Historian's Take

The Surprising Origins of Vampires

Our fascination with vampires has spanned centuries, but it didn’t all start with Dracula. In fact, the first vampires (dating back to the 1800s!) were actually women. This genre of literature gave writers an outlet to explore female sexuality and societal taboos, leading to a cult of lesbian vampire films in the 60s and 70s.

The Surprising Origins of Vampires

8m 34s

Our fascination with vampires has spanned centuries, but it didn’t all start with Dracula. In fact, the first vampires (dating back to the 1800s!) were actually women. This genre of literature gave writers an outlet to explore female sexuality and societal taboos, leading to a cult of lesbian vampire films in the 60s and 70s.

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