In past centuries, outbreaks of vampire hysteria, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, often coincided with outbreaks of tuberculosis and deadly plagues. MCJ: Historically speaking, it's not that crazy. Is it crazy that the town council issued a public health warning? Victims were usually beaten up or suffocated. Fangs and blood-drinking are generally not present in the old stories. Vampire belief might be deeply rooted in the Balkans, but I doubt you'll find any 'ancient superstition' even there that hasn't been thoroughly tainted by modern vampire lore. MCJ: I have no idea, but I would suspect the former. Is this vampire alert an effort to draw tourists or a modern-day manifestation of ancient superstitions? Then again, how frightened should you be of a vampire who, as the story goes, can turn into a butterfly? To find out, we spoke with Mark Collins Jenkins, the author of Vampire Forensics, and forensic archeologist and anthropologist Matteo Borrini. According to ABC News, the town's mayor, Miodrag Vujetic, said: 'People are worried, everybody knows the legend of this vampire and the thought that he is now homeless and looking for somewhere else and possibly other victims is terrifying.

The vampire scare was sparked by reports that an old mill where the vampire allegedly lived has collapsed. (See 'Pictures: Toothless 'Vampire' Skeleton Unearthed in Bulgaria.') It's a real-life event in the Serbian town of Zarozje (map), where last month the local council issued a public health warning that the resident vampire, Sava Savanovic, may be on the prowl. That can only mean one thing: Vampire on the loose!īut this isn't part of a movie script or book.

A serbian film ending scene