Vampire Campfire

Vampire Campfire

This is Vampire Campfire: the podcast where we explore the intertextual nature of vampire media from the spooky to the sparkly and the scary to the campy. vampirecampfirepod.substack.com

Episodes

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    When Did Dracula Become a "Love Tale"?

    A new year brings us a new season of Vampire Campfire along with a new Dracula adaption! This take on the tale is explicitly romantic, which begs the question: when did Bram Stoker’s 19th century classic turn into a love story? Rebecca and Hannah dig into the family tree of Dracula adaptions to unpack the layers on layers of intertext, question if they themselves are the crazy ones, discuss why writers made these changes, and rant about CGI gargoyles. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. CW: sexual assault, pedophilia, suicide Major Spoilers: * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * Blacula, directed by William Crain, 1972 * Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992 * Dracula Untold, directed by Gary Shore, 2014 * Dracula: A Love Tale, directed by Luc Besson, 2025 Other media mentioned in this episode: Fiction * I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954 * Blood Orange by Karina Halle, 2022 Film * Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922 * Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931 * Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958 * Dracula, directed by Dan Curtis, 1974 * Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979 * Dracula, directed by John Badham, 1979 TV * Dark Shadows, 1966-1971 * Dracula, 2013 Theater * Dracula by Hamilton Dean, 1924 * Dracula by John Balderston, 1927 * Dracula by Hamilton Dean and John Balderston, 1977 Non-fiction * In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires by Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally, 1972 Additional Reading * Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage and Screen by David J. Skal, 1990 Want more vampire content in all your feeds? Check out our Pinterest 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. This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend! This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 12m

  2. 09/12/2025

    Thanksgiving Special: Romanticizing the Vampire & the Gothic Story

    Welcome back for a special bonus episode! Rebecca and Hannah take a break from cooking a Gothic Victorian feast for their family’s Thanksgiving to climb onto their soapbox about recent adaptions of classic novels, parse the various definitions of Gothic (and how much it has to do with “vibes”), get to the bottom of the Victorian obsession with the occult, and put out call for any choreographers who want to collab on a Carmilla ballet. Plus, they discuss the menu for their feast in mouthwatering detail. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. Media mentioned in this episode: Fiction * The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, 1764 * Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, 1818 * “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819 * Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, 1847 * Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872 * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 1959 * The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, 1985 * Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, 2005 * House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, 2022 * Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024 * Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis, 2025 Film * Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992 * Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell, 2023 * Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023 * Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024 * ‘Salem’s Lot, directed by Gary Dauberman, 2024 * Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, 2025 * Dracula, directed by Luc Besson, 2025 * “Wuthering Heights”, directed by Emerald Fennell, 2026 TV * “The Ghost of Suite 613,” The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, 2005 * Interview with the Vampire, 2022- Visual Art * The Artist’s Despair Before the Grandeur of Ancient Ruins, Henry Fuseli, 1778 * The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli, 1781 * Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818 Ballet * Giselle, American Ballet Theatre, 2025 * Dracula, Colorado Ballet, 2025 Additional Reading * Isabella Beeton, Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery Book, 1861 * Alessandra Pino and Ella Buchan, A Gothic Cookbook: Hauntingly Delicious Recipes Inspired by 13 Classic Tales, 2024 * Sarah Perry, “The Draw of the Gothic,” Paris Review (2018) * Hephzibah Anderson, “Why we are living in ‘Gothic times,’” BBC (2021) For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod To understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman. Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    47 min

  3. 25/11/2025

    To Slay or Not to Slay?

    Say hello to the vampire slayer, the hunter, the hero! Or are they the villain? Rebecca and Hannah chew on the big questions: Who has the right to slay? Where do they get their mad skills? And isn’t killing vampires murder? They discuss their favorite (and least favorite) hunters, break down the five main slayer archetypes, and sing a little Corey Hart. Come vamps, join us around the campfire — for the final episode of Season 1! Major Spoilers: * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003 * The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, 2020 * House of Crimson Hearts by Ruby Roe, 2024 Other media mentioned in this episode: Fiction * I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954 * The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, 1985 * Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy A. Collins, 1989 * Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, 1993-2023 * Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010 * Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff, 2021 * Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024 * Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, 2024 * Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, 2025 Film * Vampire Hunter D, directed by Toyoo Asahida, 1985 * The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, 1987 * Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, 1992 * Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998 * Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000 * Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, directed by Toyoo Ashida, 2000 * Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro, 2002 * Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, 2004 * Daybreakers, directed by Peter Spierig, 2009 * Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, 2012 * Only Lovers Left Alive, directed by Jim Jarmusch, 2013 * Vampires vs. the Bronx, directed by Oz Rodriguez, 2020 * Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennel, 2023 * Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers **2024 * Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025 TV * Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017 * Dracula, 2013 * The Strain, 2014-2017 * Castlevania, 2017-2021 * What We Do the Shadows, 2019-2024 * Legacies, 2018-2022 * First Kill, 2022 * Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, 2025 Comics * Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures, 2006-2008 * Tomb of Dracula #10, July 1973 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod To understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 22m

  4. 11/11/2025

    How Many Vampires Does It Take to End the World?

    What makes a vampire story apocalyptic? What makes an apocalypse story vampiric? And why don’t more vampire stories end with the end of the world? In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah do some vampire math, face their wor(mie)st fears, nail down the difference between zombies and vampires, and rant about haunted houses. Would you survive the vampire apocalypse? Be warned, there might be ancient viruses, antique furniture, human blood farms, and lots and lots of tiny worms. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. Content warning: brief mention of suicide in fiction, worms Major Spoilers: * I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954 * ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975 ** * Salem’s Lot, directed by Tobe Hopper, 1979 * Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro, 2002 * I Am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence, 2007 * Daybreakers, directed by Peter Spierig, 2009 * The Strain, 2014-2017 * V Wars, 2019 * ‘Salem’s Lot, directed by Gary Dauberman, 2024 Other media mentioned in this episode: Fiction * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 1959 * Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, 1992 * The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, 2009 Film * The Last Man on Earth, directed by Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, 1964 * Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, 1968 * The Omega Man, directed by Boris Sagal, 1971 * Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998 * Shadow of the Vampire, directed by E.Elias Merhige, 2000 * Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000 * Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025 TV * Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003 * True Blood, 2008-2014 * Castlevania, 2017-2021 * Midnight Mass, directed by Mike Flanagan, 2021 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod To understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    2h 3m

  5. 28/10/2025

    A Vampire, a Werewolf, and a Witch Walk into a Bar...

    What happens when a vampire, a werewolf, and witch walk into a bar? Turns out, they either fight, fall in love, or work together to defeat evil! In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah look into why we so often see vampire stories that include werewolves and witches, discuss how they add to (and take away from) the vampires’ plotlines and powers, and uncover the lore that brought them together in the first place. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. Content warning: brief mention of suicide in fiction Major Spoilers: * The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman, directed by León Klimovsky, 1971 * Underworld, directed by Len Wiseman, 2003 * Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, 2004 * Bride by Ali Hazelwood, 2024 * Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024 * Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis, 2025 Other media mentioned in this episode: Poetry * “Thalaba the Destroyer” by Robert Southey, 1801 * “The Giaour: Fragment of a Turkish Tale” by Lord Byron, 1813 Fiction * The Golden Ass by Apuleius, Late 2nd Century AD * “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819 * The Viy by Nikolai Gogol, 1835 * Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872 * The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Tolstoy, 1884 ** * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, 2001-2013 * Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005 * A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, 2011 * Lightfall by Ed Crocker, 2025 Film * Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931 * Werewolf of London, directed by Stuart Walker, 1935 * The Wolf Man, directed by George Waggner, 1941 * Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, directed by Roy William Neill, 1943 * House of Frankenstein, directed by Erle C. Kenton, 1944 * House of Dracula, directed by Erle C. Kenton, 1945 * Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, directed by Charles Barton, 1948 * The Monster Squad, directed by Fred Dekker, 1987 * From Dusk to Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez, 1996 * Vampire Academy, directed by Mark Waters, 2014 * Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025 TV * Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003 * True Blood, 2008-2014 * Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017 * Being Human, 2011-2014 * The Originals, 2013-2017 * Legacies, 2018-2022 * A Discovery of Witches, 2018-2022 * What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024 Comics * “A Little Stranger!” Haunt of Fear #14, 1952 * “Enter: Werewolf by Night,” The Tomb of Dracula #18, 1973 * “Death of a Monster!” Werewolf by Night #15, 1973 Games * Vampire: The Masquerade, 1991 * Werewolf: The Apocalypse, 1992 Additional Reading * David Walter Leinweber, “Witchcraft and Lamiae in ‘The Golden Ass,’” Folklore, 105 (1994) * Francis Butler, ”Russian ‘vurdalak’ ‘vampire’ and Related Forms in Slavic,” Journal of Slavic Linguistics 13, no. 2 (2005) * Brian Cooper, ”The Word ‘Vampire’: Its Slavonic Form and Origin,” Journal of Slavic Linguistics 13, no. 2 (2005) * Tudor Balinisteanu, ”Romanian Folklore and Literary Representations of Vampires,” Folklore 127, no. 2 (2016) * Agnes Hollyhock, Vampires: A Handbook of History & Lore of the Undead, 2024 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod To understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest, @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 41m
  6. I Vant to Suck Your... Energy

    14/10/2025

    I Vant to Suck Your... Energy

    Have you ever met a vampire? There’s a good chance you have — they might just have consumed energy rather than blood. In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah talk metaphorical vampires, from the earliest cinematic vamps to modern men who dance naked to early 2000’s disco-pop (iykyk). They argue that certain human characters are as vampiric as your favorite bloodsucking undead, discuss how classic vampire tropes like “crossing the threshold” show up in metaphor, and name-drop lots (and lots) of bodily fluids. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. CW: mention of suicide, brief mention of sexual assault, discussion of body (dental) horror Major spoilers: * Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, 1862 * A Fool There Was, directed by Frank Powell, 1915 * The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood, 1993 * House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, 2022 * Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennel, 2023 Other media mentioned in this episode: Poetry * “The Vampire” by Rudyard Kipling, 1897 Fiction * “The Vampyre” by John Polidori, 1819 * Good Lady Ducayne by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, 1862 * Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872 * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * “Luella Miller” by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, 1902 * Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, 2023 Film * Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931 * Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979 * The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed Anthony Minghella, 1999 TV * What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024 Additional Reading * Sarah Sceats, “Oral Sex: Vampiric Transgression and the Writing of Angela Carter,” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 20, no. 1 (2001) * Dracula’s Daughters: The Female Vampire on Film, edited by Douglas Brode and Leah Deyneka, 2013 * Charles Bramesco, Vampire Movies, 2018 * Christopher Frayling, Vampire Cinema: The First 100 Years, 2022 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 29m
  7. Why Do Vampires Love the South?

    30/09/2025

    Why Do Vampires Love the South?

    Have you ever wondered why the hell so many vampires are Confederate soldiers? Or why so many of your favorite vampire stories are set among the mists and mosses of New Orleans? In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah weed through the blood-soaked history of the Southern Gothic; examine the vampire books, movies, and TV shows that take place in and around the southern United States; and reveal what they tell us about U.S. history, culture, and myth-making (and what they have to say about one another). Come vamps, join us around the campfire. Content warning: discussion of anti-Black racist ideologies (e.g., white supremacy, slavery, Lost Cause narrative), brief mention of suicide in fiction Major spoilers: * Dracula 2000, directed Patrick Lussier, 2000 * Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025 Other media mentioned in this episode: Fiction * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976 * Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin, 1982 * The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, 2001-2013 * Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, 2007 * Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010 * The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, 2020 Film * Gone with the Wind, directed by Victor Fleming, 1939 * Son of Dracula, directed by Robert Siodmak, 1943 * Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan 1994 * The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, directed by David Slade, 2010 * Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, 2012 * Vampires vs. the Bronx, directed by Oz Rodriguez, 2020 TV * True Blood, 2008-2014 * Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017 * The Originals, 2013-2018 * First Kill, 2022 * AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, 2022 Additional Viewing * “Why Are There So Many Confederate Vampires?,” Princess Weekes, YouTube, 2022 * “’First Kill’ & the Lesbian Vampire,” Verity Ritchie (@verilybitchie), YouTube, 2022 Additional Reading * Stephen D. Arata, “The Occidental Tourist: ‘Dracula’ and the Anxiety of Reverse Colonization,” Victorian Studies 33, no. 4 (1990) * Mark Helmsing, “Grotesque Stories, Desolate Voices: Encountering Histories and Geographies of Violence in Southern Gothic’s Haunted Mansions,” Counterpoints 434 (2014) * Tricia M. Kress, “‘Why Do They All Have Powers?’ De/Constructing Southern ‘Otherness’ in ‘True Blood,’” Counterpoints 434 (2014) * Mark Vicars, “Subaltern Desires: Queer (in) Southern Story Lines: Looking at Movies and Queering of/in the South,” Counterpoints 434 (2014) * Lorna Piatti-Farnell, “‘The Blood Never Stops Flowing and the Party Never Ends’: The Originals and the Afterlife of New Orleans as a Vampire City” M/C Journal 20, no. 5 (2017) * Marita Woywod Crandle, New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend, 2020 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 17m

  8. 16/09/2025

    Schools & Rules

    To celebrate back-to-school season, Rebecca and Hannah enter the world of dark academia and vampire institutions of learning. Focusing on four books, Blue Bloods, Marked, Vampire Academy, and Immortal Dark, they discuss why vampires attend school, what rules keep them in check, and how they break free from expectations. Have you ever wished you could learn magic at a gothic campus with dusty libraries, thick fog, and many cups of coffee? Come vamps, join us around the campfire. CW: mentions of self-harm in fiction at the end of the episode Major spoilers: * Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, 2006 * Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, 2007 * Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007 * Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, 2024 Other media mentioned in this episode: Fiction * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * The Secret History by Donna Tartt, 1992 * Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, 1997-2007 (series) * Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005 * Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007-2010 (series) * House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, 2007-2014 (series) * Crave by Tracy Wolff, 2020 * An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson, 2024 Film * Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998 * Vampire Academy, directed by Mark Waters, 2014 * The Twilight Saga, various directors, 2008-2012 TV * Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017 * Legacies, 2018-2022 * Vampire Academy, 2022 Additional Listening * “Episode 1.1: An Introduction to Dark Academia,” The Dark Academicals, Jan 25, 2022 Additional Reading * My Immortal by Tara Gilesbie, 2006 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod To understand the aesthetic of this episode, follow us on Pinterest @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 42m

  9. 02/09/2025

    Are All Vampires a Leetle Gäy?

    Rebecca and Hannah chew on the question: Are all vampires are a little gay? We discuss the background of Bram Stoker’s Dracula; consider food, appetite, and eroticism; and critique the connection between vampire media and the AIDS epidemic. Rebecca rants about the infuriating homophobia in Vampire Academy, Hannah gets excited about the many vampiric scenes in Saltburn, and it’s determined that for vampires, sex and feeding are one and the same. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. Major Spoilers: * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, 2007-2010 Other media mentioned in this episode: Poetry * “The Vampyre” by John Stagg, 1810 Fiction * “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819 * Varney the Vampire: or, the Feast of Blood by James Malcolm Ryder and Thomas Pickett Prest, 1845-1847 * “Good Lady Ducayne” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, 1869 * Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872 * “Manor” by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, 1885 * I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954 * ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975 * Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976 * Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978 * The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez, 1991 * The Awakening by L.J. Smith, 1991 * The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate, 1998 * The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, 2001-2013 (True Blood) * A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands, 2005 * Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005 * Peeps by Scott Westerfeld, 2005 * Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste, 2022 * Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid, 2024 * Bride by Ali Hazelwood, 2024 TV * Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003 * True Blood, 2008-2014 * Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017 * Interview with the Vampire, 2022-Current * What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024 Film * Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922 * Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958 * Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992 * Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998 * Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan, 1994 * The Twilight Saga, 2008-2012 * Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennel, 2023 * Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024 * Dracula, directed by Luc Besson, 2025 Additional Reading * Bram Stoker, “The Censorship of Fiction,” 1908 * Bram Stoker, Lady Athlyne, 1908 (for Stoker’s views on bisexuality) * Christopher Craft, “Kiss Me With Those Red Lips: Gender and Inversion in Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Representations, no. 8 (1984) * Talia Schaffer, “‘A Wilde Desire Took Me’: The Homoerotic History of Dracula,” ELH 61, no. 2 (1994) * Sarah Sceats, “Oral Sex: Vampiric Transgression and the Writing of Angela Carter,” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 20, no. 1 (2001) * Janai Subramanian and Jorie Legerwey, “Food, Sex, Love, and Bodies in ‘Eat Pray Love’ and ‘Black Swan,’” Studies in Popular Culture 36, no. 1 (2013) * Harry Benshoff, “Monster and the Homosexual,” The Monster Theory Reader, 2020 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 28m

  10. 19/08/2025

    Dracula's Older Gayer Cousins

    Count Dracula wasn’t the first literary vampire, not even close! Rebecca and Hannah travel back to the 19th century to look at the vampire poems, short stories, and novels that came before Bram Stoker’s masterpiece. They talk about the scandalous relationships of Lord Byron, the canon of female vampires, the homosexual undercurrent of tales going back to 1810, and how these works set Dracula up for success. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. CW: brief mentions of suicide Major Spoilers: * “The Vampyre” by John Stagg, 1810 * “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819 * Varney the Vampire: or, the Feast of Blood by James Malcolm Ryder and Thomas Pickett Prest, 1845-1847 * Manor by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, 1885 * Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872 * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 Other media mentioned in this episode: Poetry * “The Bride of Corinth” by Goethe, 1797 * “Thalaba the Destroyer” by Robert Southey, 1801 * “The Giaour: Fragment of a Turkish Tale” by Lord Byron, 1813 Fiction * Glenarvon by Caroline Lamb, 1816 * Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, 1818 * “The Mysterious Stranger” by Karl Von Wachsmann, 1844 * Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010 TV * “Are You Afraid of the Drunk?,” Drunk History, 2019 Additional Reading * William Veeder, “Carmilla: The Arts of Repression,” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 22, no. 2 (1980) * Marjorie Howes, “The Mediation of the Feminine: Bisexuality, Homoerotic Desire, and Self-Expression in Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 30, no. 1 (1988) * Lloyd Whorley, “Loving Death: The Meaning of Male Sexual Impotence in Vampire Literature,” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts 2, no. 1 (1989) * Talia Schaffer, “‘A Wilde Desire Took Me’: The Homoerotic History of Dracula,” ELH 61, no. 2 (1994) * Elizabeth Signorotti, “Repossessing the Body: Transgressive Desire in Carmilla and Dracula,” Criticism 38, no. 4 (1996) * Sarah Sceats, “Oral Sex: Vampiric Transgression and the Writing of Angela Carter,” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 20, no. 1 (2001) * Barry McCrea, “Heterosexual Horror: Dracula, the Closet, and the Marriage Plot,” NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction 43, no. 2 (2010) * Ardeal Haefele-Thomas, Queer Others in the Victorian Gothic: Transgressing Monstrosity (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2012) For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 6m
  11. When You Get to Date Your High-School Boyfriend... Forever

    05/08/2025

    When You Get to Date Your High-School Boyfriend... Forever

    Rebecca and Hannah consider the origins of the gothic romance, discuss the pros and cons of vampire boyfriends, and share their thoughts on what it would be like to date your high school sweetheart for eternity, and dive into the lore of Stefan from Vampire Diaries, Edward from The Twilight Saga, and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. CW: brief mentions of suicide and sexual assault Major Spoilers: * Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003 * Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, 2005 * New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, 2006 * Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer, 2007 * Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer, 2008 * The Twilight Saga, 2008-2012 * Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017 Other media mentioned in this episode: Non-fiction * The Twilight of the Gothic?: Vampire Fiction and the Rise of the Paranormal Romance by Joseph Crawford, 2014 * Blood with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan, 2019 * “Twilight | ContraPoints,” ContraPoints, YouTube, 2024 Fiction * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978 * The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause, 1990 * The Awakening by L.J. Smith, 1991 * Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton, 1993-2023 * Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, 2001 * House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, 2007-2014 * Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer, 2015 TV * Dark Shadows, 1966-1971 * True Blood, 2008-2014 For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 26m
  12. The Hottest Newest Oldest Vampires: Nosferatu, Sinners, and AMC's Interview with the Vampire

    22/07/2025

    The Hottest Newest Oldest Vampires: Nosferatu, Sinners, and AMC's Interview with the Vampire

    Rebecca and Hannah discuss the 2025 original movie Sinners, the 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu, and AMC’s Interview with the Vampire and how the three are working together to redefine the modern vampire (or not). They share their thoughts on everything from Orlok’s mustache and their love for Lestat and discuss whether or not we’re really in a vampire renaissance. Come vamps, join us around the campfire. Content warnings: brief mentions of sexual trauma, mentions of suicide (in fiction) Major spoilers: * Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 * AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, 2022-Current * Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024 * Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025 Other media mentioned in this episode: Non-fiction * The Natural History of the Romance Novel by Pamela Regis, 2003 * “Notes on ‘Camp’” by Susan Sontag, 1964 Fiction * Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice, 1976 * Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978 * The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez, 1991 * Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, 2005 TV * Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003 * True Blood, 2008-2014 * Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017 Film * Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922 * Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931 * Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher, 1958 * Nosferatu the Vampyre, directed by Werner Herzog, 1979 * Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992 * Shadow of the Vampire, directed by E. Elias Merhige, 2000 * Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, 2008 * Vampires Suck, directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer 2010 Misc. * Twihard: An Unauthorized Twilight Musical Parody, Otherworld Theatre, 2025 Corrections: 31:58 — Count Orlok in Herzog’s Nosferatu (1979) is played by Klaus Kinski. (John Malkovich plays F.W. Murnau in the 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire, a fictional re-telling of the making of Nosferatu (1922).) For podcast updates, vampire memes, and consumption suggestions, follow us on Instagram! @vampirecampfirepod This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman Get full access to Vampire Campfire at vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 23m
  • 12 Episodes

About

This is Vampire Campfire: the podcast where we explore the intertextual nature of vampire media from the spooky to the sparkly and the scary to the campy. vampirecampfirepod.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Vampire Campfire
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Vampire Campfire
  • Show Website
    Vampire Campfire