A new wave of vampire literature (both fiction and non-fiction) began to appear after a low point in interest in vampires had occurred in the mid-1980s. Melton: The push beyond my attention to vampires as a hobby to something more serious came in the early 1990s. TF: In what ways do you personally explore and enjoy vampires and Stoker’s classic book Dracula as a fan and as a scholar? These put before me a continuing question that has provided countless hours for speculation, usually at the end of the day when I am otherwise too tired to work-If vampires were real, what would they really look like? How would they survive, how would they deal with the problems of outliving everyone else? Is liking bad jokes a prerequisite to being a vampire? By the 1970s, I had become a lifelong fan.Īlong with the novels, I also picked up any nonfiction books I could find. At about the same time (the 1960s), the Hammer movies were appearing in the theaters. From searching out horror novels, I found some vampires and they proved to be something I could really sink my teeth into. Gordon Melton: When I was a teenager, I discovered science fiction, which led me to horror (which I decided I liked more). How did a Methodist minister and a scholar of new religions develop an interest in vampires? Let’s begin with some of your personal background as a foundation. It is a pleasure to have someone with your background and expertise in the area answering a few questions on this topic. TheoFantastique: Gordon, thank you for carving out some time for this interview. Gordon has made some time in his very busy teaching and traveling schedule to answer a few questions on the vampire myth and its lasting appeal in popular culture. Gordon has one of the largest private collections of Stoker’s book, and in multiple languages, he is frequently sought out by the media as an expert on this topic, and he is the author of The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (3rd ed., Visible Ink Press, 2010).

While Gordon’s work in new religions is well known, readers may not be aware of his interest in vampire mythology and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The vampire book j gordon melton