✦ Let's face it, many of us have a thirst for vampire stories and movies. Halloween is not quite Halloween if vampires are missing!
I have always been fascinated by the Gothic, and vampires are especially intriguing, from Bram Stoker's elegant Count Dracula to Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (yes, the fact that it was Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise just made it even more delicious) but my absolute favourite is The Count from Sesame Street. I thought his genuine joy in numbers and counting absolutely adorable, not to mention his trademark vampire laugh!
Get your little ones to count with The Count this Halloween!
This Halloween, we take a look at some unusual vampire lore. The vampire seems to be a hot favourite across time and cultures. Ask a friend from another culture and you'll probably find loads to exchange about vampire stories.
How to find a vampire
Romanian legend says if you want to find a vampire (make sure you spray on some L'Eau de Garlic first) you need specifically a 7-year-old boy and a white horse. Make sure you dress the boy in white. Set them loose in a graveyard at midday. Let the horse wander around and the grave where the horse stops at is that of a vampire. Not a method recommended in modern times, as someone will probably end up calling social services and the animal welfare people.
Vampires may really love to count!
Whoever created The Count of Sesame Street may have more than a pedagogical intention, and may even have tradition backing up their creation. Some traditions believe that you must always carry a small bag of salt with you. If a vampire chases you, spill the salt on the ground behind you. This forces the vampire to stop and count every single grain of salt before continuing to chase you. This led to the common practice of placing salt above and around doorways. And perhaps part of the utility of the tradition of throwing spilled salt over your left shoulder can help distract vampires with a mathematical challenge, and not just keeping the devil sitting on the left away.
Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!
The Three Little Pigs were truly wise. They knew better than to let the Big Bad Wolf in. And the same goes for vampires. It is believed that a vampire can only entire your house if you invite it in. So the old advice of 'Don't talk to strangers' is a good one to follow here if you suspect the person standing at your door with really big fangs is a vampire. Unlike the Big Bad Wolf, the vampire thankfully is incapable of huffing and puffing and blowing your house down.
And in modern times we have... Energy Vampires!
These are everywhere in your home. Okay, before you start screaming and throwing garlic cloves all over, these 'energy vampires' are not alive. They are technological devices that go into sleep mode when not in use, but are actually using up power. Some examples of machines that have a standby function include televisions, modems, coffee machines, air conditioners and microwaves.
According to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, stand by energy consumption is costing $860 million to Australian consumers annually and contributing to $2.6 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide emissions. (Source: actewagl.com.au)
While we don't want anyone taking our blood except for the occasional blood test at the clinic, the earth doesn't want us sucking energy out of it unnecessarily either. Make a habit of switching off appliances in standby mode when not in use. You get to reduce your bills as well as environmental impact. And just to get into the Halloween mood, why not go low on the lights on Halloween night and save some electricity?
Remember these vampire movies?
Twilight (2008)
Let's face it, many of us followed the Twilight saga, not because we went along with our teenage daughters to catch the movies, but because we had a secret crush on Edward Cullen!
Fright Night (1985)
What happens if you're dead sure your neighbour is a vampire but nobody believes you? This is a classic, a fun one to watch with popcorn!
Let the Right One In (2008)
If you prefer something quieter and darker, this Swedish vampire movie will have you pondering over themes of childhood innocence, bullying at school, class politics and ageing. This is an adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel by director Tomas Alfredson. There is another English remake of the movie, but it's the Swedes who really know what dark and disturbing really mean.
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
With a stellar cast that includes Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater and a very young Kirsten Dunst, Anne Rice's novel comes to life in spite of how dead so many of the characters are!
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Vampires, mummies, monsters and more in this adorable family fun cartoon! Imagine a bunch of monsters who hide away in a spectacular private resort to get away from us humans! They're more afraid of us than we are of them!
Which vampire movie would you be snuggling up on the couch with on Halloween night? Make sure you have some garlic, salt, wooden stakes and crucifixes ready just in case! Have a Brilliant Halloween everyone! ❋
👻🎃🧛♀️ For more Halloween chills, read our other Brilliant blogs:
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