evaluating vampire bat management and inbreeding depression together, the models suggest that such interaction results in more pronounced declines. Habitat loss and fragmentation in the Cerrado are severe threats and have already negatively impacted L. dekeyseri. Unfortunately, if currentpopulation control practices dealing with vampire bats are not changed, inappropriate rabies management may be the coup de grace to the long-term persistence of this species.