The vampire lifestyle, vampire subculture, or vampire community (sometimes spelt as "vampyre") is an

alternative lifestyle An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle perceived to be outside the norm for a given culture. The phrase "alternative lifestyle" is often used pejoratively. Description of a related set of activities as alternative is a defining aspect of certain ...

and

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

based around the mythology of and popular culture based on

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

. Those within the subculture commonly identify with or as vampires, with participants typically taking heavy inspiration from media and pop culture based on vampiric folklore and legend, such as the gothic soap opera ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...

'', the tabletop role-playing game '' Vampire: The Masquerade'', and the book series ''

The Vampire Chronicles ''The Vampire Chronicles'' is a series of gothic horror novels and a media franchise, created by American writer Anne Rice, that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18t ...

'' by author

Anne Rice Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature. She was best known for her series of novels ''The Vampire Chronicles''. B ...

. Practices within the vampire community range from blood-drinking from willing donors to organising groups known as 'houses' and 'courts' of self-identified vampires. The vampire subculture largely stemmed from the

goth subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of Gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name ''Goth'' was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-p ...

, but also incorporates some elements of the

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

subculture. The

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

provides a prevalent forum of communication for the subculture, along with other media such as

glossy magazine A slick magazine is a magazine printed on high-quality glossy paper. The term may have come into use in the 1930s, and was used to distinguish these magazines from pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive ...

s devoted to the topic. Participants within the subculture range from those who dress as vampires but understand themselves to be human, to those who assert a need to consume either blood or 'human energy'. Both types of vampires may assert that the consumption of blood or energy (sometimes referred to as auric or

pranic In yoga, Indian medicine and Indian martial arts, prana ( sa2, प्राण, ; the Sanskrit word for breath, " life force", or "vital principle") permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects. In Hindu literature, prāṇa is s ...

energy) is necessary for spiritual or physical nourishment. Though the vampire subculture has considerable overlap with gothic subculture, the vampire community also has overlap with both therian and

otherkin Otherkin are a subculture of people who identify as not entirely human. Some otherkin believe their identity derives from reincarnation, a non-human soul, ancestry, symbolism, or metaphor. Others attribute it to unusual psychology and do not h ...

communities, and are considered by some to be a part of both, despite the difference in cultural and historical development.

Types of vampire lifestylers

There are several types of vampire lifestylers: * "Sanguinarians": (sometimes referred to as hematophages) consume the blood of others * " Psychic vampires": claim to attain nourishment from the aura or

energy of others in order to balance a spiritual or psychological energy deficiency, such as a damaged aura or chakra * "Hybrids": both consume blood and assert that they consume psychic energy * "Blood donors": willingly allow other members of the subculture to drink their blood, and may or may not exhibit subservience toward those who do * "Blood fetishists": use blood as a stimulant or sexual fetish, sometimes drinking it during the course of

sadomasochistic Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

sex * "Role-players" or "lifestylers": acknowledge that they are human beings roleplaying as vampires. Williams states that they may "dress up in vampire clothing, live a vampire lifestyle (e.g. sleep in coffins), and primarily participate in RPGs such as '' Vampire: The Masquerade''"

Explanations for blood-drinking

Renfield syndrome R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''.Sex researchers have also documented cases of people with sexual (

paraphilic Paraphilia (previously known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as sexual interest in anything ot ...

) vampirism and

autovampirism Auto-vampirism is a form of vampirism that refers to drinking one's own blood, typically as a form of sexual gratification. As a mental disorder, this is also called as autohemophagia, which is derived from three Greek words: ''auto'', which means ...

.Prins, H. (1985). Vampirism: A clinical condition. ''British Journal of Psychiatry, 146,'' 666–668.

Controversy

Christianity

Some self-proclaimed Christian

vampire slayer Vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in history and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires a ...

s have arisen in response to the vampire subculture. Online, they swarm vampire websites with

hate mail Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient. Hate mail often contains exceptionally abusive, foul or otherwise ...

and participate in other similar activities.

Types of vampire lifestylers

Explanations for blood-drinking

Controversy

Christianity

References

Further reading