Vampire Bloodlines: From Ancient Demons to Gothic Panics – The Eternal Allure of Vampires Still Remains (with guest vampire author Kathrine Horsley)

Grab your garlic and sharpen your stakes—The Parallax Podcast is sinking its teeth into the shadowy lore of vampires! In this intoxicating episode, Karisa and Willow are joined by gothic fiction author Katherine Horsley, who pulls back the velvet curtain on her own seductive, sinister vampire creations. What makes these immortal beings so endlessly fascinating in fiction? And how does she weave fresh terror into such an ancient myth? Then, Willow unearths a chilling slice of American history: the Vampire Panic of New England, where 19th-century townsfolk exhumed their dead, convinced the undead were draining the life from their loved ones. Was it superstition, disease, or something far darker? Meanwhile, Karisa drags us back to the dawn of civilization, where the vampiric legends began. She introduces the blood-drinking demons of ancient Mesopotamia—terrifying female entities like Lamashtu and Lilitu, who prowled the night, preying on the vulnerable and inspiring centuries of vampire lore. How did these primordial monsters evolve into the elegant, fanged aristocrats we know today? From folklore to pop culture, from buried corpses to Twilight, this episode explores vampires behind the scenes. Are they metaphors for our darkest desires? Or could they be… real demons? Keywords:Vampires, vampire fiction, Katherine Horsley, New England vampire panic, folklore, Lamashtu, Lilitu, Mesopotamian demons, gothic horror, paranormal, undead, female hosts, Karisa and Willow, history of vampires, blood legends, supernatural, Dracula, true horror. Lock your doors, leave a light on—and press play. The night belongs to them.