Vampire Campfire

We started this season listing all the reasons we wouldn’t want to be vampires, but there’s one big reason we would. When women are stripped of their bodily autonomy, the female vampire has the power to take it back.This is exactly what has always made her so terrifying to patriarchy: the way she defies the norms of the chaste maiden and the good mother, the obedient wife and the objectified body. She is a subject; she possesses her own agency and appetites. She is self-centered and pursues her own desires even to the detriment of the men and children she is meant to nurture. And this is why, as much as we may admire her, she is more often than not cast as the villain.In this episode, we explore the double standards plaguing the female vampire, trace the history of the real Countess Elizabeth Bathory and her legacy in vampire media, and unpack the grotesqueries that emerge when societal standards for the “good woman” are taken to the extreme. We’ll laugh, we’ll cry (a couple times), we’ll say Good for her!, and we’ll sit with the real life harms that occur when liberation is mistaken for an invitation.Come vamps, and join us around the campfire.CW: discussions of sexual violence, violence against women, rape, and body horror; brief mention of suicide. This episode is dedicated to Jane Doe.Major Spoilers:* Countess Dracula, directed by Peter Sasdy, 1971* Ganja & Hess, directed by Bill Gunn, 1973* Jennifer’s Body, directed by Karyn Kusama, 2009* Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste, 2022* Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda, 2022* Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling, 2026* Mothersucker by Kim Bohyun, translated by Archana Madhavan, 2026Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* “Wake Not the Dead” by Ernst Raupach, 1823* “Morella” by Edgar Allan Poe, 1835* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice, 1988* The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, 2005-2008 (series)* The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, 2020* House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, 2022* Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk, 2024* Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen, 2025* Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, 2025* Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, 2025* Aubrey Wants to Die by Pip Knight, 2026* Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Bram Stoker and Robyn Ahern, 2026* Agnes, We’re Not Murderers! by Jessica Alexander, 2026Film* Dracula’s Daughter, directed by Lambert Hillyer, 1936* The Vampire Lovers, directed by Roy Ward Baker, 1970* Daughters of Darkness, directed by Harry Kümel, 1971* Dracula, directed by Dan Curtis, 1973* The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott, 1983* Once Bitten, directed by Howard Storm, 1985* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Vampire in Brooklyn, directed by Wes Craven, 1995* Bathory: Countess of Blood, directed by Jurag Jakubisko, 2008* The Countess, directed by Julie Delpy, 2009* Daybreakers, directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, 2009* The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, directed by Bill Condon, 2012* A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024TV* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* Dracula, 2013* American Horror Story: Hotel, 2015* The Vampire Lestat, 2026Non-fiction* Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation by Silvia Federici, 2004* The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster by Shelley Puhak, 2026Further Reading* Monstrous B***h: A History of Terrifying Women by Eleanor Johnson, 2026Liked this episode? You’ll also like…Are You Sure You Want to Live Forever?: The Horrors of Immortality“Soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth”: A History of Sapphic VampiresWhen Did Dracula Become a “Love Tale”?The Hottest Newest Oldest Vampires: Nosferatu, Sinners, and AMC’s Interview with the VampireAn Episode of Fangs and FateWant more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.Follow us @vampirecampfirepod on Instagram and TikTok for podcast updates & vampire memes.Find us on Letterboxd and Goodreads for a peek at what we’re consuming next.Consider becoming a paid member of our Substack to get new bonus episodes and access to the full archive!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman — without AI, ever.Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our link — allowing you to support indie bookstores and an indie podcast at the same time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.comWelcome back to the Campfire — our special bonus section!In this episode, we reminisce about our time watching the 2009 vampire not-so-mega-hit Cirque Due Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant so you never have to see it. We thought it was going to be relevant to our episode on the vampire’s familiar (given the title), but oh how we were misled!Plus: Hannah formally apologizes to Rebecca for not realizing how gay the movie was at the time of our viewing, we discuss the bizarre uncanny valley between self-aware and self-serious, and you’ll learn important life lessons lessons such as make sure to communicate with your friend when the circus comes to town, never steal a vampire’s spider, and maybe don’t touch fingertip to fingertip with an immortal who looks a little like a clown.Come vamps, join us around the campfire.CW: brief mentions of suicide in fictionMajor Spoilers:* Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, directed by Paul Weitz, 2009Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007* Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976* The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren O’Shaughnessy, 2000-2004 (series)Film* Nosferatu, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922* Drácula, directed by George Melford, 1931* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott, 1983* Fright Night, directed by Tom Holland, 1985* Once Bitten, directed by Howard Storm, 1985* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Shadow of the Vampire, directed by E. Elias Merhige, 2000* Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, 2004* Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, 2008* Daybreakers, directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, 2009* What We Do in the Shadows, directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, 2014* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024* Vampire Carnival, directed by Justin Powell and David Charbonier, 2027TV* S5E1 “Buffy vs. Dracula,” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 2000* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024* American Horror Story: Hotel, 2015Games* Castlevania, 1986-Non-fiction* Blood with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan, 2019Substack* Dracula DailyLiked this episode? You’ll also like…The Trials and Tribulations of the Vampire’s FamiliarAre All Vampires a Leetle Gäy?To Live Forever and Never Grow Up: The Vampire ChildFrom Monster to Muppet: Making Vampires for ChildrenAre You Sure You Want to Live Forever?: The Horrors of ImmortalityWant more vampire content in all your feeds?Follow us @vampirecampfirepod on Instagram and TikTok for podcast updates & vampire memes.Find us on Letterboxd and Goodreads for a peek at what we’re consuming next.This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman — without AI, ever.Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our link — allowing you to support indie bookstores and an indie podcast at the same time!

If, after listening to our last episode on the horrors of immortality, you thought it might be tough to be a vampire, try being the guy or ghoul behind the undead: the vampire’s familiar. This week, we break down these hardworking henchmen into a few popular archetypes, from the classic madman to everyone’s favorite loverboy. We discuss when a Renfield isn’t a renfield, defend an underrated episode of Buffy, and get a little heated over Midnight Mass’s bible-thumping Bev, all in pursuit of the question: What would make someone give up their human life to do a vampire’s dirty work (and probably eat bugs)?Plus, some history on where the term “familiar” came from, how it relates to and differs from the “ghoul” or “thrall,” and what Igor has to do with it.In short, we’ll give you all the tools you need to answer the most haunting question of all: Is Jacob Black Renesmee’s familiar?Come vamps, get to work, and join us around the campfire.CW: discussion of suicide, pedophilia, and ableist portrayals of mental illness in fiction.Major Spoilers:* Dracula’s Daughter, directed by Lambert Hillyer, 1936* Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin, 1982* Vampire in Brooklyn, directed by Wes Craven, 1995* S5E1 “Buffy vs. Dracula,” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 2000* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024* Midnight Mass, 2021Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, 1818* “The Vampire of Vourla” by Anonymous, 1845* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Vampire City by Paul Féval, 1867 (trans. Brian Stableford, 2003)* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975* The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, 1991-1992 (series)* Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton, 1993-2023 (series)* Covenant with the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogridis, 1995* Stainless by Todd Grimson, 1996* Fledgling by Octavia Butler, 2005* Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004* Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007* *The Buffalo Hunter Hunter* by Stephen Graham Jones, 2025Film* Nosferatu, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Frankenstein, directed by James Whale, 1931* Vampyros Lesbos, directed by Jesús Franco, 1971* Daughters of Darkness, directed by Harry Kümel, 1971* Love at First Bite, directed by Stan Dragoti, 1979* Fright Night, directed by Tom Holland, 1985* The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, 1987* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Nadja, directed by Michael Almereyda, 1994* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, 2004* Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, directed by Paul Weitz, 2009* The Twilight Saga, various directors, 2008-2012 (series)* Fright Night, directed by Craig Gillespie, 2011* Vamps, directed by Amy Heckerling, 2012* Only Lovers Left Alive, directed by Jim Jarmusch, 2013* Therapy for a Vampire, directed by David Rühm, 2014* Dracula Untold, directed by Gary Shore, 2014* Renfield, directed by Chris McKay, 2023* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024TV* Dracula, 2013* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* Vampires, 2020* Dimension 20: City Council of Darkness, 2026Games* Vampire the Masquerade, 1991-Theater* Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein, written by Richard Brinsley Peake, 1823Liked this episode? You’ll also like…To Slay or Not to Slay?To Live Forever and Never Grow Up: The Vampire ChildAre You Sure You Want to Live Forever?: The Horrors of ImmortalityI Vant to Suck Your… EnergyAre All Vampires A Leetle Gäy?Want more vampire content in all your feeds?Check out our Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod to capture the aesthetic of this episode.Follow us @vampirecampfirepod on Instagram and TikTok for podcast updates & vampire memes.Find us on Letterboxd and Goodreads for a peek at what we’re consuming next.Consider becoming a paid member of our Substack to get new bonus episodes and access to the full archive!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman — without AI, ever.Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our link — allowing you to support indie bookstores and an indie podcast at the same time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to Season 3 of Vampire Campfire! We’re kicking things off this season by asking the biggest (vampiric) question of all: would you really want to live forever? We sure wouldn’t want to join the ranks of the undead, but there are plenty of vampires who aren’t so hot on the idea, either.While some stories paint immortality as a dream, the horrors are always lurking just below the surface — and today we’re breaking out the shovels. What haunting fears of loneliness lie beneath the promises of eternal romance? What nightmares emerge when you consider how it would really feel to never see the sun again? And what (God forbid) do you become when the promise of everlasting life doesn’t come with a dip in the Fountain of Youth?You don’t get to be immortal without making a deal with the devil. And these horrors don’t come with a return policy.Come vamps and join us around the campfire.CW: discussion of suicide, rape, and self harm in fictionMajor Spoilers:* The Hunger directed by Tony Scott, 1983* Cronos, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, 1992* Only Lovers Left Alive, directed by Jim Jarmusch, 2013* Therapy for a Vampire, directed by David Rühm, 2014* Aubrey Wants to Die by Pip Knight, 2026Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* “The Wood Devil” by Thomas Peckett Prest, 1836* Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897* The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 1976-2018 (series)* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978* Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin, 1982* Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, 1992* Stainless by Todd Grimson, 1996* My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due, 1997* Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004* Fledgling by Octavia Butler, 2005* The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, 2005-2008* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010* “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” by Karen Russell, 2013* The Vampire Gideon’s Suicide Hotline and Halfway House for Orphaned Girls by Andrew Katz, 2018* Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda, 2022* *The Buffalo Hunter Hunter* by Stephen Graham Jones, 2025* Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, 2025* Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, 2025* Brokeula by Michael J. Seidlinger, 2026* Children of the Night: A Graphic Novel by Victoria Setain, 2026Film* Nosferatu, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931* Blacula, directed by William Crain, 1972* Dracula, directed by Dan Curtis, 1973* Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979* Once Bitten, directed by Howard Storm, 1985* Lifeforce, directed Tobe Hooper, 1985* Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed Francis Ford Coppola, 1992* Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan, 1994* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000* Blade II, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, 2002* 30 Days of Night, directed by David Slade, 2007* Let the Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson, 2008* Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, 2008* Daybreakers, directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, 2009* Vamps, directed by Amy Heckerling, 2012* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025* Wes and Kyra, directed by Kevin V. Doan, 2025* Dracula: A Love Tale, directed by Luc Besson, 2025TV* Forever Knight, 1992-1996* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003* True Blood, 2008-2014* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017* The Originals, 2013-2018* The Strain, 2014-2017* What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024* Interview with the Vampire, 2022Games* Vampire the Masquerade, 1991-Correction: Forever Knight ran for three seasons, from 1992-1996.Liked this episode? You’ll also like…When You Get to Date Your High-School Boyfriend… ForeverTo Live Forever and Never Grow Up: The Vampire ChildWhen Did Dracula Become a “Love Tale”?Want more vampire content in all your feeds?Follow us @vampirecampfirepod on Instagram and TikTok for podcast updates & vampire memes.Find us on Letterboxd and Goodreads for a peek at what we’re consuming next.Consider becoming a paid member of our Substack to get new bonus episodes and access to the full archive!This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman — without AI, ever.Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our link — allowing you to support indie bookstores and an indie podcast at the same time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to a special ~un-paywalled~ episode of the Campfire! This is usually our subscribers-only section, but we wanted to make this episode available to all our subscribers as a (belated) thank-you for your support of Season 2, a teaser for the (upcoming) launch of Season 3, and a celebration of the vampire of all time.Welcome back to the Campfire — our special bonus section!Now that the dust has settled on AMC’s most recent season of Interview with the Vampire — retitled The Vampire Lestat — it’s time for us to step back and ask: Who exactly is Lestat de Lioncourt? And what did he do to get a whole TV series renamed after him?In this episode, we’re digging into the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of Lestat’s history; comparing his portrayals across adaptations (including some ~musical~ precedent); and unpacking what it is about him that seems to make everyone around him fall in love (including Anne Rice).Come vamps, join us around the campfire.P.S. This bonus episode is technically the encore of Season 2. Season 3 will be headed your way in just a few weeks!Major Spoilers:* The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 1976-2018 (series)* Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan, 1994* Interview with the Vampire, 2022–* The Vampire Lestat, 2026Other media mentioned in this episode:Fiction* Glenarvon by Lady Caroline Lamb, 1816* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819* Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1887-1927 (series)* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978* Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004Film* Queen of the Damned, directed by Michael Rymer, 2002* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024TV* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017Theater* Lestat, 2006* The Lost Boys, 2026Fanfiction* My Immortal by Tara Gilesbie, 2006Liked this episode? You’ll also like…The Hottest Newest Oldest Vampires: Nosferatu, Sinners, and AMC's Interview with the VampireAre All Vampires a Leetle Gäy?When Did Dracula Become a "Love Tale"?From Egypt to Atlantis: How Vampires Explain Their OriginsWant more vampire content in all your feeds?Follow us @vampirecampfirepod on Instagram and TikTok for podcast updates & vampire memes.Find us on Letterboxd and Goodreads for a peek at what we’re consuming next.This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman — without AI, ever.Note: We’re an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — allowing you to support indie bookstores and an indie podcast at the same time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe