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Christopher Lee played an excellent vampire in the 1960's classic "Dracula".  Lee was one of the finest actors to portray the undead master of the night.  More movies like "Interview with a Vampire" would come along in the 1990's, but Tom Cruise is no actor and I had a hard time being afraid of his character.

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VAMPIRES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

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Vampires are big right now.  There are tv shows and movies out that show vampires in a more modern, sexy way.  But in fact, Vampire stories from around the world tell a different tale.  Throughout time, vampires have always been there in one way or another.  Despite Brahm Sotkers 1893 novel, there have been many tales of the blood-sucking creature who stalks the night.  The funny thing is how much in common these stories have, even in remote parts of the world.  A few things are constant.  The creature is undead, stalks the night to do harm and suck blood from an unsuspecting person, slowly weakening them until they die.  After reading some of the stories from around the world, I decided to share these tales with you country by country.  So sit back, relax, get a nice cool drink of your favorite blood wine, and enjoy...

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Vlad the Impaler, was considered to be the role model for Dracula.  True he did indeed drink the blood of his enemies, but as we will see, that has been done by warriors throughout history.  He was a fierce and cruel man who would often put his victims heads on pikes around his castle to let his enemies know that this is what was waiting for them!  Transylvania was the setting for Dracula, however Brahm Stoker had never been to Eastern Europe and the images he created are taken from his native Ireland, where vampire stories go back for centuries!!!!!

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IN the early 1900's, some of the earliest horror films were about vampires.  They depicted a pale emaciated man who drank blood and often had long fingernails.  This demon preyed upon women mostly, but was not adverse to drinking the blood of men.  The fact that Brahm Stoker grew up in a time and place were tuberculosis was rampant, might have had some impact on his perception of the undead.  Tuberculosis patients that would have seen were pale in color and often spat up blood!  Thus the 1920's vampire is a pale, blood slurping corpse!  It was also know that during the Potato Famine in Ireland, people were in such need for food that they would drain blood from the throat of their cattle and mix it with greens and whatever else they had and make "Blood cakes".

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In the 1960's, we were treated to a friendlier vampire named "Grandpa" from the tv series "THe Munsters".  This was a playboy vampire who enjoyed cooking things up in his lab, and making his son-in-law, Herman act more like he wanted him to.  But even Grandpa had a sinsiter side.  In the open of the show, when Lily is saying good-bye to the family as they go off to work and school(don't know where a vampire might be going in the daytime), as Grandpa goes to kiss his daughter's hand he makes an attempt to bite it!!!!  This just goes to show you that you cannot trust someone who drinks blood to get by!

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Vampires inmany cultures have been traditionally women!  In the phillipines, many of the vampire forms are that of a woman, or an old woman who can change shape.  Usually there is a long tongue with two barbs on the end that attatches itself to the victim, secreting a pain killer at the same time drinking blood from its host.  The idea of a man vampire does not even exist in some cultures.  It is only later that we get both men and women playing the roles.  Usually, the women are seductive, attractive and lure their victims with a chant or a song.  This song is so powerful, no man can resist it.

IRELAND

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THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN BY ME IN IRELAND IN THE CONNEMARA ON THE WEST COAST OF THE COUNTRY.  IRELAND HAS LONG BEEN A PLACE OF LEGENDS AND MYTHS, SOME MIGHT EVEN BE TRUE!  TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IRELAND'S VAMPIRES, CLICK ON THE PICTURE.

Ghost Soldiers does not support the drinking of blood, or killing of suspected vampires.