Just about everyone who has strolled through here (Christopher Moore, David Agranoff, Douglas Clegg) has been grilled about the vampire craze. Rather than belabouring the point, I wanted to go straight to the source. Theresa Bane and I chat about the Twilight saga, favorite vampires, and haunted hotels.
Eric Mays: Thank you for your time today, Theresa! You are known by most people for your expertise in the undead. How did you fall into the expert category of the undead? How do you gain field experience?
Theresa Bane: In truth, I am not an expert in the “undead,” I am a vampirologist—that is to say, a mythologist that specializes in cross-cultural vampire studies. There are a great number of people out there who claim to be vampire experts, folks who read a lot of fictional book, watch movies, or even know the life and times of Vlad Tepes and can tell you a bit about vampires of foreign lands that sound exotic. I can do all that too, but that is not what makes me a vampirologist. Knowing the “who,” “what,” “where,” and “when” is one thing, but knowing and understanding the “why” is why I am recognized by my peers as a vampirologist.
EM: Most notably, you’ve written the most concise vampire encyclopedia. You go back beyond Stoker and Vlad, pretty much to the beginning of time. What are some of the more interesting things that you’ve found that most people do not know about vampires?
TB: Thank you for the lovely comment on my books “Actual Factual Dracula” and “The Vampire Encyclopedia of Mythology.” The idea of the vampire is as old as man, so I had to go back and research into our species’ roots, understand ancient man so I could understand his needs and wants so I could better understand his fears and why his vampire was uniquely his. What I love most about vampires is that they are always changing. Taken as a whole, the vampire, no matter where in the world you are, in what time period you are in, it only predates on what we feel is culturally most important. Here in America, 75 years ago vampires attacked the family and were seen as monsters, no one would have ever considered willingly kissing, let alone bedding, one. Today we as a society must feel a horrible and desperate sense of loneliness and isolation so profound that we are perfectly willing to try to extend out compassion and understand to a vampire.
EM: The zombie has been in folklore as long as the various incarnations of vampires, and garners just as much interest. How is it you have two undead beings that are so vastly different? Are there any social implications that you may have found (i.e.: zombies are more prominent in poorer countries, whereas vampires are more prominent in the upper-crust)?
TB: Interesting question. For starters, vampires are everywhere. From the wealthiest nations in the world to what we would consider to be the poorest and most isolated tribes deep in the Amazon jungle. Vampires are everywhere, always have been; they are a myth that man clings to. I suspect that many folks associate zombies with Haiti and voudon, but in truth, the word “zombie” itself has been misused. A “zombie” is an animated corpse, as is the vampire. Most people are familiar with zombies either killing to eat fresh human brains or doing the work of their voudon master. As far as the two go, the only real difference is the creatures’ M.O. Zombies are either compelled to eat to survive or are driven to act by their masters; whereas vampires give the illusion of free will because they have been fictionalized to dress and speak well and not look like a rotting corpse. There is little difference really between the two species. In more recent times I think folks have associated with the zombie because it just lumbers along trying to survive, and they associate that with their own daily lives.
EM: Now vampires are all the rage in Hollyweird. I read once that Lauren Bacall’s niece said she’d watched “Twilight” and told Lauren that it was a real vampire movie. Lauren refused to watch the film and gave her niece a copy of “Nosferatu” and told her “that’s what a vampire movie should be”. Vampires are always in and out of pop culture. And the current incarnation lacks mist, fog, aristocracy. Is this current vampire phase good for this sub-genre of horror?
TB: First of all, Lauren Bacall or not, how can you make an informed decision of something you yourself have not seen or experienced? And why the angry need to shoot down her niece’s idea of what is a good vampire movie? If she is entitled to her opinion, then so is everyone else. If the niece did watch both movies than I would say that her opinion is more valid than her famed aunt’s.
Twilight. People always ask me about Meyers and her glittering vampires and this is what I say: “God bless Stephanie Meyers, her books have wonderfully trickled down to me. They have rekindled an interest in vampires and caused people to buy my books as they eagerly wait for her next one to come out.” The truth of it is that she told an archetypical story of forbidden love, and that type of story is hardwired into the human brain, we’re suckers for it. You can call it “Twilight” or “Romeo and Juliet” or “West Side Story” or “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” but it’s all the same. It can be about a Nazi soldier and a young Jewish girl or a bunny rabbit and a fox.
“Nosferatu” as you may know is the copyright infringed upon film of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” And yes, it was in its time quite the scary film. However, it does not speak to today’s audiences. We have evolved socially beyond what scared and frightened the Victorian mindset. Is “Nosferatu” a milestone in vampire lore, yes. Is it better than “Twilight?” Not in this day and age. Today’s vampires are for today’s fears and today’s concerns. We do not fear the night and the fog anymore; most folks live in cities where it’s hardly dark. We do not fear the nobles who live in the castle on the hill and rule the masses below driven the whimsy of their desire. People will always love vampire movies and books so long as they appeal to our cultural fears.
EM: I’d never thought of “Twilight” in that way before. Do you have a favorite cinematic vampire? Favorite vampire from literature (and for the sake of the question, I’ll consider “Twilight” to be literature)?
TB: “Twilight” was written for and marketed to tween girls, so no surprise that for the most part adults are not fans.
I don’t like vampire fiction or movies for that matter. The mythology is always wrong and it makes me twitch. There are two vampire books that are what I consider to be worth reading. The first is “I, Strad” by P.N. Elrod. It tells a classic vampire tale set in a medieval/fantasy environment. Unlike other vampire books it doesn’t try to be something it is not or reinvent the vampire, it tells a good and enjoyable tale. The other vampire book that I read and enjoyed was written by Tony Ruggerio and it was called “Team of Darkness.” In this book the US Government has gotten hold of five vampires and trained them to be the next level of black ops. “Team of Darkness” in addition to being a fantastic military story also uses actual mythological vampires correctly.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was an amazing TV show. I loved each and every character and miss it dearly but not because it was about vampires or the monster of the week. It was about relationships and consequences and the reality of both.
EM: Obviously you’ve investigated the macabre long enough to know what real horror is. What is the most terrifying thing you’ve unearthed?
TB: I do not actually believe in ghosts, the paranormal, or vampires. I have done enough research myself to quantify that statement. That is not to say that I am not frightened or scared of things that go bump in the night. I get about four e-mails a month from people claiming to be vampires, the “real” kind, and they all say the same thing, that one day I’ll learn the truth the hard way when they come to my house and “change me” into one of them. I believe that crazy people are real and that sometimes they do some horrible things. But no matter how horrific the crime, I never think “vampire.”
EM: Besides your compendium, you’ve also written books on the folklore and haunts of North Carolina. I think, since the film version of “1401”, some writers have had an interest in writing “travel guides” of haunted places. Any advice for authors that wish to turn their attention to this sort of writing?TB: I had to Google “1401” to answer this question, and it was only when I did that I realized that I had in fact already seen the movie. I thought it was silly.
I have written other books, one of which is called “Folklore and Ghost Stories of the Piedmont, North Carolina.” I worked with famed storyteller, Mrs. Cynthia Moore Brown. She is a wonderful storyteller and a truly amazing woman, it was a real blessing and delight to have that opportunity to work with her. That book will be coming out in the Spring of 2011 through Schiffer Publishing. I have also written for Schiffer, “Haunted Historic Greensboro.” Schiffer has a line of haunted city books, and when approached I was not interested in the project because I do not believe in ghosts. However, my editor, Dinah Roseberry, said I could write it with any angle I wanted. Greensboro is a very historic city and as it happens there are ghost stories at all of the historic sites. What I wrote is a history book that actually mentions the ghost stories connected to the places. We can’t pick and choose what our history is.
Here is my advice for folks looking to write a travel guide to haunted places book – you would think that placing an ad on Craig’s list asking “if you live in a haunted and historically relevant house can I come over and write about it for my book” would be a good idea. I’ll be the first to tell you, it is not. Don’t do it. Apart from all the obvious fakers and the less sane than I like my people to be, one guy did slip through. My assistant and I went to his house and as soon as the door closed behind us we both instantly knew we had made a terrible mistake. As he told us the history of his home he kept insisting we have a drink with him and became a bit erratic when we would not. Then he tried to get us to go into his basement. Thankfully one of the places I had wanted to include in my book was the Sherriff’s office, the Zenke building, and while we were in that house none other than the Sherriff of Guildford County himself called me on my cell phone to arrange a day and time to meet. I rattled off the address of where I was immediately as I grabbed my assistant and we barreled for the door. It was of course, locked. We were terrified; as I spoke to the sheriff on the phone my assistant worked on unlocking the door, and we could hear the home owner in the kitchen opening and slamming cabinet doors and drawers. I was sure then as I am now that some harm would have befallen us if he did not call. Ironically, the house really was a historical treasure after I researched it and did make it into my book.
EM: You’ve really gone in-depth with North Carolina’s rich past and the folklore that’s followed. North Carolina? Most haunted place in America?
TB: No, not by a long shot. North Carolina is hardly the most haunted place in America, and even if it was, the state would never take advantage of that and promote it as such. There is a great deal of history here, so much of it goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
EM: When I was younger (hell, even still) I was captivated by all sorts of fantastic creatures from American folklore. Then I got captivated by creatures from folklore the world over. What are some of your favorites?
TB: Naturally, I am partial to vampires, I have spent a bunch of years reading and learning everything I can about them and the people who created them. I am also fascinated by demons, they are such a polarized creature, very simplistic and purpose driven in their design, sort of like the shark. I like the folklore about crows too; they are the most fascinating of all the birds, the smartest, the most adaptive, and the most likely to evolve next.
EM: I hate to be cheesy here, but do you believe in vampires and other things that go bump in the night?TB: No need to apologies, who doesn’t like a little cheese every now and again? I am frequently asked if I believe in vampires, if I think that they are real. Honestly there is not good way to answer that question. If I say yes, I’m just another crazy person. If I say no, then what the heck am I doing writing about vampires?
In truth, I always say without hesitation or doubt in my mind “No, I do not.” My rational and scientific mind will not allow for it. There are no vampires lying in wait in the dark shadows of the night to jump out and attack unsuspecting travelers for their blood. Bad things happen all time, I just do not blame them on the vampire. However, just in case I am wrong, I also do not take candy from strangers, anymore.
EM: What is the most haunted hotel in America? Any idea?
TB: I don’t have the slightest clue as to what the most haunted hotel in America could be. When I travel I choose hotels based on location and cost. But I do always ask if there is a haunted room, and if so can I have it. I don’t believe in ghosts, but wonderful would it be to be proven I was wrong.
EM: An interest in culture seems to be waning these days. Folklore, these tales of monsters, was a product of storytelling – and art that seems on the brink of extinction. I’ve even heard some people saying that these things aren’t scary any longer now that we’re in the age of “Saw” and “Hostel”. Why should people care about folklore and ghost stories?
TB: As someone who has just written a book on folklore I would go on the record as saying that folklore and especially storytelling is alive and well and thriving right now. There are thousands of storytelling festivals held all over the country, year round. This is why people care about folklore: these stories do far more than entertain, they educate, they tell us how to behave in accordance with our community’s norms, they tell us what is acceptable and what is not. They give us the opportunity to learn the common sense lessons that our parents may have never taught us. They tell us the story of who we were, where we came from, and how we are going to get to where we are going next. Folklore is more than you think it is.
To be honest, “Saw” and “Hostel” are not scary. Torture porn is the way I have hear them described. They are horrific in their graphic content, disturbingly so, but that is only to the credit of the special effects artists and not at all to the person or people who wrote them. Between the two “Hostel” is the more believable of them, the story of visiting a foreign land and being abducted and tortured for the amusement of wealthy others. That idea goes back to the peasants being fearful of the aristocrat living in the big house on the hill, as we identify with the victim and are resentful of those in power.
EM: Finally, the obligatory: what’s next on tap?
TB: My newest book, “The Folklore and Ghost Stories of the Piedmont, North Carolina” will be out Spring 2011 through Schiffer. I am currently working on the index for my newest vampire book, “The Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology” which will be out in June 2010 through McFarland. “Haunted Historic Greensboro” and my unsung dark humor book, “The Bloodthirsty Weasels” are both available wherever you buys books. If they are not on the shelf, get the store to order it for you. Or you can get them on line through any vender you like.
I am working on a book of demonic lore and mythology which will hopefully go the way of McFarland. And I have just started working on another project with Mrs. Cynthia Moore Brown, another folklore book I hope to sell to Schiffer.
In the ongoing project department I post about twice a month on my web site, a short article or some such about vampires. http://www.theresabane.net/. I plan on having a contest soon, where I will give away a signed copy of my newest vampire book. Rules and such will be posted when the book comes out in June 2010. Can’t give away what I’d have.
I do a couple of blogs for Buzzy Multi-media’s online magazine every month and have a following there (http://www.buzzymultimedia.com/ and click on the “blog” tab).
I beta read for several authors, most notable of which is Jim Butcher.
And lastly, I do a little bit of writing and a lot of alpha testing for Scaldcrow Games, a traditional pen and paper RPG company. They have a new book coming out that I had a hand in making, but non-disclosure forbids me from saying the name just yet. However if folks go to http://www.scaldcrow.com/ they can see the big announcement when it happens. I should think that would be no later than the Fall of 2010.
Theresa's a fun person to chat with. When you're on the convention circuit look to see if she's sitting on a panel...it may just be the panel you must see. Too, if you're looking for gifts for that vampire lover in the house, Theresa's books Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology
and Actual Factual: Dracula, A Compendium of Vampires do make nice ones. If you're overburdened with the onslaught of vamps in modern pop culture, go this avenue.
As promised, friend of The Authors Speak and bizarro writer of such classics as "Fistful of Feet", Jordan Krall. He's a weird guy, but fun. If you recall, Jordan was the one who was our very first interview, and here's another Jordan interview just for your pleasure: http://www.blogstar.com/shows/154/episodes/26940#sharing"King Scratch" was just released and is available by clicking the link below:
In celebration of Season Three of True Blood, we keep the vampires rolling. Tomorrow we sit and chat with Mario Acevedo, author of the Felix Gomez novels: The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (Felix Gomez, Book 1)
, X-Rated Bloodsuckers (Felix Gomez, Book 2)
, The Undead Kama Sutra (Felix Gomez, Book 3)
, Jailbait Zombie (Felix Gomez, Book 4)
, and Werewolf Smackdown: A Novel
. If you've looked for a series to jump into, this one has it all. Personally, I love them and eat them up like birthday cake frosting. We'll chat, once again, about vamps. And, Mario will offer his take on the whole Team Eric vs. Team Bill thing.
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