It is slightly unusual to find one of the country's foremost authority's on Vampirism in the unassuming environs of Chippenham. The sleepy Wiltshire town wasn't twinned with Transylvania last time I looked, but it does happen to be the home of vampire researcher and writer, Allen J. Gittens. Allen is jokingly quick to dispel any possible rumour that he sleeps in a coffin and being a vegetarian, is unlikely to drink human blood. But just what is it about the vampire legend that led to his obsession? "I guess it really started from an interest in classic Gothic literature," he said. "I always had a fascination for really good ghost stories from the likes of M.R. James and Sheridan Le Fanu - all the classic Victorian ghost story writers. They had a real sense of suspense."
 | | Dracula Prince of Darkness |
Allen is happy to admit that a slightly less highbrow take on the legend was also responsible for intensifying his interest in the undead. He said: "I've always been interested in, and loved the Hammer horror movies which reached their peak in the 70's when I was a teenager. All that flesh running around had quite an impact on my formative years as you can imagine!" Allen's interest in Gothic literature and Vampirism has become such a passion that there is very little left on the subject that he hasn't already studied. "Basically, I've read pretty much everything there is and so I feel I have an insight into the origins of the myth rather than taking the films and popular newspaper articles at face value. I have several bookcases stuffed with vampire fiction which varies from the absolutely sublime to the truly awful." It was through the perceived ignorance of others that led Allen to eventually apply his knowledge to writing informed articles on Vampirism. "It was around the early 80's when Goths came about and started producing fanzines and writing about vampires," said Allen. "They'd obviously seen the same Hammer horror movies as I had but hadn't been interested enough to actually look up the books and legends and find out what it was all about. "They'd swallowed the cinematic version entirely without doing any of the research to find out what made it work so well." As a result, Allen went on to produce and edit the highly successful publication, 'For the Blood is the Life', which became the journal of The Vampyre Society. Containing a mix of reviews, articles, features and opinion on Vampirism, the journal ran quarterly from 1987 to 1997. By that time, Allen felt it had run its course but in the intervening years he received so many letters about the journal that he has just re-launched it, albeit under a different name. The preview issue of Allen's publication 'Lifeblood'
'Lifeblood' is a continuation of 'For the Blood is the Life' but no longer acts as the newsletter of The Vampyre Society, and is available to non-members. Like its predecessor, it contains book reviews and researched articles on mythology and folklore as well as analysis of cinematic representations of vampires.
 | | Allen's publication 'Lifeblood' |
Allen hopes it will appeal to people who are curious about vampire history. "They may have watched a Hammer film and wondered what was going on or read an Anne Rice novel and found it intriguing. Perhaps they are interested in what makes the dark side of the imagination tick. Whatever the question, we'll have a go at answering it for you." Allen also welcomes input from any fellow vampire aficionados who are interested in contributing. He said: "Anyone who has dug out a facet of information that they’' like to throw new light on then I'd love to receive it." Although Allen hopes to entice people curious about the vampire legend to the pages of Lifeblood, what would he tell them if they asked if real Vampire's ever really existed? "The closest to a definitive answer I can give you is that virtually every culture on the planet at all periods of history, whether they had mingled with European culture or not has some sort of legend that is analogous to the vampire. "For example, The ancient Chinese had a legend which is very similar to the medieval European legend. They believe their corpses rose from the dead under certain circumstances. "It’s very strange, but it seems to be hard-wired into the subconscious of the human mind. It is quite possible that the belief of the returning dead is actually built into the human mind as an archetype." Allen has already spoken of his affection for the Hammer Films, but what does he think of contemporary vampire movies such as the Blade series or Neil Jordan's 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice's novel, Interview with a Vampire?
 | | Vlad the Impaler or real Count Dracula |
He said: "Blade had very little to do with the comic book but as a fast piece of kung-fu action it was brilliant. Although, vampires do not have a culture, they don't work together - they are solitary creatures. "As for Interview with a Vampire, It was closer to the book than I expected, I was dreading Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Lestat, Tom Cruise is by no stretch of the imagination six feet tall but I did find it very interesting in places." Perhaps the most well-known of all literary vampires is Bram Stoker's creation, Count Dracula. However as Allen explains, Stoker's inspiration for Dracula had its roots in reality. "Stoker drew a little bit on myth, a little bit on history and a great deal on fiction," he said. "His Count Dracula was a fictionalised version which drew on two historical characters. There was a Dracula but he wasn’t a vampire. He was a rather bloodthirsty Romanian warlord, Vlad the Impaler, who was considered by his people to be a hero for repelling the Turkish invasion. "The other person was Countess Bathory, a Hungarian noblewoman who was tried and executed for torturing and murdering 600 young women and girls for their blood in which she bathed. "Stoker took both their stories and combined them with eastern Europe folklore and mythology and titled it with a literary slant to make Dracula." If you have an interest in Vampirism or Gothic literature or if you would like further information about the magazine, Lifeblood, Allen can be contacted via email at allen.gittens@virgin.net or by post to Allen J. Gittens, 38 Westcroft, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 0LY. | 
