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WILLIAM SHATNER:
Creatures of the night.
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They hide in the shadows.
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Ready to drink the blood
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and tear at the flesh
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- [wolf howling]
- of their human prey.
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[screaming]
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For centuries, mankind
has told frightening tales
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of bloodthirsty vampires
and moon-crazed werewolves.
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But what is it about these two
very different monsters
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that have made them such
a large part of our nightmares?
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Is it because they're also...
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...part human?
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Could it be that the same
gruesome urges
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they have reported to have
also lurk deep inside ourselves?
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Well, that is what we will try
and find out.
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♪
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SHATNER:
Vlad the Impaler.
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Lycaon of Arcadia.
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Nosferatu.
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The Beast of Gévaudan.
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These are the names of grotesque
and terrifying monsters.
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Unearthly creatures that,
according to legend,
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thrived on human blood
and feasted on human flesh.
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[snarling]
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But could they actually be real?
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[crickets chirping]
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SHATNER: Police arrive upon
a gruesome scene.
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A local prostitute lies bloody
and battered on the street.
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Her leg is shattered
in three places.
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Based on eyewitness accounts,
it's believed
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she intentionally leapt
from a balcony 20 feet above.
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JONATHAN WEISS:
She'd been with a wealthy man.
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He'd been friendly, generous,
funny, kind.
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He'd made no advances,
though he'd paid for her time.
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But then he attacked her.
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He moved upon her
with unnatural swiftness
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and wrapped his arms around her,
pulled her head to the side
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and began to, quote,
"rip at her flesh."
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SHATNER:
Her attacker was a man
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by the name
of Jacques St. Germain,
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an affluent, well-known fixture
in the New Orleans upper class
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who claimed to be
a direct descendant
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of French nobility.
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Historical accounts
described him
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as a charming ladies' man,
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celebrated throughout
the French Quarter
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for his tales of adventure
and elaborately catered parties.
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But curiously, his guests
never see him partake
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of so much as a morsel
of the food he serves.
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Instead, he reportedly
got all of his sustenance
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from bottles that were thought
to be filled with red wine.
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But when police went to question
Jacques St. Germain
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about the murder
of the prostitute,
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they found that
his preferred wine
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was of a very unusual vintage.
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JOSEPH LAYCOCK: When they went
to the house in the morning,
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it was entirely empty--
no furniture,
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everything was gone.
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Jacques had
completely disappeared.
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However, on the second floor,
according to the story,
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they found bottles of wine
mixed with human blood.
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SHATNER:
Bottles of wine
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mixed with human blood?
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Was Jacques St. Germain
merely a demented killer
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who preyed upon
a vulnerable woman?
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Or could his taste for blood
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have had a more disturbing
explanation?
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KEN GERHARD:
Jacques St. Germain resided
in New Orleans
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in the early part
of the 20th century.
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And one must look back
in history
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at an eerily similar-looking
figure named Count St. Germain,
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who lived in Paris, France
over a century earlier.
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The similarities
between the two gentlemen
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are pretty striking.
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LAYCOCK:
Count St. Germain was known
to the French court
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in the 1700s.
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He was a mysterious figure.
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He was rumored to be
an alchemist,
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and he let the rumor slip
that he had found the secret
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to eternal life
through his alchemy.
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MARITA WOYWOD CRANDLE:
He would speak as if
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he had lived in the 1500s,
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and he never looked
a day over 40 years old.
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LAYCOCK:
We have portraits of
the original Count St. Germain
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when he's 40 years old.
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Jacques St. Germain
was also 40 years old
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when he disappeared,
and some people commented
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that he looked like
the man in the portrait.
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WEISS:
Early 40s,
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maybe five foot,
six inches tall,
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140 pounds,
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pale skin and high cheekbones,
thin lips, hawk nose,
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long, curling dark hair,
large blue-gray eyes.
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He's elegant, he's charming,
he's French.
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He spends money like it's water.
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Many people say
that Jacques St. Germain
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and the Count St. Germain
are the same person.
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SHATNER:
Jacques St. Germain
and the Count de St. Germain:
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one in the same?
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If so, that would have made him
almost 170 years old
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at the time of his disappearance
from New Orleans in 1903.
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That is, if he ever
really disappeared.
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CRANDLE:
Even down to modern times,
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there have been sightings
of St. Germain
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wandering our streets
late at night.
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People will say that they have
encountered him,
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- and now and then,
one of them disappears.
- [scream]
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This is actually an account from
some people I know fairly well.
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A few years ago, at Halloween,
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they were in the middle
of the crowd on Bourbon Street,
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when the crowd
just parted itself,
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almost of its own accord...
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...and there was a man
standing by himself
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in the middle of the crowd.
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Maybe five-foot-six,
somewhat slight of build,
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with a long, dark coat
and sunglasses on at night.
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He raised his head up
like he's sniffing the air.
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The crowd kept parting
around him.
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And then they said that
he just vanished.
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They swear that
actually happened,
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and in New Orleans,
how can I not believe it?
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LAYCOCK:
What do we make of people
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still seeing someone
of this description
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in the French Quarter
in New Orleans today?
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That's hard to say.
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These stories speak to, uh,
the idea that many people hold
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that, walking among us,
our neighbors even,
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could actually be
super creatures who never die.
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In the French Quarter
in New Orleans at night,
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those stories
don't seem as silly
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as they might otherwise.
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SHATNER:
Whether he's called
the Count or Jacques,
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there are many who believe
that the vampire
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who haunted the streets of
New Orleans for over a century
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still walks the streets
at night.
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If true, could it mean
that other
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seemingly absurd tales
of undead creatures
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- living among us are also true?
- [eerie shriek]
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DAVID SKAL:
Vampires are just part
of the human imagination,
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going back to time immemorial.
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In folklore, there are
so many different ways
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to become a vampire
or to destroy a vampire
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or to avoid a vampire.
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The idea of the wooden stake,
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the recoiling from the crucifix,
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the destruction by sunlight.
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Vampires like the night,
because they could skulk around
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and cover their terrible deeds
in the shadows.
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In Eastern Europe, we think that
vampire legends are very old.
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In the Middle Ages
and the early modern period,
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vampires were seen
as satanic figures
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and enemies of the church.
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We continually find graves
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where people have put stakes
through the corpses
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and things like this,
to make sure
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that the dead stay dead.
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But our idea of the vampire
really comes from a moment
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in the 1700s;
and this was a time
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when you had vampire panics
going on in Eastern Europe,
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where you would have
entire towns
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digging up their cemeteries
hunting for vampires.
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GERHARD:
Even in China,
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we have vampire-like legends.
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Creatures known as
the jiangshi,
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or hopping vampires,
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said to be very stiff-bodied
with outstretched arms.
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SKAL: These stories come from
the margins of the known,
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and the lore tells us
that the boundary
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between the known
and the unknown,
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life and death itself,
might be traversed.
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Perhaps at great cost,
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or perhaps there is a way
to live forever.
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HARVEY ROSENSTOCK: In Romanian,
the word for a vampire
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includes the word "vârcolac,"
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which, uh, really means,
uh, "werewolf."
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So you have werewolf,
vârcolac, uh, vampyr,
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uh, vampire; so, sometimes,
I can see how people
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can coalesce and come out
with something that's a mixture.
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LAYCOCK:
Every culture on Earth
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has stories of humans
who can change into animals
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and about the idea
of supernatural beings
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living among us.
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And so, instead of seeing
an enemy or a nemesis,
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we see something of ourselves.
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The werewolf and the vampire
merge and morph
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and inform each other.
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When Bram Stoker
wrote his novel,
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Dracula had the power
to become a wolf.
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He was a werewolf.
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He was a bloodsucking vampire
as well.
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And, uh, it was the kind of
arbitrary grab bag
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of characteristics
that he chose
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that we are still
mostly playing with today.
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SHATNER:
But are vampires merely
the figments of myth
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and imagination?
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Perhaps the answer
to that question can be found
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by investigating
not those vampires
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who hide in the shadows
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but those who thrive by daylight
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and who dwell right next door.
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SHATNER:
After a difficult
and dysfunctional childhood,
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15-year-old Rod Ferrell
finds solace in death,
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the occult
and blood-drenched horror films.
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At his local high school,
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Rod discovers a group
of kindred spirits,
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among some outcasts
who also enjoy
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his favorite vampire
role-playing games.
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SKAL:
In the '90s, people stopped
being afraid of vampires.
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They started identifying with
them, sometimes very intensely.
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And I think it was the beginning
of a world in which
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the boundaries between
imagination and reality
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were going to become
increasingly blurred.
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And, uh, that can be
a dangerous place to be.
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Anne Rice resurrected
what had become kind of a stale
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popular culture cliché.
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She brought back
the romanticism,
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the idea of the vampire
as an antihero.
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LAYCOCK:
I think modern people,
when they think of vampires,
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think of Anne Rice's vampires.
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They think of sexy, dark, aristocratic,
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tragic characters
who live forever
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and have supernatural powers.
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CRANDLE:
Vampires have become protectors
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rather than just predators
in fiction.
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You have this
very powerful creature
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that desires you so much.
227
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And they don't want you to die,
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but they're willing to kill
for you.
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LAYCOCK:
Rod Ferrell did not grow up
with his father around much.
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00:11:32,103 --> 00:11:36,206
He has alleged that his
grandfather sexually abused him.
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Add to that that he was
experimenting with LSD
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and other kinds
of psychedelic drugs,
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and this is a recipe
for extreme behavior.
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BROWNING:
He was part of this
vampire coven,
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over which he was sort of
the elder, or master.
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He knew about vampire lore
through the game
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Vampire: The Masquerade.
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And he began to believe he was
some sort of, uh, embodiment
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of some vampire god.
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LAYCOCK:
Rod often told them that he was
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00:12:06,689 --> 00:12:09,344
a 400-year-old vampire
named Vesago.
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00:12:11,689 --> 00:12:13,310
That he could help them
cross over,
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which means to become a vampire
through rituals
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that sometimes involved
cutting each other
245
00:12:18,517 --> 00:12:20,000
and drinking each other's blood.
246
00:12:22,275 --> 00:12:24,862
SHATNER:
Despite the red flags
in her son's behavior,
247
00:12:24,965 --> 00:12:27,551
Rod's mother, Sondra,
appeared supportive
248
00:12:27,655 --> 00:12:29,965
of his new group of friends.
249
00:12:30,068 --> 00:12:33,620
Some even claim that
she expressed a desire
250
00:12:33,724 --> 00:12:37,310
to be initiated
into her son's coven.
251
00:12:37,413 --> 00:12:39,551
LAYCOCK:
His mother was fascinated
252
00:12:39,655 --> 00:12:42,586
by this vampire role
that he had assumed
253
00:12:42,689 --> 00:12:44,655
for himself and for,
uh, his friends.
254
00:12:44,758 --> 00:12:46,620
She wanted to play, too.
255
00:12:46,724 --> 00:12:49,862
And in this case,
instead of guiding her son,
256
00:12:49,965 --> 00:12:52,655
there was this kind of game
going on between them,
257
00:12:52,758 --> 00:12:54,862
which ultimately became toxic.
258
00:12:59,137 --> 00:13:01,517
SHATNER:
In order to protect each other
from a world
259
00:13:01,620 --> 00:13:03,655
that didn't understand
their obsessions,
260
00:13:03,758 --> 00:13:06,862
Rod and his coven
formed a sacred pact,
261
00:13:06,965 --> 00:13:09,724
and then sealed it in blood.
262
00:13:12,206 --> 00:13:14,896
ROSENSTOCK: To belong
to a gang, there has to be
263
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,551
some kind of ritual
that distinguishes you
264
00:13:17,655 --> 00:13:19,137
from everybody else.
265
00:13:20,655 --> 00:13:22,931
You're taking a vow
266
00:13:23,034 --> 00:13:25,551
that from this point,
forever, irreversible,
267
00:13:25,655 --> 00:13:27,689
I'm a member of this gang.
268
00:13:27,793 --> 00:13:32,689
And when we get to
the vampire-type thinking,
269
00:13:32,793 --> 00:13:36,896
there always has to be
blood involved.
270
00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:38,689
We're gonna cut my wrist.
271
00:13:38,793 --> 00:13:40,482
The other member's gonna
suck the blood
272
00:13:40,586 --> 00:13:46,793
so that each one is consuming
the blood of the other person,
273
00:13:46,896 --> 00:13:50,034
so that now we're all
one blooded family.
274
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,896
SHATNER:
Over the course
of the next year,
275
00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,310
Rod would move with his mother
to Eustis, Florida.
276
00:14:02,517 --> 00:14:04,206
After forming a close friendship
277
00:14:04,310 --> 00:14:07,931
with one of his new classmates,
a girl named Heather Wendorf,
278
00:14:08,034 --> 00:14:10,724
the pair spent their weekends
at the local graveyard,
279
00:14:10,827 --> 00:14:13,724
engaging in
bloodletting rituals.
280
00:14:18,103 --> 00:14:22,758
There are some people
who adhere to a delusion.
281
00:14:22,862 --> 00:14:25,551
A delusion is a belief,
in psychiatry,
282
00:14:25,655 --> 00:14:29,931
that you accept something in
spite of facts to the contrary.
283
00:14:31,275 --> 00:14:34,034
And therefore,
they start to really believe
284
00:14:34,137 --> 00:14:36,965
that they have these
extraordinary powers.
285
00:14:37,068 --> 00:14:40,103
Many people, for example,
can easily,
286
00:14:40,206 --> 00:14:43,620
in a form of
autohypnotic suggestion,
287
00:14:43,724 --> 00:14:47,517
transform themselves
into an imaginary person,
288
00:14:47,620 --> 00:14:50,586
animal, creature
that accomplishes
289
00:14:50,689 --> 00:14:53,379
what they cannot do
in real life.
290
00:14:53,482 --> 00:14:54,862
And they go with it.
291
00:14:59,862 --> 00:15:01,965
SHATNER: During a series
of tearful phone calls,
292
00:15:02,068 --> 00:15:05,517
Rod listens as Heather describes
a miserable home life,
293
00:15:05,620 --> 00:15:09,172
culminating in alleged abuse
at the hands of her father.
294
00:15:09,275 --> 00:15:12,793
Enraged that his close friend
has been mistreated,
295
00:15:12,896 --> 00:15:17,241
Rod and three members
of his clan rush to her aid.
296
00:15:19,172 --> 00:15:23,310
When the group arrived
at the home of Heather Wendorf
297
00:15:23,413 --> 00:15:24,896
in Eustis, Florida,
298
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,655
Rod and one of his companions
went inside.
299
00:15:27,758 --> 00:15:31,344
They came in through the garage,
where Rod found a crowbar,
300
00:15:31,448 --> 00:15:32,931
which he took with him.
301
00:15:34,931 --> 00:15:37,689
When he went inside,
he found Heather's father
302
00:15:37,793 --> 00:15:39,862
asleep on the couch.
303
00:15:44,137 --> 00:15:46,793
And he beat him to death
with the crowbar.
304
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,482
He also encountered
Heather's mother,
305
00:15:51,586 --> 00:15:54,862
who splashed, uh, coffee on him
in self-defense,
306
00:15:54,965 --> 00:15:57,793
and he beat her to death
as well.
307
00:16:03,517 --> 00:16:06,068
SHATNER:
In the aftermath
of the horrific killings,
308
00:16:06,172 --> 00:16:09,000
Rod was convicted
of first-degree murder.
309
00:16:09,103 --> 00:16:11,482
LAYCOCK:
Sociologists who study
adolescent crime
310
00:16:11,586 --> 00:16:15,758
have framed this as a kind of
game that gets out of hand.
311
00:16:15,862 --> 00:16:18,827
I think that Rod Ferrell and
his friends had a kind of game
312
00:16:18,931 --> 00:16:21,448
where they played
the role of vampires
313
00:16:21,551 --> 00:16:24,379
until they reached
irrevocable consequences
314
00:16:24,482 --> 00:16:27,103
when Rod Ferrell sort of got
caught up in his role
315
00:16:27,206 --> 00:16:29,034
and murdered the Wendorfs.
316
00:16:29,137 --> 00:16:32,551
This is a little bit like
putting on a Halloween mask
317
00:16:32,655 --> 00:16:35,862
and then discovering
that you can never take it off.
318
00:16:42,413 --> 00:16:46,793
If you still don't believe
that vampires really do exist,
319
00:16:46,896 --> 00:16:50,793
then what would you say to
someone who drinks human blood?
320
00:16:50,896 --> 00:16:53,965
Not only because he has
a strange desire to do so
321
00:16:54,068 --> 00:16:57,413
but also because
he claims he needs it
322
00:16:57,517 --> 00:16:59,586
to stay alive.
323
00:17:05,551 --> 00:17:07,655
[indistinct chatter]
324
00:17:11,482 --> 00:17:13,482
ASHANTISON:
My name is Belfazaar Ashantison.
325
00:17:13,586 --> 00:17:15,034
Most of my friends call me Zaar.
326
00:17:15,137 --> 00:17:16,724
WOMAN:
Hi, Zaar. Whoo!
327
00:17:16,827 --> 00:17:17,931
Hi, guys.
328
00:17:18,034 --> 00:17:19,827
54 years old.
329
00:17:19,931 --> 00:17:22,103
I've been drinking blood
since I was 11.
330
00:17:22,206 --> 00:17:24,103
And a sanguine vampire.
331
00:17:24,206 --> 00:17:25,517
How you doing, brother?
332
00:17:25,620 --> 00:17:27,689
- I'm good. How are you?
- Good, good, good.
333
00:17:27,793 --> 00:17:31,034
At 11 years old,
things started changing for me.
334
00:17:31,137 --> 00:17:34,862
I was short, round
and always sickly.
335
00:17:34,965 --> 00:17:38,655
And one of my uncles
that was big and tall and strong
336
00:17:38,758 --> 00:17:41,517
was picking on us--
me and my sister.
337
00:17:41,620 --> 00:17:44,896
And something snapped,
and I went charging.
338
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:46,793
And he was bigger and stronger,
339
00:17:46,896 --> 00:17:50,103
and he pinned my arms
down to my side.
340
00:17:50,206 --> 00:17:54,758
And then I just kind of reared
my head back and bit him.
341
00:17:57,827 --> 00:17:59,965
He was wearing a coat.
342
00:18:00,068 --> 00:18:03,034
I bit through the coat,
through his shirt,
343
00:18:03,137 --> 00:18:07,758
and into his flesh enough that
I could actually taste blood.
344
00:18:07,862 --> 00:18:10,586
Like, lots of blood.
345
00:18:10,689 --> 00:18:14,655
Once that blood hit my tongue,
it was like
346
00:18:14,758 --> 00:18:18,586
I suddenly came alive.
347
00:18:21,344 --> 00:18:23,172
I really need the blood.
348
00:18:23,275 --> 00:18:25,103
I do.
349
00:18:25,206 --> 00:18:26,724
And I've gone without
350
00:18:26,827 --> 00:18:29,965
for lengths of time
just to see what would happen.
351
00:18:30,068 --> 00:18:33,137
I'm the kind of person
that it physically shows on.
352
00:18:33,241 --> 00:18:34,586
WOMAN:
Hi!
353
00:18:34,689 --> 00:18:36,551
ASHANTISON:
My skin will get ashy.
354
00:18:36,655 --> 00:18:39,586
My eyes will be dull and glazed.
355
00:18:39,689 --> 00:18:43,206
It literally physically
shows on me.
356
00:18:43,310 --> 00:18:45,517
[man shouts indistinctly]
357
00:18:45,620 --> 00:18:48,965
So, what are some of
the common misconceptions?
358
00:18:49,068 --> 00:18:51,413
How about:
Holy water gets me wet.
359
00:18:51,517 --> 00:18:54,482
Garlic tastes good on pizza.
360
00:18:54,586 --> 00:18:56,275
Stick a stake through
anything's heart,
361
00:18:56,379 --> 00:18:58,137
and it will die.
362
00:18:58,241 --> 00:18:59,620
I do not sleep in a coffin.
363
00:18:59,724 --> 00:19:01,655
I have a king-size bed,
thank you very much.
364
00:19:03,758 --> 00:19:05,034
SHATNER:
Unlike mythical vampires,
365
00:19:05,137 --> 00:19:07,000
who can turn themselves
into bats,
366
00:19:07,103 --> 00:19:10,862
modern-day vampires admit
to having to obey physical laws.
367
00:19:10,965 --> 00:19:13,586
Because he can't exactly fly in
368
00:19:13,689 --> 00:19:15,793
through someone's bedroom window
for a quick bite,
369
00:19:15,896 --> 00:19:18,517
Belfazaar has devised
sanitary methods
370
00:19:18,620 --> 00:19:21,344
to suck blood from his victims.
371
00:19:21,448 --> 00:19:25,724
He finds victims...
who are willing to feed him.
372
00:19:27,448 --> 00:19:29,517
- Well, hello.
- I'm here.
373
00:19:29,620 --> 00:19:32,034
I like to think I have
a pretty good grasp
374
00:19:32,137 --> 00:19:35,965
on human vampirism after now
ten years of doing field work.
375
00:19:36,068 --> 00:19:39,965
But I realized very quickly
that the only thing
376
00:19:40,068 --> 00:19:42,448
that real vampires are more
secretive about than themselves
377
00:19:42,551 --> 00:19:43,724
are their donors.
378
00:19:43,827 --> 00:19:45,586
They have to hide in the shadows
379
00:19:45,689 --> 00:19:48,034
because almost no one
ever believes them
380
00:19:48,137 --> 00:19:49,655
when they say that
they feel the need
381
00:19:49,758 --> 00:19:51,206
to consume human blood.
382
00:19:51,310 --> 00:19:54,068
I began to realize that
if I want to get
383
00:19:54,172 --> 00:19:56,517
some of my research done,
it might just be
384
00:19:56,620 --> 00:19:58,862
easier for me
to sort of volunteer myself.
385
00:19:58,965 --> 00:20:00,551
ASHANTISON:
I'm gonna go grab
my doctor's bag.
386
00:20:00,655 --> 00:20:01,862
I'll be right back.
387
00:20:01,965 --> 00:20:03,896
I use a clean technique.
388
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,034
I'll clean the area
on the donor.
389
00:20:07,275 --> 00:20:10,655
Honestly, alcohol swabs
always leave
390
00:20:10,758 --> 00:20:13,034
a funny taste afterwards.
391
00:20:13,137 --> 00:20:17,689
I make sure that
the blade is new every time.
392
00:20:17,793 --> 00:20:20,068
- Ready?
- Ready.
393
00:20:20,172 --> 00:20:23,310
More often than not, I'll use
the back side of the shoulders.
394
00:20:25,827 --> 00:20:28,551
I poke a series of holes,
and those holes actually
395
00:20:28,655 --> 00:20:30,172
provide me enough.
396
00:20:30,275 --> 00:20:31,689
There we go.
397
00:20:31,793 --> 00:20:33,137
- You ready?
- Yeah.
398
00:20:37,655 --> 00:20:40,758
The lore tells us that
vampires live forever.
399
00:20:40,862 --> 00:20:43,896
At least, as long as
they have a victim.
400
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,172
That, of course,
is a great human desire.
401
00:20:46,275 --> 00:20:49,172
So part of the power
and fascination of the story is:
402
00:20:49,275 --> 00:20:50,689
How do I live forever?
403
00:20:50,793 --> 00:20:52,517
Is there some secret here?
404
00:20:52,620 --> 00:20:54,241
Well, yes.
405
00:20:54,344 --> 00:20:55,862
Drink the blood of others.
406
00:20:55,965 --> 00:20:58,931
Steal the life force
from others.
407
00:21:00,689 --> 00:21:03,172
That's not bad.
408
00:21:03,275 --> 00:21:06,310
Sweeter taste-- you've been
getting fatty acids again.
409
00:21:06,413 --> 00:21:07,724
Oh, that's good.
410
00:21:07,827 --> 00:21:08,896
ASHANTISON:
I can tell when people
411
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,068
are a little bit low
412
00:21:11,172 --> 00:21:13,206
on their magnesium
and potassium.
413
00:21:13,310 --> 00:21:16,482
I can tell when they're not
getting enough fatty acids.
414
00:21:17,758 --> 00:21:20,034
And, because of the flow,
415
00:21:20,137 --> 00:21:23,034
I can also tell if they're
not drinking enough.
416
00:21:24,827 --> 00:21:27,103
YOUNG:
As a psychologist,
I think we're talking
417
00:21:27,206 --> 00:21:29,655
about people caught up
in a story,
418
00:21:29,758 --> 00:21:33,551
caught up in a kind of
melodramatic ritual.
419
00:21:33,655 --> 00:21:36,137
People will go into cosplay
420
00:21:36,241 --> 00:21:39,310
and other, uh, dramas,
because it's creative
421
00:21:39,413 --> 00:21:42,620
and it makes them feel special
and it is very imaginative.
422
00:21:42,724 --> 00:21:44,793
So, the rewards are great,
423
00:21:44,896 --> 00:21:48,000
even though the activity may be
in a way meaningless,
424
00:21:48,103 --> 00:21:51,068
that it-it isn't an actual
transfer of energy
425
00:21:51,172 --> 00:21:55,172
from one body to another,
as in the old vampire stories.
426
00:21:55,275 --> 00:21:58,172
LAYCOCK:
In the Bible,
in the book of Leviticus,
427
00:21:58,275 --> 00:22:00,724
God tells the Israelites,
"You may not drink blood,
428
00:22:00,827 --> 00:22:02,344
because blood is the life."
429
00:22:02,448 --> 00:22:05,655
And the assumption in
the ancient Israelite religion
430
00:22:05,758 --> 00:22:08,793
was probably that when things
run out of blood, they're dead.
431
00:22:08,896 --> 00:22:11,034
And so, there must be
something important
432
00:22:11,137 --> 00:22:12,931
and supernatural, uh,
about blood.
433
00:22:13,034 --> 00:22:15,344
It's a mysterious substance,
and this is why
434
00:22:15,448 --> 00:22:17,827
it would've been offered
to the gods in animal sacrifices
435
00:22:17,931 --> 00:22:19,310
in ancient cultures.
436
00:22:19,413 --> 00:22:21,931
And, presumably,
this is also why vampires
437
00:22:22,034 --> 00:22:23,965
and similar creatures
would want it,
438
00:22:24,068 --> 00:22:26,068
because it has that power.
439
00:22:26,172 --> 00:22:29,758
At any given time,
I can drink from...
440
00:22:29,862 --> 00:22:31,862
an ounce to six ounces, depending.
441
00:22:31,965 --> 00:22:33,689
The whole process,
start to finish,
442
00:22:33,793 --> 00:22:36,000
usually takes...
443
00:22:36,103 --> 00:22:37,896
maybe 20, 25 minutes,
444
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,448
depending on how much
I need to feed.
445
00:22:40,793 --> 00:22:43,068
- You good?
- Yeah.
446
00:22:43,172 --> 00:22:46,517
BROWNING:
When Zaar was feeding
on blood from me--
447
00:22:46,620 --> 00:22:48,896
it couldn't have been more than
a couple of teaspoons--
448
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,206
I suddenly felt incredibly weak.
449
00:22:51,310 --> 00:22:53,413
Like I had gone from someone
with stamina and energy
450
00:22:53,517 --> 00:22:56,034
to someone who just had
the life drained out of me.
451
00:22:56,137 --> 00:22:57,344
ASHANTISON:
All right.
452
00:22:57,448 --> 00:22:58,793
I only usually feed
453
00:22:58,896 --> 00:23:00,689
two to three times a week,
and I have
454
00:23:00,793 --> 00:23:02,310
four different donors,
so I alternate.
455
00:23:02,413 --> 00:23:05,241
I don't want to take too much
from any one person.
456
00:23:05,344 --> 00:23:07,000
- Thank you, thank you.
- All right.
457
00:23:07,103 --> 00:23:08,827
SHATNER:
Belfazaar claims
that drinking blood
458
00:23:08,931 --> 00:23:11,965
helps him feel
energized and alive.
459
00:23:12,068 --> 00:23:14,517
Without regular feeding,
he believes that he,
460
00:23:14,620 --> 00:23:17,724
and those like him,
would not be able to survive.
461
00:23:17,827 --> 00:23:21,068
But is Belfazaar simply
462
00:23:21,172 --> 00:23:25,137
the delusional product of
some kind of Dracula fixation?
463
00:23:25,241 --> 00:23:28,724
Or is there an actual
physiological benefit
464
00:23:28,827 --> 00:23:30,655
to his consumption
of human blood?
465
00:23:30,758 --> 00:23:32,000
BROWNING:
There have been some
466
00:23:32,103 --> 00:23:34,310
medical conditions
that people have thought
467
00:23:34,413 --> 00:23:38,000
or theorized maybe this is where
we get human vampirism from.
468
00:23:38,103 --> 00:23:40,344
Like people who have porphyria--
they are anemic,
469
00:23:40,448 --> 00:23:43,068
or they need blood to sustain
themselves, but they also have
470
00:23:43,172 --> 00:23:45,448
this skin condition where
they can't be out in the sun.
471
00:23:45,551 --> 00:23:48,586
And that will cause
some major defects.
472
00:23:48,689 --> 00:23:50,620
ROSENSTOCK:
In some of the studies
473
00:23:50,724 --> 00:23:53,724
about why someone
would seek blood,
474
00:23:53,827 --> 00:23:56,965
the closest
that we can see medically
475
00:23:57,068 --> 00:24:00,724
is they have
iron-deficiency anemia,
476
00:24:00,827 --> 00:24:02,758
and so, theoretically,
477
00:24:02,862 --> 00:24:06,448
if I could get some source
of iron heme,
478
00:24:06,551 --> 00:24:08,793
that I would feel stronger
479
00:24:08,896 --> 00:24:11,827
instead of feeling
without any energy.
480
00:24:11,931 --> 00:24:15,551
That makes some kind of sense
at some level.
481
00:24:17,827 --> 00:24:20,137
The hunger never
fully goes away.
482
00:24:22,068 --> 00:24:25,482
The thirst, whatever
you want to call it...
483
00:24:25,586 --> 00:24:27,103
that hunger is always there.
484
00:24:27,206 --> 00:24:29,241
[indistinct chatter]
485
00:24:32,103 --> 00:24:34,448
SHATNER:
Is it possible that
folklore about vampires
486
00:24:34,551 --> 00:24:36,758
originated because of misunderstood
487
00:24:36,862 --> 00:24:39,862
or undiagnosed
medical conditions?
488
00:24:39,965 --> 00:24:43,137
Or is a vampire's
insatiable appetite for blood
489
00:24:43,241 --> 00:24:46,379
due to a supernatural hunger?
490
00:24:46,482 --> 00:24:50,275
Perhaps the answer can be found
not by examining vampires
491
00:24:50,379 --> 00:24:52,965
but a different, and related,
492
00:24:53,068 --> 00:24:55,379
type of human monster.
493
00:24:55,482 --> 00:24:56,517
[growls, howling]
494
00:24:56,620 --> 00:24:58,448
Werewolves.
495
00:25:10,034 --> 00:25:13,379
SHATNER:
Here, on 512 acres
of rugged land,
496
00:25:13,482 --> 00:25:16,310
lies a remote cattle ranch.
497
00:25:17,620 --> 00:25:19,896
But according to local legend,
498
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,655
this desert landscape
is also home
499
00:25:22,758 --> 00:25:26,655
to a creature
of unspeakable evil.
500
00:25:26,758 --> 00:25:29,413
A creature known as...
501
00:25:29,517 --> 00:25:32,000
the skinwalker.
502
00:25:32,103 --> 00:25:34,000
[man chanting]
503
00:25:34,103 --> 00:25:36,620
GERHARD: There are whisperings
by the local Ute tribe
504
00:25:36,724 --> 00:25:39,137
that the region
is essentially been cursed
505
00:25:39,241 --> 00:25:40,827
by the Navajo people.
506
00:25:40,931 --> 00:25:45,241
And that it is home
to several skinwalkers,
507
00:25:45,344 --> 00:25:46,758
the yee naaldlooshii.
508
00:25:46,862 --> 00:25:48,793
They're typically witches
or shaman
509
00:25:48,896 --> 00:25:52,379
that use black magic
and evil arts
510
00:25:52,482 --> 00:25:56,137
in order to transform into
the forms of various animals.
511
00:26:00,241 --> 00:26:02,517
[howling]
512
00:26:02,620 --> 00:26:05,137
The Utes to this day
are very respectful.
513
00:26:05,241 --> 00:26:06,620
They're very mindful.
514
00:26:06,724 --> 00:26:08,379
Matter of fact,
they stand at an arm's length
515
00:26:08,482 --> 00:26:10,275
from this ranch.
516
00:26:10,379 --> 00:26:13,586
They firmly believe
that this ground is cursed
517
00:26:13,689 --> 00:26:16,551
and that this concentration
of this phenomenon,
518
00:26:16,655 --> 00:26:19,724
this host,
is on the Skinwalker Ranch.
519
00:26:19,827 --> 00:26:24,137
SKINNER:
A skinwalker is a shape-shifter.
520
00:26:24,241 --> 00:26:27,586
It can become many things--
a fox, a coyote, a wolf.
521
00:26:27,689 --> 00:26:28,793
[snarling]
522
00:26:28,896 --> 00:26:30,896
There are these recorded stories
523
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,413
of bipedal creatures
that are walking around
524
00:26:33,517 --> 00:26:35,068
with wolflike heads.
525
00:26:35,172 --> 00:26:37,620
The locals on the reservation,
they won't talk about it
526
00:26:37,724 --> 00:26:40,068
because even mentioning
the name of the skinwalker
527
00:26:40,172 --> 00:26:41,965
invites these things in.
528
00:26:42,068 --> 00:26:44,655
[growling]
529
00:26:44,758 --> 00:26:46,586
SHATNER:
Skinwalkers.
530
00:26:46,689 --> 00:26:49,137
Shape-shifting werewolves
who dwell
531
00:26:49,241 --> 00:26:52,000
not in remote forests
of Eastern Europe
532
00:26:52,103 --> 00:26:56,724
but in the remote desert regions
of North America.
533
00:27:03,344 --> 00:27:05,827
Experienced ranch hands
Terry and Gwen Sherman
534
00:27:05,931 --> 00:27:08,103
purchase the ranch
and the surrounding area.
535
00:27:08,206 --> 00:27:11,620
Almost immediately, they find
themselves face-to-face
536
00:27:11,724 --> 00:27:14,137
with something
they would later describe
537
00:27:14,241 --> 00:27:16,758
as pure evil.
538
00:27:16,862 --> 00:27:18,896
SKINNER:
One day, Terry had gone up
539
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,862
to check on his cattle and
noticed this extremely large
540
00:27:21,965 --> 00:27:24,896
what appeared to be a wolf
walking around his property.
541
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,517
It grabbed one of the calves
by the snout
542
00:27:27,620 --> 00:27:29,310
and began to tear at it.
543
00:27:29,413 --> 00:27:33,413
So he pulls out his .357 Magnum
544
00:27:33,517 --> 00:27:36,000
and shoots point-blank,
545
00:27:36,103 --> 00:27:37,827
and the wolf doesn't react.
546
00:27:37,931 --> 00:27:39,655
It doesn't appear fazed at all.
547
00:27:39,758 --> 00:27:42,655
So he grabs
his deer hunting rifle
548
00:27:42,758 --> 00:27:45,000
and shoots the wolf
to knock it down.
549
00:27:45,103 --> 00:27:46,586
[gunshot]
550
00:27:46,689 --> 00:27:49,620
A piece of fur and flesh
flies off of the wolf.
551
00:27:49,724 --> 00:27:52,827
And again, completely unfazed,
552
00:27:52,931 --> 00:27:55,586
and at this point the wolf
is kind of trotting off
553
00:27:55,689 --> 00:27:57,862
into the distance, casually.
554
00:27:57,965 --> 00:27:59,655
SHATNER:
Leveling his rifle,
555
00:27:59,758 --> 00:28:03,103
Terry cautiously followed
the wolf's trail,
556
00:28:03,206 --> 00:28:06,965
only to discover
it had disappeared.
557
00:28:09,206 --> 00:28:11,068
In the days and weeks
that followed,
558
00:28:11,172 --> 00:28:12,827
the Shermans began to wonder
559
00:28:12,931 --> 00:28:15,620
if what they encountered
was a normal wolf
560
00:28:15,724 --> 00:28:18,241
or something more.
561
00:28:18,344 --> 00:28:20,241
[distant howling]
562
00:28:20,344 --> 00:28:22,758
SKINNER:
In the case of the bulletproof
wolf, what's interesting
563
00:28:22,862 --> 00:28:25,000
is that wolves are not native
to the state of Utah
564
00:28:25,103 --> 00:28:27,103
for, I think, the past
hundred years or so.
565
00:28:27,206 --> 00:28:28,655
[growling]
566
00:28:28,758 --> 00:28:30,655
GERHARD:
The werewolf of legend
567
00:28:30,758 --> 00:28:33,034
is described
as looking very much
568
00:28:33,137 --> 00:28:35,896
like a regular wolf,
except much larger.
569
00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,103
And, oftentimes,
it is said to be
570
00:28:38,206 --> 00:28:40,448
sort of bloodthirsty
and cunning.
571
00:28:40,551 --> 00:28:43,758
We have lots of interesting
legends around the world.
572
00:28:43,862 --> 00:28:45,724
For example, in Russia,
573
00:28:45,827 --> 00:28:48,689
they're known as the vârcolac
or the bodark.
574
00:28:48,793 --> 00:28:51,586
In France, you have
the loup-garou;
575
00:28:51,689 --> 00:28:53,241
in Scotland, the wolver;
576
00:28:53,344 --> 00:28:56,620
and in South America,
the lobizon.
577
00:28:56,724 --> 00:28:58,862
And even in countries where you
don't traditionally have wolves,
578
00:28:58,965 --> 00:29:00,758
you have similar legends.
579
00:29:00,862 --> 00:29:04,068
For example, in India,
there are weretigers.
580
00:29:04,172 --> 00:29:07,620
And in Africa,
wereleopards and werehyenas.
581
00:29:07,724 --> 00:29:10,862
And even in Mexico, werejaguars.
582
00:29:10,965 --> 00:29:13,172
We have to acknowledge
that the notion
583
00:29:13,275 --> 00:29:16,482
of a shape-shifter,
like a werewolf,
584
00:29:16,586 --> 00:29:18,827
something that combines
the elements of human
585
00:29:18,931 --> 00:29:21,206
and animal together
into one single body,
586
00:29:21,310 --> 00:29:24,413
from a scientific perspective,
is quite troubling.
587
00:29:24,517 --> 00:29:26,103
[growling, roars]
588
00:29:26,206 --> 00:29:28,586
But the fact that these legends
are so widespread
589
00:29:28,689 --> 00:29:29,931
is quite intriguing.
590
00:29:30,034 --> 00:29:32,413
SHATNER:
An enormous,
591
00:29:32,517 --> 00:29:34,931
bloodthirsty, cunning wolf
592
00:29:35,034 --> 00:29:37,931
that also happens
to be bulletproof.
593
00:29:38,034 --> 00:29:40,724
Is it possible
that the Shermans encountered
594
00:29:40,827 --> 00:29:42,689
one of the werewolves
that may have been
595
00:29:42,793 --> 00:29:45,689
haunting Skinwalker Ranch
for centuries?
596
00:29:45,793 --> 00:29:49,827
And if so,
what physical evidence is there
597
00:29:49,931 --> 00:29:52,827
to support
such a fantastic notion?
598
00:29:52,931 --> 00:29:56,655
SKINNER:
There has been numerous reports
of cattle mutilations
599
00:29:56,758 --> 00:29:58,620
that occur not only
on Skinwalker Ranch
600
00:29:58,724 --> 00:30:00,620
but the entire Uinta Basin.
601
00:30:00,724 --> 00:30:02,103
GERHARD:
Many of the accounts
602
00:30:02,206 --> 00:30:04,965
of animal mutilations
from Skinwalker Ranch
603
00:30:05,068 --> 00:30:07,034
describe animal carcasses
that have
604
00:30:07,137 --> 00:30:09,689
almost been
surgically dissected.
605
00:30:09,793 --> 00:30:13,586
Certain large cats can make
very clean, precise wounds.
606
00:30:13,689 --> 00:30:15,965
Things like mountain lions.
607
00:30:16,068 --> 00:30:19,103
But it is notable
that you have so many accounts
608
00:30:19,206 --> 00:30:23,517
of weird livestock mutilations
from Skinwalker Ranch.
609
00:30:23,620 --> 00:30:29,000
It's very hard to explain
in terms of the natural world.
610
00:30:29,103 --> 00:30:33,103
SHATNER:
With so many accounts
of cattle mutilations
611
00:30:33,206 --> 00:30:37,241
and sightings of unusually large
and ferocious wolves,
612
00:30:37,344 --> 00:30:40,965
it is difficult to escape the
notion that something strange
613
00:30:41,068 --> 00:30:43,931
is prowling the grounds
of Skinwalker Ranch.
614
00:30:44,034 --> 00:30:46,517
But, according
to some scientists,
615
00:30:46,620 --> 00:30:49,206
that doesn't necessarily mean
616
00:30:49,310 --> 00:30:52,034
that people are seeing
a werewolf.
617
00:30:52,137 --> 00:30:54,655
One of the really
fascinating theories
618
00:30:54,758 --> 00:30:58,275
that relates to these monstrous
wolves from Skinwalker Ranch
619
00:30:58,379 --> 00:31:01,931
is that these could, in fact,
be surviving representatives
620
00:31:02,034 --> 00:31:05,482
of a species known
as dire wolves, Canis dirus.
621
00:31:05,586 --> 00:31:09,172
These were very robust wolves
that lived
622
00:31:09,275 --> 00:31:13,034
during the Pleistocene epoch
up until about 11,500 years ago,
623
00:31:13,137 --> 00:31:15,275
and they were very prevalent
in North America.
624
00:31:15,379 --> 00:31:19,241
They were certainly much larger
and stockier than modern wolves.
625
00:31:19,344 --> 00:31:21,827
So it's not beyond
the realm of possibility
626
00:31:21,931 --> 00:31:24,206
that a species
from 11,000 years ago
627
00:31:24,310 --> 00:31:26,827
may have survived
in small pockets
628
00:31:26,931 --> 00:31:29,896
in certain remote areas
of North America.
629
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,310
Perhaps the most powerful story
630
00:31:32,413 --> 00:31:35,827
I have personally experienced
at the ranch:
631
00:31:35,931 --> 00:31:38,310
I came out
with another researcher.
632
00:31:38,413 --> 00:31:41,068
We had gone out there
for almost two weeks straight.
633
00:31:41,172 --> 00:31:43,827
We found nothing each night.
634
00:31:43,931 --> 00:31:46,206
And then we peeked
over the ridgeline.
635
00:31:46,310 --> 00:31:48,793
It's called Skinwalker Ridge.
636
00:31:48,896 --> 00:31:51,379
There was these balls of light
in the field.
637
00:31:51,482 --> 00:31:53,724
They were glowing
and shrinking down.
638
00:31:53,827 --> 00:31:56,344
And suddenly
a ball of light exploded.
639
00:31:56,448 --> 00:32:00,931
And from the light, a very,
very large wolf came towards us.
640
00:32:01,034 --> 00:32:03,551
This thing is literally
right in front of us.
641
00:32:03,655 --> 00:32:06,793
It seemed very comfortable,
almost as if it was studying us.
642
00:32:06,896 --> 00:32:09,206
And then it casually
turned around
643
00:32:09,310 --> 00:32:11,896
and walked around this boulder
and vanished.
644
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,689
It was gone.
645
00:32:16,344 --> 00:32:19,034
This is an actual creature
that haunts the property
646
00:32:19,137 --> 00:32:20,482
and the surrounding area.
647
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:23,931
It's out there.
648
00:32:24,034 --> 00:32:26,137
[wolf growls]
649
00:32:26,241 --> 00:32:30,137
If the skinwalker does exist,
650
00:32:30,241 --> 00:32:33,758
could it be just some kind
of rare breed of canine
651
00:32:33,862 --> 00:32:35,862
that simply hasn't been
identified yet
652
00:32:35,965 --> 00:32:37,413
by mainstream science?
653
00:32:37,517 --> 00:32:40,482
Or could it be exactly
654
00:32:40,586 --> 00:32:43,482
what those who've
encountered one insist it is,
655
00:32:43,586 --> 00:32:45,758
a shape-shifting werewolf?
656
00:32:45,862 --> 00:32:50,172
Perhaps the answer can be found
by examining a group of people
657
00:32:50,275 --> 00:32:53,000
who are afflicted by a rare
658
00:32:53,103 --> 00:32:58,586
and mysterious condition
known as "werewolf syndrome."
659
00:33:11,068 --> 00:33:12,758
SHATNER:
After giving birth
to five daughters,
660
00:33:12,862 --> 00:33:14,517
Parvatibai Patidor
661
00:33:14,620 --> 00:33:16,724
and her husband
are overjoyed to find out
662
00:33:16,827 --> 00:33:18,689
that she is once again pregnant,
663
00:33:18,793 --> 00:33:22,103
this time with a boy.
664
00:33:22,206 --> 00:33:25,172
But when their son, Lalit,
is finally born,
665
00:33:25,275 --> 00:33:27,620
the joy turns to shock
666
00:33:27,724 --> 00:33:30,448
because Lalit is very different
667
00:33:30,551 --> 00:33:32,310
from the couple's
other children,
668
00:33:32,413 --> 00:33:36,275
and it's not because he's
the couple's first male child.
669
00:33:38,068 --> 00:33:40,724
Lalit was born with
a rare congenital condition
670
00:33:40,827 --> 00:33:42,758
known as hypertrichosis,
671
00:33:42,862 --> 00:33:47,137
a genetic mutation
which causes excess hair growth
672
00:33:47,241 --> 00:33:49,344
all over the body.
673
00:33:49,448 --> 00:33:54,310
People have often referred to
hypertrichosis by another name:
674
00:33:54,413 --> 00:33:57,000
"werewolf syndrome."
675
00:33:57,103 --> 00:33:59,172
ROSENSTOCK:
In the case of hypertrichosis,
676
00:33:59,275 --> 00:34:03,068
you can have a tremendous amount
of hair either on your face
677
00:34:03,172 --> 00:34:05,517
or on your arm
or another part of the body
678
00:34:05,620 --> 00:34:07,413
that almost looks like fur.
679
00:34:07,517 --> 00:34:11,344
That is just
a rare kind of mutation,
680
00:34:11,448 --> 00:34:14,172
and people would right away
jump to a conclusion,
681
00:34:14,275 --> 00:34:15,275
this is a wolf.
682
00:34:18,517 --> 00:34:22,517
SHATNER:
Could the age-old tales
about werewolves
683
00:34:22,620 --> 00:34:25,137
simply be due
to ancient ignorance
684
00:34:25,241 --> 00:34:27,068
about genetic mutations?
685
00:34:27,172 --> 00:34:31,000
GERHARD:
Centuries ago, there were
all types of monsters.
686
00:34:31,103 --> 00:34:32,793
These were generally
people that were born
687
00:34:32,896 --> 00:34:35,379
with different
genetic deformities
688
00:34:35,482 --> 00:34:37,379
or congenital defects.
689
00:34:37,482 --> 00:34:39,413
You have things
such as atavisms.
690
00:34:39,517 --> 00:34:43,758
An atavism is an ancient trait
that surfaces randomly.
691
00:34:43,862 --> 00:34:46,965
For example, there are humans
that are born with tails.
692
00:34:47,068 --> 00:34:49,206
It's very rare,
but it does happen.
693
00:34:49,310 --> 00:34:53,068
SHATNER:
Some believe the reason
we're so intensely fascinated
694
00:34:53,172 --> 00:34:57,275
by such physical deformities
is that they give a face
695
00:34:57,379 --> 00:34:59,551
to our innermost fear.
696
00:34:59,655 --> 00:35:02,448
I think it's human nature
for people to fear
697
00:35:02,551 --> 00:35:03,931
what they don't understand.
698
00:35:04,034 --> 00:35:06,862
So, in that respect,
when someone encounters
699
00:35:06,965 --> 00:35:09,310
an individual
with hypertrichosis,
700
00:35:09,413 --> 00:35:14,068
it's very easy to sort of build
that person into a monster.
701
00:35:18,344 --> 00:35:21,517
SKAL: In the 19th century,
the sideshow, the freak show,
702
00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:26,517
was a very big part of, uh,
American popular culture.
703
00:35:28,275 --> 00:35:31,034
GERHARD:
P.T. Barnum exploited
many of these people
704
00:35:31,137 --> 00:35:33,517
that were born with
different congenital defects.
705
00:35:35,586 --> 00:35:39,206
SKAL:
When the first cases
of werewolf syndrome showed up,
706
00:35:39,310 --> 00:35:42,586
these people were immediately
put on, um, display.
707
00:35:42,689 --> 00:35:46,931
GERHARD:
One of the most popular was
named "JoJo the Dog-Faced Boy."
708
00:35:47,034 --> 00:35:48,655
Certainly easy to understand
709
00:35:48,758 --> 00:35:51,827
how people visiting
these freak shows
710
00:35:51,931 --> 00:35:54,103
may have been inspired
to believe
711
00:35:54,206 --> 00:35:57,344
that things like werewolves
could exist.
712
00:35:57,448 --> 00:35:59,689
We like things to be orderly,
713
00:35:59,793 --> 00:36:03,068
and people that have
unfortunate appearances...
714
00:36:03,172 --> 00:36:05,931
Well, is that man,
or is it a woman?
715
00:36:06,034 --> 00:36:08,862
Is that a human,
or is it a wolf?
716
00:36:08,965 --> 00:36:11,482
That is a very distressing thing
for many people,
717
00:36:11,586 --> 00:36:14,413
and one of the things
that comes out are stories.
718
00:36:15,965 --> 00:36:18,000
Folklore comes out
of this kind of thing
719
00:36:18,103 --> 00:36:21,137
where we have a person
that could shift back and forth
720
00:36:21,241 --> 00:36:24,034
between being a wolf and being
an ordinary shop clerk.
721
00:36:25,689 --> 00:36:27,379
GERHARD:
In terms of werewolf hysteria,
722
00:36:27,482 --> 00:36:29,551
one truly has to wonder
if some of these
723
00:36:29,655 --> 00:36:32,413
could be monsters of the mind.
724
00:36:32,517 --> 00:36:35,931
For example, you have something
called "clinical lycanthropy,"
725
00:36:36,034 --> 00:36:38,413
a very rare psychosis
726
00:36:38,517 --> 00:36:41,000
whereby an individual feels like
727
00:36:41,103 --> 00:36:43,896
they are actually transforming
into an animal.
728
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:48,034
ROSENSTOCK:
You're operating as if
you're an animal.
729
00:36:48,137 --> 00:36:50,275
Sexual instincts,
sexual behaviors,
730
00:36:50,379 --> 00:36:52,172
and so on, attacking.
731
00:36:53,586 --> 00:36:56,448
It's a way of cooling down
732
00:36:56,551 --> 00:36:58,793
the engine of aggression,
733
00:36:58,896 --> 00:37:00,689
and it can be
physical aggression,
734
00:37:00,793 --> 00:37:02,551
it can be sexual aggression,
735
00:37:02,655 --> 00:37:08,068
and it gets into contact with
early, early primitive things
736
00:37:08,172 --> 00:37:10,827
that maybe we are
carrying with us
737
00:37:10,931 --> 00:37:12,413
over many generations.
738
00:37:14,793 --> 00:37:18,172
SHATNER:
If it's true that monsters,
like vampires and werewolves,
739
00:37:18,275 --> 00:37:20,862
really are just
projections of the mind,
740
00:37:20,965 --> 00:37:24,000
what exactly is it
about ourselves
741
00:37:24,103 --> 00:37:27,793
that we're so afraid of?
742
00:37:27,896 --> 00:37:30,931
Every human being
has a primitive side.
743
00:37:31,034 --> 00:37:34,413
There is a beast,
there is a wolf,
744
00:37:34,517 --> 00:37:39,137
there is a monster somewhere
in all of our unconscious minds.
745
00:37:39,241 --> 00:37:42,689
YOUNG:
We think of ourselves
as distant from the beasts,
746
00:37:42,793 --> 00:37:45,068
but we're more beast
than intelligence.
747
00:37:45,172 --> 00:37:48,965
We are creatures,
we are animals, we are beasts,
748
00:37:49,068 --> 00:37:51,931
and the beast will come out.
749
00:37:52,034 --> 00:37:55,482
We have to be in touch
with the inner werewolf.
750
00:37:57,689 --> 00:38:00,862
SHATNER: Is it possible
that our morbid fascination
751
00:38:00,965 --> 00:38:03,310
with vampires and werewolves
752
00:38:03,413 --> 00:38:06,931
actually arises out of a fear
that there's a monster
753
00:38:07,034 --> 00:38:09,448
lurking inside each of us,
754
00:38:09,551 --> 00:38:13,620
just waiting to break free
at any moment?
755
00:38:13,724 --> 00:38:17,931
Perhaps, but there are many
who claim that our attraction
756
00:38:18,034 --> 00:38:21,689
to these creatures
isn't about fear at all
757
00:38:21,793 --> 00:38:24,724
but about desire.
758
00:38:36,068 --> 00:38:39,448
SHATNER:
Bram Stoker's
literary masterpiece Dracula
759
00:38:39,551 --> 00:38:41,344
is published
to critical acclaim.
760
00:38:41,448 --> 00:38:46,448
It will go on to sell tens
of millions of copies worldwide
761
00:38:46,551 --> 00:38:50,517
and redefine both vampire
and werewolf legends
762
00:38:50,620 --> 00:38:52,758
for generations to come.
763
00:38:52,862 --> 00:38:55,827
According to some scholars,
764
00:38:55,931 --> 00:38:58,896
the reason it became
so influential and successful
765
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,482
wasn't because it was
just selling horror
766
00:39:01,586 --> 00:39:03,620
but because it was selling...
767
00:39:06,068 --> 00:39:07,275
...sex.
768
00:39:08,793 --> 00:39:10,931
SKAL:
Human beings have always needed
769
00:39:11,034 --> 00:39:14,931
fantasy constructs
that can act out impulses
770
00:39:15,034 --> 00:39:17,517
that we would like to do ourselves
771
00:39:17,620 --> 00:39:20,275
but would rather
just imagine ourselves doing.
772
00:39:22,517 --> 00:39:24,620
And that fantasy
of being released
773
00:39:24,724 --> 00:39:28,137
from all constraints
and strictures
774
00:39:28,241 --> 00:39:32,379
is something vampires get to do,
and we are envious.
775
00:39:32,482 --> 00:39:34,655
CRANDLE:
I think there are many reasons
776
00:39:34,758 --> 00:39:36,689
people want to identify
as vampires.
777
00:39:36,793 --> 00:39:39,379
Definitely the sexual aspect,
the eternal life.
778
00:39:39,482 --> 00:39:41,068
I mean, who wouldn't want that?
779
00:39:41,172 --> 00:39:43,206
And also the power
that comes with it.
780
00:39:43,310 --> 00:39:47,793
It's a dangerous creature
that's beautiful.
781
00:39:47,896 --> 00:39:50,862
LAYCOCK:
Originally, you became a vampire
782
00:39:50,965 --> 00:39:55,551
if you did something like commit
incest or witchcraft or suicide.
783
00:39:55,655 --> 00:39:59,517
Vampires were horrible,
evil outsiders.
784
00:39:59,620 --> 00:40:02,000
But today, things have changed.
785
00:40:03,655 --> 00:40:06,068
We all feel misunderstood.
786
00:40:06,172 --> 00:40:09,137
We all feel like outsiders,
just as the vampire is.
787
00:40:09,241 --> 00:40:11,482
So instead of becoming
a-a demonic figure,
788
00:40:11,586 --> 00:40:13,896
it's become a tragic one
789
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:16,275
and, in some cases,
even a glamorous figure.
790
00:40:18,586 --> 00:40:21,000
We have a need, a desire,
791
00:40:21,103 --> 00:40:24,068
for these sort of creatures
of the night.
792
00:40:24,172 --> 00:40:27,655
Blood drinking is viewed
as kind of a bonding experience,
793
00:40:27,758 --> 00:40:29,862
a way for people
to interconnect.
794
00:40:29,965 --> 00:40:32,275
There is a degree
of intimacy there,
795
00:40:32,379 --> 00:40:37,689
a sexuality in sharing one's
vital life force, one's blood.
796
00:40:37,793 --> 00:40:39,862
There's a particular bond
that can be forged there
797
00:40:39,965 --> 00:40:42,379
that is really beyond explanation.
798
00:40:42,482 --> 00:40:44,379
YOUNG:
The fantasy that a human
799
00:40:44,482 --> 00:40:46,862
turns into a wolf
and back again,
800
00:40:46,965 --> 00:40:50,206
well, it illustrates
one key mythological truth:
801
00:40:50,310 --> 00:40:54,862
we are animals, we are beasts,
and we're humans.
802
00:40:54,965 --> 00:40:59,758
We're both at the same time,
and we live in that tension.
803
00:40:59,862 --> 00:41:02,517
SKAL:
People are always asking me,
804
00:41:02,620 --> 00:41:05,275
"Why don't vampires
reflect in mirrors?"
805
00:41:05,379 --> 00:41:08,758
And there's a very good
and direct answer to that.
806
00:41:08,862 --> 00:41:12,379
If they did,
we would see our own faces.
807
00:41:12,482 --> 00:41:14,724
GERHARD:
It shows that,
808
00:41:14,827 --> 00:41:16,758
even if they are
completely disproven,
809
00:41:16,862 --> 00:41:20,034
I think vampires and werewolves
will always be with us
810
00:41:20,137 --> 00:41:22,206
because they're a part
of who we are.
811
00:41:23,551 --> 00:41:24,896
SHATNER:
For hundreds of years,
812
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:27,137
they have been portrayed
in literature and on film
813
00:41:27,241 --> 00:41:31,172
as fiercely intelligent,
sexually powerful
814
00:41:31,275 --> 00:41:33,827
and immortal creatures.
815
00:41:33,931 --> 00:41:37,620
They have prayed
on our innermost fears
816
00:41:37,724 --> 00:41:40,896
and haunted our darkest desires.
817
00:41:43,344 --> 00:41:47,517
Vampires promise us a future
of never-aging immortality.
818
00:41:47,620 --> 00:41:50,827
That is, if we don't mind the
taste of a little human blood.
819
00:41:50,931 --> 00:41:53,655
Werewolves represent
our collective desire
820
00:41:53,758 --> 00:41:57,103
to break free
of society's restrictions.
821
00:41:57,206 --> 00:42:02,241
And together, they remind us
of the aspects of our own nature
822
00:42:02,344 --> 00:42:07,965
that we try to keep hidden
and safely unexplained.
65219
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