The Vampire of History Speaks

The Vampire of History Speaks (review by Jen Bush)

The word vampire conjures up a myriad of delicious and frightful images.  The romantics will see a devastatingly handsome dark prince.  The fearful will recoil from the bloodthirsty killer.  For cinematic fans, Bela Lugosi and Frank Langella are just a few actors that have portrayed Dracula that come to mind.  What of the real vampire?  Did they exist and do they still?

Brent Myers is an author, researcher, sexologist and amateur vampirologist.  He has spent decades researching the origins of the vampire with a specific concentration on the Slavic vampire.  He has launched a YouTube documentary series entitled, The Vampire of History Speaks.  In the first episode, he meticulously documents one of the earliest known references to the word vampire.

When you first lay eyes on Mr. Myers with his well featured face and exquisite mane of hair, you might just imagine him to be a vampire.  Whether it’s coincidental or not, his look adds a positive tone to the video.  Giving himself the name Father Vampire seals the deal.  He begins by speaking about the traditional Western perception of vampires as seen in literature and film.  He then begins to discuss the Slavic vampire who made his first appearance in Novgorod Russia in 1047 C.E.  He was as far from an undead blood lusting vampire as one can get.  Father Vampire was the given name of the eastern orthodox Christian priest who translated part of the bible.  In this documentary, vampire is both a noun and a proper noun.  The video delves deep into the etymology of the term vampire, the priest named Vampire and the arrival of Christianity in Russia. 

This was a thought provoking and engaging video.  Documentaries are often considered boring, especially when put up against all the sensational viewing choices widely available today.  This documentary is accessible to a large audience base.  It will appeal to individuals who are interested in vampires, history, Russia, and religion.  Mr. Myers claims are backed up by the painstaking research of doctoral scholars in multiple disciplines.  The many striking images seen in the video nicely support the narration.  Mr. Myers’ strong and pleasant voice made a lovely accompaniment to the video.  One element that was missing was a proper introduction of the host.  It would be good to properly meet the host, have him establish his expertise and perhaps provide his impetus for pursuing this project.  This first installment of what is sure to be a compelling documentary series didn’t “suck”.  I think you can “count” on the rest of the series being bloody good