(PART A) Abstract of a speech (slide show) given at the Second World Dracula Congress, Poiana Brasov, Romania, May 24 -- May 28, 2000. Pictures available at the author.

During a screening of youth subcultures in the Western World in the context of criminalistic and medico-legal investigations (1,2), we researched the vampire youth subculture in Manhattan during the years from 1997 to 2000. In a semiquantitave approach, we interview members of the scene, and attend meetings of the subculture under research; we do not rely on written sources without personal confirmation.

The Manhattan vampire subculture can be subdivided into (a) psychic vampires who believe that they can transfer psychic energy from other people to themselves, (b) persons who drink (small amounts) of blood, or who suck on the unbitten skin of their donors believing that they can taste the blood anyway, and (c) lifestyles related to S/M (sadomasochistic) behavior. Intermediate forms can be found; some people in the scene may be involved into role play games. The scene prefers to use the spelling vampyre instead of vampire to stress that their lifestyle is a vivid and modern form of vampirism compared to a scholarly approach to the topic.

We introduce subcultural terms like havens (vampyre hangouts), covens (vampyre families), and the sanguinarium (vamyre network), means of recognizing each other (e.g. by use of bladed ankh), and we specify some location like the Mother Club in Manhattan's Meatpacking district, one of the main meeting points for the local scene. A distinction between the Gothic and the Vampyre subculture is made.

Consisting of family-like substructures that initially crystallized around party events (e.g. Father Sebastian's Endless Night), the Manhattan vampire scene is -- in contrast to youth subculultures of earlier times, and compared to the London vampire scene -- non-political. Older Vampyres are hard to interview since they fear exploitation by the media. It is clear, however, that at earlier times, there was hardly any organization and support for the vampyre lifestyle.

From a psychological standpoint it seems that a number members of the scene have relatively flat affects which therefore, on a surface level, can resemble depression-like symptoms, or, more unspecifically, personality disorder-like symptoms (see also the paper of Xenia Novi (6), 2nd World Dracula Congress, Poiana Brasov). It seems understandable that those persons are interested in empowering themselves, i.e., their emotional and social competence by the symbolic ingestion of life energy.

It has to be stressed that modern youth subcultures, no matter how extreme they might look to an observer outside the scene, cannot be simply put into standard categories of clinical psychology. The event-like character of many meetings, the family-like organization and the seriousness of the vampyres concerning their chosen behavior seem to be appropriate and socially acceptable in most cases.

Literature recommendations are the Vampyre Almanac (3) introducing beginners into many aspects the vampyre subculture, the book Bloodlust (4) giving limited insight into the scene by interviews commented by the author, and the story Piercing the Darkness being based on the modern NYC vampyre scene.

(1) BENECKE M (1997) Techno. Zur Phänomenologie einer Zeitströmung. [Techno. Phenomenology of a prevailing trend.] Kriminalistik 51:475-479
(2) BENECKE M (1999) First report of non-psychotic self-cannibalism (autophagy), tongue splicing and scar patterns (scarification) as an extreme form of cultural body modification in a Western civilization. Amercian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 20:281-285
(3) FATHER SEBASTIAN & RAMSLAND K (1998) Vampyre Almanac 1998-1999 Edition. Endless Night, New York
(4) PAGE C (1991) Bloodlust. Conversations with real vampires. Harper Collins, New York
(5) RAMSLAND K (1999) Piercing the Darkness: Undercover With Vampires in America Today. Harper Mass Market, New York
(6) Xenia Novi can be reached at xenia@dealtime.com.

(PART 2 ) Abstract as submitted to congress committee

There is a broad interest in all vampire related topics but at certain times, and in certain places there is more to it than elsewhere. In Manhattan, a relatively new community formed just recently (in 1996), that is, it "came out" into the public. During his stay in Manhattan´s most colorful part of the city, the East Village around former hippie street St. Mark´s Place between Astor Place and the Thompkin Square Park, the author got a chance to do research concerning some of the local aspects of the vampire/vampyre community.
One of the most interesting aspects of the vampire/vampyre community is that it has a much higher diversity than one may imagine from outside. Some of the vampires/vampyres are mostly interested in the party culture, some in role games, some tend towards fashion-related topics, and others are interested in sexual aspects, or in blood exchange. However, most of the life styles are heavily mixed (this is very typical for many New York City subcultures), and it is hard to find a vampire/vampyre who really focuses on just one aspect of the subculture.

The author, who performs research in prevailing trends amongst people under the age of 30 years, observed in many subcultures that an important aspect of these groups is the lack of traditional family bonds, especially the lack of a functional family (with more than two family members). Youth subcultures buffer the need for living in a trusting and loving group, and the NYC vampire/vampyre scene is one of the most elaborate examples of how genetic bonds are substituted by interracial, cultural bonds.

The vampyre families are called Clans, and their heads are Elders. Elders can be Makers or Sires (they guide and protect a new person in the scene during their Awakening, and later) whilst the Family Dentists can have a different status: they are responsible for getting people in touch, and for formimg connections. Family Dentists are makers of artificial fangs, and it is this profession that made it possible that a real community could be formed in NYC: many vampires/vampyres wish to wear a symbol that makes them feel more like a vampire, and that shows that a person is part of the scene.

In New York, there is also a metal cross available that was specially designed, and that was derived from an Egyptian ankh, that not only carries a symbolic meaning but will help the owner to get discounts in clubs, too. Such clubs form another important element in the vampire/vampyre life style. There are very few cities in the world that have clubs that specialize on the needs of a subculture like the vampire/vampyre subculture but in NYC you can find these clubs. It is important to stress that the clubs are mostly places of entertainment where certain types of music are played, and where a very strict dress code is reinforced. However, there is no or very, very little blood exchange involved. This has two reasons: a) blood exchange is considered to be something extremely private that a person does not want to perform in public, or semi-public, and b) blood exchange is done by only a few vampyres at all. Within some clans blood exchange is done regularly but because of blood born deseases it is usually considered to be dangerous. If a person develops has a severe neurotic need for blood, the person might not become a member of any clan. On the other hand there are few -- psychologically balanced -- vampyres who claim to need to drink blood.

The vampyre communies are in a way very tolerant, at least against their own needs and related topics. That means that other scenes like the Gothic scene, the S/M scene and others can come into very close contact with the vampyre community, and frequently they intermix. Sometimes, vampyres use motives that are known in other scenes, e.g. the "safe word" that interrupts every S/M play is substituted by a "True Name" for vampyres. That means that if someone knows the (chosen) True Name of a vampyre, he or she has power over their action (and therefore can stop it). Our speech will detail those points, and give additional information on the NYC vampyre life styles.

[See also German Congress 2003]