They work as doctors and lawyers during the day, but at night they lurk like vampires. While they may not want to suck your blood, they have plenty of willing victims at their disposal, according to a leading American scientist on a subculture that mimics the immortals.
Idaho State University sociologist DJ Williams, now hired as a consultant for a television documentary about "self-identified vampires," said the true modern followers of Dracula are looking for a consensual relationship involving an exchange of blood.
The fascination with vampires dates back to 1897 and the publication of "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, and later books such as "The Vampire Chronicles" by Anne Rice.
But it has been exploited in recent years by Stephenie Meyer's best-selling "Twilight" series of novels and its film adaptations. The seductive character of the vampire Edward Cullen, played by the actor Robert Pattinson in the film, became the idol of teenagers and made vampires "cool".
They call it "feeding"
Vampiremania has led to the creation of an international subculture strongly associated with traits associated with mythical vampires. They are believed to be seductive creatures who are not afraid to explore the dark side of human nature that is often masked for social acceptability.
"Those who pose as vampires understand that people are a mixture of light and dark," said Williams.
"There's the socially desirable Self that people show in public, and then there's the darker Self that doesn't have to be so nice and optimistic. It varies from person to person, but generally vampires don't pretend it's not there: they accept it and try to overcome it”.
What separates them from mere vampire impersonators—a guy in a raincoat who sleeps in a coffin and believes he can turn into a bat—is an internal lack of energy that causes them to seek energy from external sources such as the energy emitted by the crowd at a rock concert or from blood of a voluntary donor.
"They see themselves as normal, ordinary people with normal, ordinary jobs: they are teachers, lawyers, accountants, they may even be parents," he said. "They have normal lives, but there is an aspect where they have to take energy from time to time and in certain ways"
"They call it feeding," said Williams, who also works as an FBI consultant on investigations involving violent criminals who claim to be vampires.
Williams claims that people who consider themselves vampires seek significant others with an abundance of energy who are willing to allow them to suck blood from small incisions made with a scalpel high in the chest. "Quite often, they are in a donor relationship, where one person has an energy blockage and the partner has excess energy; it's a perfect, symbiotic relationship," he said.
This type of relationship is legal because it occurs between two consenting adults and should not have bad consequences, Williams claims.
They are not vampires, they are bloodthirsty criminals
He was the first to initiate a study of such alternative lifestyles. It took him years of studying forensics, criminal justice and social science to gain the trust of self-identified vampires, who he claims are extremely misunderstood.
"The negative atmosphere around blood and the transmission of infectious diseases just drives them into hiding," said Williams, who advises vampire acquaintances to follow safe ways to drink blood, such as testing donors for HIV and other communicable diseases. through blood.
And with American serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed 17 young men and boys in a frenzy of necrophilia and cannibalism between 1978 and 1991, posing as a vampire - what's a law-abiding vampire left to do?
"The vampire community would argue that Jeffrey Dahmer and others are not real vampires, they are bloodthirsty criminals," Williams said. "Such cases damage the image of self-identified vampires."
Myths about vampires have been around for centuries, some based on real people like Vlad Cepes, a 15th century Romanian aristocrat who was known for the terrible punishments he meted out to his enemies.
Pointing to a UCLA study that ranked vampires as the most admirable monster, Williams argues that those who consider themselves vampires are fighting an uphill battle against stereotypes.
Subcultures sometimes sink their teeth into debates about proper vampire dress and etiquette, with some clans insisting on black clothing and others on potions such as blood.
Surveys circulating among vampires ask questions about their energy levels, whether they heal quickly from wounds, and whether they mind blood.
Williams said that virtually every age, race, religion and profession is represented in this subculture, which is strongest in urban areas.
"They see themselves as normal, ordinary people with normal, ordinary jobs: they are teachers, lawyers, accountants, they may even be parents," he said. "They have normal lives, but there is an aspect where they have to take energy from time to time and in certain ways."
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