GCT Podcast | Vampires, Voodoo & New England Folklore w/ Dr. Michael Bell

Описание: Are vampires real—or just misunderstood?

In this Halloween special, Tim Nealon sits down with Dr. Michael Bell, retired Rhode Island state folklorist and author of Food for the Dead and The Vampire’s Grasp, to explore centuries of vampire lore, voodoo legends, and America’s obsession with the undead.

From the chilling Mercy Brown exhumation in Rhode Island to modern “real” vampire communities in New Orleans, this episode uncovers the strange rituals, medical misconceptions, and cultural fears that created one of folklore’s most enduring legends.

Guest:
Dr. Michael E. Bell – Folklorist, Author of Food for the Dead
https://www.foodforthedead.com/

In This Episode:

00:00 – The vampire legend that started it all
03:15 – How tuberculosis became “proof” of vampirism
07:40 – Mercy Brown and the last vampire ritual in America
12:00 – Why Europe’s vampires left their graves—but America’s didn’t
18:30 – The Hessians and how German folklore brought vampires to New England
26:10 – From tuberculosis to science: how “bubblers” and hygiene ended the curse
31:25 – Why the vampire myth survived even after medicine caught up
37:50 – How vampires became sexy (thanks, Bram Stoker)
44:00 – Anne Rice, New Orleans, and the Gothic revival
52:30 – Voodoo, Hoodoo, and the power of belief
1:02:10 – Why people need folklore to make sense of death
1:09:45 – Real-life “vampires” in New Orleans today
1:18:00 – Studying modern vampire culture without judgment
1:23:40 – Why vampire stories will never die

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