Vamped’s 10 Most Popular Articles of 2016

Vampires reading. Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) scrutinise a grimoire in “Fool Me Once,” S1 E14, The Vampire Diaries (February 11, 2010). Picture: The CW; TVDbloodlust.

In 2015, we published 66 articles. Last year? 49. Bit of a drop. Our diminished activity might also explain why none of our 2016 articles made the list. Still, it’s interesting to see what did make the top 10; there were a few repeats (mainly in different order), but a few dark horses raced to the top, too.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my three years editing this site (we celebrated its third birthday on January 20), it’s that readers keep surprising me. We can never be 100% what will catch on with you guys, and I guess that’s part of the fun of the job. So, without further ado, here’s what you viewed most in 2016.

#10. Milestone: Vamped Has Been Viewed Over 200,000 Times

Major achievement unlocked. A major milestone was reached on May 22, 2015. Picture: Doodle a Day.

Author: Erin Chapman

Published: August 18, 2015

Views: 2,208

Sample: “We hit a major milestone on May 22, 2015 and published our 100th article, where I talk about my top ten moments working for Vamped. Today at 7:50pm Pacific Time we hit another milestone: 200,000 site views since the conception of the site in 2014.”

#10 in 2015: Romina Nicolaides, “Elizabeth Báthory’s Blood Baths: Separating Myth from Reality,” March 29, 2015 (2,495 views).

#9. Ten Years of Twilight: Visit to Forks, Washington

Paper thin performances. Erin Chapman, centre, poses with cut-outs of the stars of the Twilight movie series at tourist stop, Native to Twilight, Forks, WA, March 29, 2015. Picture supplied.

Author: Erin Chapman

Published: October 5, 2015

Views: 2,377

Sample: “The first book in the [Twilight Saga] series, Twilight, was released on Oct. 5, 2005, and went on to change the lives of residents of the real-life town where Meyer’s saga is set: Forks, Washington.”

#9 in 2015: Anthony Hogg, “Was Vlad Dracula a Vampire?” January 27, 2015 (2,916 views).

#8. Reflecting on Vampires: Why Don’t They Appear in Mirrors?

Worse for wear. Mina Van Helsing (Jan Francis) in Dracula (1979). The film’s director, John Badham, invented lore for the film to explain why Mina’s reflection appears in a puddle. Picture: Universal Pictures.

Author: Andy Boylan

Published: September 15, 2014

Views: 2,535

Sample: “Bram Stoker created one of the most enduring pieces of media vampire lore in Dracula (1897)—the idea that they do not reflect in mirrors. In fact it was meant to be more than that, his notes tell us that ‘painters cannot paint him—their likenesses always like some one else’ and ‘Could not codak him—come out black or like skeleton corpse’.”

#8 in 2015: Anthony Hogg, “20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Movie, Pt. 1,” November 11, 2014 (2,943 views)

#7. 5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn’t Walk in Highgate Cemetery

Aerial view of the Circle of Lebanon, Highgate Cemetery. Relevant locations have been circled and numbered: 1. The Family Vault of Mr. Charles Wace Vault (obscured by trees), 2. Stairwells accessing the Circle of Lebanon, and 3. Terrace Catacombs. Picture: bing/British Listed Buildings.

Author: Erin Chapman

Published: February 27, 2015

Views: 2,551

Sample: “On March 13, 1970, London’s Highgate Cemetery was infamously mobbed by people looking for a vampire. Sean Manchester, then president of the British Occult Society, lead ‘a group of one hundred persons’ . . . to the Terrace Catacombs in search of the cemetery’s undead resident as part of an on-going investigation. Or so he claims.”

#7 in 2015: Anthony Hogg, “Behind the Curtain: Vamped’s Administrators Interviewed,” March 1, 2015 (3,830 views).

#6. Was Vlad Dracula a Vampire?

Bloodthirsty, yes. But a vampire? Vlad III (1431–1476), Prince of Wallachia, best-known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula. Picture: Magistra História.

Author: Anthony Hogg

Published: January 27, 2015

Views: 2,784

Sample: “You’ve probably heard it before: Vlad Dracula dipped bread in the blood of people he impaled. That means he was a vampire after all! Not so fast: the claim originates with Raymond T. McNally (1931–2002) and Radu Florescu (1925–2014), two Dracula scholars, who kicked the whole thing off in their book . . .”

#6 in 2015: Anthony Hogg, “20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Movie, Pt. 2,” December 26, 2014 (5,898 views).

#5. The Vampire Films of Bela Lugosi

Smooth moves. Dracula (Bela Lugosi) preparing to feed on Mina (Helen Chandler) in this publicity still for Dracula (1931). Picture: Universal; Annex.

Author: Matthew E Banks

Published: November 30, 2014

Views: 5,009

Sample: “Bela Lugosi, an imposing figure at 6’1”, piercing blue eyes and Hungarian accent, was born to play Dracula and in 1927 he starred in the title role on Broadway in Dracula – The Vampire Play. He and the play were an instant success, so much so that when Universal were casting the film version, unlike popular myth and legend, Lugosi was a very serious contender.”

#5 in 2015: Anthony Hogg, “Interview with Lionel Fanthorpe, Paranormal Investigator,” September 29, 2014 (6,898 views).

#4. 20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Movie, Pt. 1

Stylish undead. Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise) and Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) in Interview with the Vampire (1994). Picture: Warner Bros.; Colorado Newsday.

Author: Anthony Hogg

Published: November 11, 2014

Views: 5,593

Sample: “To commemorate the movie’s 20th anniversary, we’ve hand-picked 20 facts about the film you may’ve known—and others you probably didn’t—in this two-part article. For instance, did you know…”

#4 in 2015: Erin Chapman, “5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn’t Walk in Highgate Cemetery,” February 27, 2015 (7,126 views).

#3. 20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Movie, Pt. 2

Mentor watches protégé. Lestat (Tom Cruise) and Louis (Brad Pitt) in Interview with the Vampire (1994). Picture: Warner Bros.; becuo.

Author: Anthony Hogg

Published: December 26, 2014

Views: 8,260

Sample: “If you felt there was a long wait between this article and its previous instalment, you might empathise with Australian movie audiences 20 years ago: Interview with the Vampire was released on Nov. 11, 1994 in the US, but wasn’t screened in Australia until Dec. 26, 1994. But it could’ve been worse if you were in the Czech Republic (Mar. 16, 1995).”

#3 in 2015: Anthony Hogg, “The Other 5 Most Popular Vampire Songs on YouTube,” July 13, 2014 (7,618 views).

#2. The Other 5 Most Popular Vampire Songs on YouTube

Artistic rendering of a still from Annie Lennox’s music video, “Love Song for a Vampire” (1992), the theme song for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)—and the seventh most popular vampire song on YouTube. Picture: ZhaoT/DeviantArt.

Author: Anthony Hogg

Published: July 13, 2014

Views: 10,452

Sample: “Two items on this list will probably be disputed, but for the sake of consistency, I’ll defer back to Susan R. Kagan’s definition of vampire songs. On the plus side, ‘Love Song for a Vampire’ made the cut this time (Sting didn’t, though).”

#2 in 2015: Erin Chapman, “Interview with the Vampirologist,” August 17, 2014 (9,428 views).

#1. 6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy an ‘Antique’ Vampire Killing Kit

A vampire killing kit from The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, featured in the British Library’s exhibition, Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination (October 3, 2014–January 20, 2015). Picture: Ian Mansfield/Ian Visits.

Author: Anthony Hogg

Published: October 31, 2014

Views: 23,960

Sample: “Many ’19th century’ vampire killing kits are sold through auction houses and purchased by museums or private buyers. They were apparently sold to travellers vacationing through Europe, as a superstitious novelty item. But I’m here to tell you that whoever’s bought these should’ve held onto their money.”

#1 in 2015: Anthony Hogg, “6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy an ‘Antique’ Vampire Killing Kit,” October 31, 2014 (14,146 views).

Thank you for reading our stuff! Lots more to come in the new year. In the meantine, you can view our list of most popular articles from 2015 and see a video we made of our top 10 articles in 2014.

2 comments

    1. I like him, but I’m also a little wary. I have two editions of his book on vampires (1991, 2016) and would like to get the 1978 original.

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