Vampire lore as been fully assimilated into today’s Gothic subculture on many levels. Ranging from a mere appreciation to embracing certain traits of what would be considered a vampire’s lifestyle, many Gothic culture fans adapt and incorporate elements of vampire legends to enhance their involvement and socializing within the scene.

The Gothic interest in vampire lore stems from the origins of the subculture’s development. In the late 1970s, the punk movement was spawned by a desire to branch off from the mainstream with a mentality of revolt. Two approaches to rebelling defined the spectrum of punk mentality with anarchy being one extreme and arming oneself with knowledge being the other. The punks who turned to research and introspection became known as “Noble Punks”. Later they were known as Goths after some reviews of music that came out of the scene was published by New Music Express in the early 1980s, referring to the sounds as “Gothic” and relating the lyrics to Gothic literature from the late 1880s.

In turn, the Gothic subculture began to look to literature for inspiration, including seeing death and darkness as a way of appreciating life. This included Polidori/Byron’s Vampyr and Stoker’s Dracula. Combining the notion of introspection inherent in many Gothic stories with the desire to rebel via literature and Gothic tales’ typically supernatural themed plots, vampires quickly grew to be iconic of Gothic subculture lifestyle.

Vampires, in many depictions, especially early stories within the body of vampire literature, are presented as being learned and utilizing their immortal state to gather knowledge. Vampires also tend to have a trait of rebelliousness and that of being an outcast on some levels, paralleling the social ideals of many Goth community members. Literature descriptions and cinematic representations of vampires have assisted in constructing the ways in which the Goth subculture defines the lore today and thus, how it is embraced.

Many vampire appreciation groups have formed within the Goth subculture. These groups, like the London Vampire Meet Up Group, for instance, hold regular meetings to socialize at which they discuss vampire related books, watch vampire movies, listen to vampire themed music, and many of them dress the part as well. The group hosts cosmetic dentistry booths where members can have false fangs fitted to complete their regal, Victorian outfits (as many vampires are seen as timeless, thus wearing historically associated clothing) and are perceived as stately, thus preened and donning fancy clothing). The group even holds annual parties with a vampire theme, vampire film festivals, and publishes a newsletter for fans that includes stories, artwork, reviews, and fashion tips submitted by and for the group members.

Some vampire fans go beyond simple appreciation, however. Attempting to emulate some of a vampire’s typical traits and habits is the goal of a few Gothic community members. Primarily remaining awake at night and sleeping during the daylight hours (if possible), wearing the clothing and false teeth associated with vampire imagery at all times, and even hiding mirrors in their house and drinking thick red juice or wine fairly exclusively can be paramount for some, taking their appreciation beyond a popular culture setting, making it a way of life. This is extremely rare, however. Most Goths embrace vampire lore in various ways somewhere in between taking vampirism as a lifestyle and only watching a few vampire movies here and there.

Today, vampires have become much more mainstream. It is possible that Gothic subculture members will begin to avoid vampire lore as a new form of rebellion, but with the popularity of recent vampire movies, the promise of a good fright at Halloween, and the onslaught of vampire related literature being published and taught in educational settings, it is doubtful that an association with vampires will disappear anytime soon. Instead, as the development of a vampire’s depiction evolves through these new popular media channels, seeing a change in the way the Gothic subculture merges vampire lore with their social interactions is more likely, and it will be interesting to see the new forms vampire lore influences will take in the future.