All language subtitles for Mythical.Beasts.2018.S01E03.720p.WEB.H264-JFF_track3_[eng]

Narrator: VAMPIRES --

NIGHTMARISH,
MYTHICAL MONSTERS

THAT RETURN FROM THE DEAD
TO FEAST ON HUMAN BLOOD.

THE MEDIEVAL VAMPIRE
WAS QUITE DIFFERENT

FROM THIS "TWILIGHT" IMAGE
THAT WE HAVE OF VAMPIRES.

THEY WOULD KILL YOUR CHILDREN.
THEY WOULD EAT YOUR COW.

THEY WERE PRETTY DISGUSTING,
REALLY.

Narrator: VAMPIRES SUCK THE
LIFE FORCE FROM THEIR VICTIMS

WHO ALSO BECOME
ONE OF THE UNDEAD.

BY DRINKING YOUR BLOOD,
VAMPIRES WERE TAKING YOUR SOUL.

Narrator: WHAT REALLY INSPIRED
THE IDEA OF VAMPIRES,

AND WHY WERE OUR ANCESTORS
SO CONVINCED THEY WERE REAL,

THEY MUTILATED CORPSES
TO KEEP THEMSELVES SAFE?

THE STAKE DOESN'T ACTUALLY
KILL THE VAMPIRE.

THE STAKE KEEPS THE VAMPIRE
CONFINED TO ITS COFFIN.

Narrator: NOW, EXPERTS GO BEYOND
VAMPIRE TALES AND MOVIES.

THEY USE NEW SCIENCE
AND ARCHAEOLOGY

TO FINALLY REVEAL THE TRUTH
BEHIND THIS TERRIFYING MYTH.

Bell: SOMETHING INCREDIBLY
STRANGE HAPPENED HERE.

PEOPLE WERE DYING ONE
AFTER ANOTHER.

Narrator: THEIR MISSION --

TO UNCOVER THE REASONS
WHY THE VAMPIRE LEGEND BEGAN.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

BULGARIA, EASTERN EUROPE --

A LAND OF MOUNTAINS, FORESTS,

AND TERRIFYING SUPERSTITIONS.

HERE, JUST OUTSIDE
THE ANCIENT CITY OF PERPERIKON,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DIG
AN EXTRAORDINARY SITE,

A GRAVEYARD SAID TO CONTAIN
ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS MONSTERS

OF ALL TIME --

THE VAMPIRE.

Maev: WE ARE OPENING
AT THE MOMENT 130 GRAVES.

BODIES WERE BURIED
IN UNUSUAL WAY.

PEOPLE BELIEVE
THEY COULD BE VAMPIRES.

Narrator: EVEN TODAY, THE IDEA
OF VAMPIRES IS TERRIFYING.

AROUND THE WORLD,
EVEN AS LATE AS 2010,

PEOPLE WERE BEING MURDERED
ON THE STREETS

BECAUSE THEIR NEIGHBORS
THOUGHT THEY WERE VAMPIRES.

Narrator: BUT WHERE DID
OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING

OF THE VAMPIRE COME FROM,
THIS BLOOD-SUCKING BEAST

THAT COULD EVEN CHANGE SHAPE
AT WILL?

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT VAMPIRES,
THE FIRST IDEA

THAT COMES TO MIND,
OF COURSE, IS DRACULA.

BUT DRACULA IS MORE
OF A RECENT CHARACTER.

Narrator: A CLUE TO
THE ORIGINS OF THE MYTH

LIES WITH ONE OF THE EARLIEST
ACCOUNTS OF AN ATTACK.

♪♪

IN 1728, THE DEATH OF
A SERBIAN MAN

CALLED ARNOLD PAOLE TRIGGERS
A SERIES OF STRANGE EVENTS.

PEOPLE START SEEING PAOLE
ROAMING THE VILLAGE AT NIGHT.

THEY CLAIM HE VISITS PEOPLE
IN THEIR BEDROOMS.

FOUR END UP DEAD.

THE VILLAGERS FEAR PAOLE
HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE.

THEY DIG UP HIS COFFIN

AND FIND PAOLE LOOKING AS FRESH
AS THE DAY HE DIED.

AS THEY DRIVE A STAKE
THROUGH HIS HEART,

HE LETS OUT A TERRIBLE MOAN.

Paole: UGH!

STORIES LIKE THIS REVEAL
THAT OUR ANCESTORS BELIEVE

THAT VAMPIRES WERE SIMPLY
CORPSES THAT REFUSE TO DIE...

FAR REMOVED FROM THE BAT-LIKE
CREATURES OF DRACULA FILMS.

Li: PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT VAMPIRES
WERE ALREADY DEAD,

SO IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE
TO KILL THEM.

WHAT YOU HAD TO DO
WAS INCAPACITATE THEM SOMEHOW.

Regal: THE STAKE DOESN'T
KILL THE VAMPIRE.

THE STAKE KEEPS THE VAMPIRE
IN THE COFFIN.

Narrator: WHAT INSPIRED
THIS BELIEF IN THE UNDEAD?

MODERN-DAY VAMPIRE HUNTER
IVO MAEV SEARCHES FOR EVIDENCE

THAT SO-CALLED VAMPIRE STAKINGS
REALLY DID TAKE PLACE.

WE EXPECT TO FIND SOME
SKELETONS HERE

JUST BECAUSE THIS AREA
LOOKS LIKE A GRAVEYARD.

THE RITUAL FOR ANTI-VAMPIRES

ARE POPULAR
AMONG THESE PEOPLE HERE.

IVO AND THE TEAM INVESTIGATE
THE REMAINS AT A SITE

OCCUPIED IN THE MIDDLE AGES.

MEDIEVAL BURIALS
FROM THIS REGION

CONTAIN STRANGE
MUTILATED CORPSES.

EXCAVATION LEADER PROFESSOR
NIKOLAY OVCHAROV EXAMINES

ONE SKELETON
BURIED 800 YEARS AGO.

[ SPEAKING IN BULGARIAN ]

NIKOLAY UNCOVERS EVIDENCE
OF JUST HOW DESPERATE PEOPLE

WERE TO PIN DOWN THIS CORPSE.

HE PULLS OUT A SHOCKING OBJECT,
AN IRON STAKE.

[ SPEAKING IN BULGARIAN ]

PEOPLE HERE WERE TERRIFIED
THAT THIS PERSON

COULD BECOME
A REAL-LIFE VAMPIRE.

BUT STAKING CORPSES WAS JUST
ONE WAY THAT THEY HOPED

TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.

THE BODY IN THIS GRAVE
WAS SETTLED IN THAT DIRECTION.

FEET WERE HERE, HEAD WERE HERE.

Narrator: IVO THINKS
THIS WALL WAS BUILT

AS AN ADDED INSURANCE
AGAINST VAMPIRES.

IF THIS BODY IS SETTLED
IN THAT DIRECTION,

OBVIOUSLY THE WALL WAS BUILT
OVER -- OVER THE BODY.

THIS IS ONE MORE GUARANTEE
THAT THE BODY CANNOT RISE.

Narrator: EASTERN EUROPEANS
WERE TAKING NO CHANCES

WHEN IT CAME TO VAMPIRES.

THEY HAD A HUGE TOOL KIT
TO LOCK THEM IN THEIR GRAVES.

TO STOP VAMPIRES FROM WALKING,

THEY TIED THE CORPSE'S LEGS
TOGETHER,

OR SIMPLY CUT THEM OFF.

TO PIN THE CORPSE TO THE GROUND,

THEY PLACED A HEAVY STONE
ON THE CHEST

OR HAMMERED IN A STAKE.

AND A SICKLE ACROSS THE NECK

WOULD DECAPITATE THE VAMPIRE
IF IT REARED ITS HEAD.

PEOPLE HOPED THAT
WITH ALL THESE MEASURES,

THE DEAD WOULD
DEFINITELY STAY DEAD.

PREVENTING A SUSPECTED VAMPIRE
FROM RISING FROM ITS GRAVE

WAS NOT A JOB
FOR THE SQUEAMISH.

♪♪

BUT JUST HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT
TO IMPALE A CORPSE?

PROFESSOR SARAH HAINSWORTH,

ONE OF THE WORLD'S
LEADING EXPERTS

IN FORENSIC ENGINEERING,
INVESTIGATES.

MY RESEARCH IS ON THE FORCES
REQUIRED FOR STABBING

WITH VARIOUS IMPLEMENTS THAT
YOU FIND IN STABBING EVENTS.

WHAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN
IS HOW MUCH FORCE WAS REQUIRED

TO STAKE A HUMAN BODY.

Narrator: SARAH WILL USE
A DROP TOWER TO PLUNGE A STAKE

INTO A SET OF PORK RIBS.

IT WILL ANALYZE
THE AVERAGE FORCE

NEEDED TO PENETRATE A CORPSE,
LIKE THE ONE FROM BULGARIA.

USING THE PORK RIBS
GIVES US A FEEL

FOR WHAT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
LIKE TO STAKE A HUMAN BODY.

Narrator:
SARAH PREPARES THE MECHANISM.

WILL THE WOODEN STAKE
PENETRATE THE RIBCAGE?

♪♪

IT'S ACTUALLY HIT
BETWEEN TWO RIBS,

AND IT'S PUSHED THE RIBS,
SEPARATED THE RIBS,

SO WE HAVEN'T ACTUALLY
PENETRATED INTO THE CARTILAGE.

Narrator: THE WOODEN STAKE
FAILS TO TRAVEL

ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE RIBS.

SARAH'S EXPERIMENT SHOWS
THAT SEVERAL VERY STRONG BLOWS

WOULD'VE BEEN NEEDED.

THIS WAS NO EASY JOB.

TO DO IT, PEOPLE MUST'VE BEEN
TERRIFIED AND DETERMINED.

BUT WHY WERE PEOPLE SO CONVINCED

THAT THE DEAD REALLY
WERE RISING FROM THE GRAVE?

♪♪

[ THUNDER RUMBLING ]

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ARE
HUNTING FOR THE TRUTH

BEHIND VAMPIRE MYTHS.

WHY WERE PEOPLE CONVINCED
THAT THE DEAD WERE RISING

TO ATTACK THE LIVING?

HISTORIAN STEPHEN CURTIS
THINKS A CLUE MAY LIE HERE,

IN LONDON, DEEP INSIDE
THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.

HE DISCOVERS OFFICIAL RECORDS
THAT SUGGEST

THESE FEARS
HAD TRAVELED TO ENGLAND.

A CASE HERE TALKS ABOUT A MAN
CALLED PRICE IN 1786.

HE WAS PUT IN THE FIELDS AND
A STAKE DRIVEN THROUGH HIS BODY.

MARY TERRELL,
BURIED IN THE HIGH ROAD,

WITH A STAKE DRIVEN
THROUGH HER BODY

IN THE PRESENCE OF A VAST
CONCOURSE OF PEOPLE.

Narrator: THE RECORDS SUGGEST
THAT FEAR OF WANDERING CORPSES

HAD BECOME
A WIDESPREAD PHENOMENON.

PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT
VAMPIRISM AND VAMPIRES

WERE VERY MUCH A KIND OF
EASTERN EUROPEAN,

MEDIEVAL NOTION,

AND A LOT OF THE SUPERSTITIONS
AROUND IT

CAN ONLY BE REALLY SEEN
IN THE KIND OF SMALL VILLAGES

YOU GET IN VAMPIRE FILMS
AND LITERATURE.

BUT ACTUALLY SOME OF THE
PROCESSES WERE TAKING PLACE

IN ENGLAND
INTO THE 19th CENTURY.

Narrator: SO WHY WAS THERE
SUCH FEAR OF THE UNDEAD HERE?

STEPHEN FINDS A COMMON LINK
BETWEEN ALL OF THE CASES.

IN EACH ONE, THE DEAD PERSON
HAD COMMITTED SUICIDE.

1785, THE MAN WAS FOUND
HANGING IN HIS CELL.

THE CORONER'S INQUEST BROUGHT
IN THEIR VERDICT -- SELF-MURDER.

AND HE WAS BURIED AND A STAKE
DRIVEN THROUGH HIS BODY.

Narrator: SUICIDE WAS
BELIEVED TO BE A SIN.

THOSE WHO KILLED THEMSELVES
WERE BURIED

ON THE FRINGES OF SOCIETY,

THEIR SOULS DOOMED
TO WANDER FOR ETERNITY.

Curtis: MOST PEOPLE WOULD
GET BURIED IN A CHURCH YARD,

BUT BECAUSE THE ACT OF SUICIDE
WAS AN ACT AGAINST GOD,

YOU HAD TO BE BURIED
SOMEWHERE ELSE.

CROSSROADS WERE THE SAFEST PLACE
BECAUSE ANY RETURNING GHOST

COULD NO LONGER FIND
THEIR WAY BACK HOME LIKE THAT.

Narrator: STEPHEN BELIEVES
THAT THIS IDEA OF A LOST SOUL

IS KEY TO UNDERSTANDING
THE VAMPIRE MYTH.

THIS KIND OF TREATMENT
TO THE BODY OF SUICIDE

WASN'T JUST CONDONED
BY THE JUDICIAL PROCESS

BUT WAS DEMANDED
AND EXPECTED.

RITUAL TREATMENT OF SUICIDE
CONNECTS THINGS SO CLOSELY

TO THE WIDER VAMPIRE MYTH.

Narrator: SUICIDE WAS JUST ONE
OF THE WAYS OF BECOMING LOST

ON THE WAY TO THE AFTERLIFE.

IN BULGARIA, IVO MAEV
THINKS THAT THIS IDEA

OF THE RESTLESS SOUL

EXPLAINS SOME OF THE VAMPIRE
BURIALS AT PERPERIKON.

AFTER DEATH, THE BODY
SEPARATES FROM THE SOUL,

AND THE SOUL IS FREE
TO GO TO THE AFTERLIFE WORLD.

THE BODY STAYS HERE.

Narrator: SOME PEOPLE BURIED
THEIR DEAD RELATIVES WITH COINS.

THEY BELIEVE THAT A SOUL
NEEDED TO PAY

FOR A PASSAGE TO THE AFTERLIFE.

THIS COIN WAS FOUND IN A GRAVE
IN THE LAST 10 DAYS.

THEY HOLD THESE COINS
IN THE MOUTH

BECAUSE THE MOUTH IS WHERE
THE SOUL CAN LEAVE THE BODY.

Narrator: BUT AS IN ENGLAND,

PEOPLE BELIEVED
THAT A TROUBLED SOUL

COULD SOMETIMES RETURN TO
A CORPSE AND ATTACK THE LIVING.

Maev: IF THE SOUL CONTINUED
TO LIVE IN A DEAD BODY,

IT COULD PROVOKE FIRES
AND NATURAL DISASTERS

OR UNKNOWN SICKNESSES.

Narrator: SOME PEOPLE TURNED
THEIR HOMES INTO FORTRESSES

AGAINST THE UNDEAD.

WHEN THEIR LOVED ONES DIED,

THEY REMOVED THEIR CORPSES
THROUGH THE WINDOW

AND THEN BOARDED IT UP.

SHOULD THAT PERSON TURN
INTO A VAMPIRE,

THEY'D BE UNABLE
TO GET BACK IN.

TO PROTECT THE MAIN ENTRANCE,
PEOPLE PUT SHARP,

THORNY BRANCHES ON THE DOORSTEP

AND HUNG PUNGENT GARLIC WREATHS
OVER THE FRONT DOOR.

TO DISTRACT VAMPIRES WHO BROKE
THROUGH THE DEFENSES,

PEOPLE SCATTERED SEEDS
AROUND THE HOUSE

BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE VAMPIRES
WERE COMPELLED TO COUNT THEM.

IF RESTLESS SOULS
MADE CORPSES RISE,

WHY WERE THE UNDEAD HUNGRY
FOR HUMAN BLOOD?

COULD THE ANSWER LIE
IN A DISTURBING

AND GRUESOME PRACTICE?

♪♪

Narrator:
EXPERTS ARE UNCOVERING

THE GRUESOME ORIGINS
OF THE VAMPIRE MYTH.

NOW THEY INVESTIGATE
WHY THESE CREATURES

COULD ONLY BE SATED
BY HUMAN BLOOD.

AT THE CORE OF EVERY VAMPIRE
STORY IS THIS BELIEF

THAT VAMPIRES CAN SURVIVE
ON HUMAN BLOOD ALONE.

THE MORE BLOOD THEY DRINK,
THE MORE POWERFUL THEY BECOME.

Narrator: WHERE DID
THE IDEA OF A BEAST

THAT LIVES SOLELY OFF BLOOD
COME FROM?

COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST DR.
JOY REIDENBERG

SEARCHES FOR EVIDENCE
IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

SHE KNOWS OF ONLY ONE CREATURE
THAT FITS THE BILL.

Reidenberg: THERE ARE LOTS
OF ANIMALS THAT DRINK BLOOD --

MOSQUITOS, LEECHES, TICKS --

BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE MAMMAL
THAT DOES SO EXCLUSIVELY,

AND THAT IS THE VAMPIRE BAT.

Narrator: HOW DOES THIS CREATURE
ATTACK ITS VICTIMS?

Reidenberg:
THEY HAVE EXQUISITE SENSORS
ON THE FRONT OF THEIR FACE.

THESE SENSORS CAN DETECT
CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE.

IF YOU HAVE BLOOD VESSELS THAT
ARE REALLY CLOSE TO THE SKIN,

THEY RADIATE HEAT.

THEY SENSE IT, AND THEY HONE IN
TO THOSE BLOOD VESSELS,

THOSE VEINS THAT ARE RIGHT
NEAR THE SURFACE.

Narrator:
THEN, JUST LIKE A VAMPIRE,

IT UNLEASHES ITS MOST
TERRIFYING WEAPON.

Reidenberg: IF YOU LOOK
VERY CAREFULLY AT THIS SKULL,

YOU'LL SEE IT HAS
SOME VERY BIG TEETH.

THEY'RE RAZOR-SHARP.

VERY, VERY SHARP TEETH.

THEY MAKE A CUT,
BLOOD COMES OUT,

AND THEY LICK THAT UP
WITH THEIR TONGUE.

THE VAMPIRE BAT ACTUALLY
HAS SOME SALIVA

WITH AN ANTICOAGULANT --

IN OTHER WORDS, A CHEMICAL THAT
KEEPS THE BLOOD FROM CLOTTING.

AND GUESS WHAT.
IT'S CALLED DRACULIN.

Narrator: WHY CAN THIS CREATURE
SURVIVE ON BLOOD ALONE

WHEN OTHERS CAN'T?

Reidenberg:
VAMPIRE BATS CAN EXIST JUST
BY DRINKING THIS BLOOD

BECAUSE THEY HAVE
A SPECIAL DIGESTIVE TRACT.

IT HAS ENZYMES THAT CAN BREAK
DOWN ALL THAT EXTRA PROTEIN,

AND THEY CAN HANDLE
THE EXTRA IRON LOAD

THAT COMES WITH ALL THAT BLOOD.

Narrator: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
IF HUMANS HAD A BLOOD-ONLY DIET

LIKE VAMPIRES?

IF WE DRINK BLOOD,
WE GET NAUSEOUS,

AND WE MAY THROW UP.

ALL OF THAT EXTRA IRON
CAN BE POISONOUS AT HIGH LEVELS.

HUMANS CAN'T HANDLE
A DIET OF BLOOD.

Narrator:
EUROPEANS FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE
VAMPIRE BAT IN THE 16th CENTURY

AND NAMED IT AFTER
THE VEIN-BITING MONSTER

THEY FEARED SO MUCH.

BUT WHERE DID THIS FIXATION
WITH DRINKING BLOOD COME FROM?

HISTORIAN STEPHEN CURTIS
THINKS THAT A CLUE

LIES BACK IN THE MIDDLE AGES.

Curtis: UNLIKE TODAY,
WHERE WE VERY RARELY

SEE BLOOD OR CORPSES,
IF YOU ENTER THE BUTCHER'S,

YOU WOULD SEE ANIMALS
BEING SLAUGHTERED.

YOU WOULD SEE THE BLOOD
RUNNING THROUGH THE STREETS.

IT MADE IT LESS OF A SHOCK
TO SEE IT.

Narrator: MEDIEVAL PEOPLE
BELIEVED THAT BLOOD

PHYSICALLY CONTAINED
A PERSON'S LIFE FORCE,

THE VERY ENERGY
THAT KEPT THEM ALIVE.

Curtis: WE CAN SEE
TRACES OF VAMPIRISM

IN BELIEFS AROUND DRINKING BLOOD
IN THE PERIOD.

IN DRINKING IT, THEY WOULD GET
THAT HIT OF REVITALIZING ENERGY.

Narrator: THE POWER OF
THE LIFE FORCE IN BLOOD

WAS THOUGHT TO BE SO STRONG
THAT SOME PEOPLE BELIEVED

YOU COULD GET ITS BENEFITS
JUST BY TOUCHING IT.

STEPHEN INVESTIGATES
HOW ORDINARY PEOPLE

WENT TO PUBLIC EXECUTIONS
TO GET THEIR HANDS ON SOME.

Curtis:
THIS WHOLE AREA WOULD'VE BEEN
FULL OF CROWDS OF PEOPLE

WHO WOULD'VE COME TO SEE

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT
OF BLOODSHED

IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

IN THE 17th CENTURY, AN ENGLISH
KING CALLED CHARLES I

WAS BEHEADED IN LONDON.

PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT
THE BLOOD OF A KING

WAS AMONG
THE MOST POTENT OF ALL.

Curtis: HIS HEAD BEING HELD UP
TO THE CROWDS TO SEE,

BLOOD SPEWING FORTH
FROM HIS NECK,

PEOPLE WOULD BE TRYING TO GET
THEIR HANDKERCHIEFS

STAINED IN THAT BLOOD.

Narrator: YOUNG BLOOD WAS
SUPPOSED TO CONTAIN

THE GREATEST CONCENTRATIONS
OF LIFE FORCE.

Curtis: PEOPLE BELIEVED
IN LIFE FORCE,

HAVING YOUR BODY USED UP
SLOWLY AS YOU AGE.

THE BLOOD OF A YOUNG PERSON
EXECUTED WOULD HAVE

A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF LIFE FORCE
AND VITALITY WITHIN IT.

YOU CAN SEE THE VAMPIRIC LINKS
QUITE EASILY THERE.

Narrator: THE REVITALIZING FORCE
OF YOUNG BLOOD

IS AT THE HEART
OF A GRUESOME 17th CENTURY TALE.

ELIZABETH BáTHORY WAS A COUNTESS
LIVING IN HUNGARY.

MYTH HAS IT THAT ONE DAY
A MAID TUGGED HER HAIR

AND THE COUNTESS SLAPPED HER.

HER NAILS DUG
INTO THE GIRL'S SKIN,

SPATTERING BLOOD
ONTO BáTHORY'S FACE.

A DAY LATER, SHE NOTICED
THAT HER SKIN LOOKED YOUNGER

WHERE THE BLOOD HAD TOUCHED IT.

THE COUNTESS STARTED LURING
YOUNG GIRLS TO HER CASTLE

AND KILLED OVER 600 OF THEM,

ALLEGEDLY SO SHE COULD BATHE
IN THEIR BLOOD

AND REMAIN FOREVER YOUNG,

EARNING THE REPUTATION
OF A REAL-LIFE VAMPIRE.

CONTEMPORARY THOUGHT WAS
THAT THE BODY, THE SOUL,

AND THE SPIRIT WERE LINKED,
AND THAT THE BLOOD

WAS THE LIQUID
THAT FLOWED BETWEEN ALL THREE.

BLOOD WAS VERY IMPORTANT
TO VAMPIRES

BECAUSE BY DRINKING
SOMEONE'S BLOOD,

YOU WERE TAKING AWAY
THEIR SOUL.

Regal: THEY WEREN'T
JUST KILLING YOU.

THEY WERE STEALING
YOUR ESSENCE.

Narrator: BUT ASTONISHINGLY,
IN MEDIEVAL TIMES,

THE LUST FOR DRINKING BLOOD
WAS NOT CONFINED TO VAMPIRES.

BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST
SHEELAGH HEUGH

IS AN EXPERT
ON HUMAN BLOOD.

SHE INVESTIGATES
HOW SOME ALCHEMISTS TRIED

TO DISTILL YOUNG BLOOD

TO MAKE IT EASIER TO DRINK
ITS SUPPOSED LIFE FORCE.

IN THE 14th CENTURY, A FRENCH
ALCHEMIST CALLED RUPACISA

CLAIMED TO HAVE CAPTURED
A PURE VERSION OF IT.

HE SUGGESTS RETAINING THE BLOOD
FROM BABIES AND FROM YOUNG MEN.

Narrator: SHEELAGH IS GOING TO
TRY TO REPLICATE WHAT HE DID.

SHE FOLLOWS
THE ALCHEMIST'S ACCOUNT

AND STARTS BY HEATING UP
THE BLOOD SAMPLE

UNTIL IT BOILS
TO SEPARATE ITS COMPONENTS.

Heugh: BLOOD CONTAINS RED CELLS,
WHITE BLOOD CELLS,

PLATELETS, AND PLASMA.

THE PLASMA IS THE SECTION

THAT WILL START
TO VAPORIZE AND DISTILL ACROSS.

Narrator: ONCE IT REACHES
160 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

THE BLOOD STARTS TO BREAK DOWN,

AND THE PLASMA FLOWS ACROSS.

THERE'S THE FIRST DROPS
COMING THROUGH THE TUBE

AND INTO THE COLLECTING VESSEL.

Narrator:
IT PRODUCES A GOLDEN LIQUID.

TODAY WE KNOW THIS YELLOWISH
SUBSTANCE AS PURE BLOOD PLASMA.

BUT IN THE EYES
OF A MEDIEVAL PERSON,

THIS GOLDEN ELIXIR
WAS CONCENTRATED LIFE FORCE.

THE MEDIEVAL PEOPLE
WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO PAY

LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY

IN THE BELIEF THAT THIS PRODUCT
WAS GOING TO EXTEND THEIR LIFE.

THEY BELIEVED THAT
THE COLOR GOLD WAS RELATED

TO THE COLOR OF THE SPIRITS.

THEY BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE
ACTUALLY TRANSMITTING

WITH SPIRITS BY FEEDING
THIS ELIXIR TO A PATIENT.

Narrator: THIS MEDIEVAL ALCHEMY
SEEMED TO REINFORCE THE BELIEF

IN BLOOD'S REJUVENATING POWERS.

EVEN KINGS AND ACADEMICS
FERVENTLY BELIEVED IT.

BUT COULD THERE BE ANYTHING
MORE THAN SUPERSTITION

BEHIND VAMPIRES
FINDING YOUNG BLOOD MORE POTENT?

SHEELAGH BELIEVES
THAT AN EXPERIMENT

COULD REVEAL THE ANSWER.

ELECTROPHORESIS IS A METHOD
THAT WE USE

TO SORT PRODUCTS SUCH
AS PROTEINS BY THEIR SIZE.

Narrator: SAMPLES OF YOUNG BLOOD
AND OLD BLOOD ARE DYED BLUE.

BY RUNNING AN ELECTRIC CHARGE
THROUGH THE SAMPLES,

SHEELAGH CAN SEPARATE
THE PROTEINS.

THE MORE BLUE THERE IS,

THE MORE PROTEIN
IS IN THE BLOOD.

Heugh: IN THE OLD BLOOD,
WE HAVE SOME PROTEINS,

AND IF WE MOVE ACROSS FURTHER
INTO THE YOUNG BLOOD,

IT'S MUCH DARKER-STAINED,

WHICH INDICATES THERE IS
A LOT MORE PROTEIN.

Narrator: COULD THESE
EXTRA PROTEINS HOLD THE KEY

TO THE CENTURIES-OLD QUEST
FOR EVERLASTING YOUTH?

YOUNG BLOOD HAS BEEN SHOWN TO
IMPROVE THE MEMORY OF OLDER MICE

AND REVERSE SYMPTOMS OF AGING.

Heugh: THESE PROTEINS
IN YOUNG BLOOD

COULD BE THE PROTEINS ALCHEMISTS
WERE LOOKING FOR

WITH LIFE-ENHANCING PROPERTIES.

Narrator: PEOPLE WERE
CONVINCED THAT BLOOD

HAD THE POWER TO SUSTAIN
A VAMPIRE FOREVER.

BUT WHAT WERE THEY FINDING
IN COFFINS TO CONVINCE THEM

THESE DEAD BODIES
HAD BEEN GETTING OUT

OF THEIR GRAVES TO DRINK IT?

[ GROWLING ]

AND WHY DID OUR ANCESTORS
FEAR THAT VAMPIRES

WERE TRYING TO BUILD
A WHOLE ARMY OF THE UNDEAD?

♪♪

[ THUNDER RUMBLING ]

Narrator: EXPERTS ARE UNCOVERING
THE HORRIFYING REALITY

BEHIND THE VAMPIRE.

AT THE HEART OF THE LEGEND

IS THE BELIEF
THAT IT WOULD NOT DIE.

BUT WHAT WERE OUR ANCESTORS
DISCOVERING IN COFFINS

TO CONVINCE THEM CORPSES
COULD RISE FROM THEIR GRAVES?

A CLUE LIES IN AN 18th CENTURY
SERBIAN TALE.

ONE NIGHT, A PEASANT NOTICES
A STRANGE SMOKE WAFTING IN.

IT TRANSFORMS INTO HIS FATHER,
PETAR BLAGOJEVICH,

WHO DIED THREE DAYS EARLIER
AND IS NOW A VAMPIRE.

HE DEMANDS FOOD,
WHICH HIS SON DENIES HIM.

THE NEXT DAY, HIS SON IS DEAD.

THE MONSTER DOESN'T STOP THERE.

HE ATTACKS PEOPLE IN
THEIR SLEEP, BITES THEIR NECKS,

AND DRINKS THEIR BLOOD.

VILLAGERS EXHUME
BLAGOJEVICH'S BODY.

THEY DISCOVER THAT HE HAS
NEW SKIN AND NAILS,

HIS HAIR HAS GROWN, AND BLOOD
IS OOZING FROM HIS MOUTH.

WHAT WERE PEOPLE
UNCOVERING IN GRAVES HERE

THAT FUELED THE BELIEF
IN THE VAMPIRE LEGEND?

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST
DR. ANNA WILLIAMS BELIEVES

THE ANSWER LIES
WITH HOW BODIES DECAY.

SHE THINKS OUR ANCESTORS
MISINTERPRETED WHAT THEY SAW.

IT MAY LOOK LIKE
AN ORDINARY FIELD,

BUT I USE IT AS
AN EXPERIMENTAL OUTDOOR LAB

FOR LOOKING AT
HOW DECOMPOSITION HAPPENS

IN A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS.

Narrator: TODAY, ANNA HOPES
THAT THE CARCASS OF A PIGLET

THAT DIED 14 DAYS AGO
COULD SHED NEW LIGHT

ON HOW MEDIEVAL PEOPLE
VIEWED DEATH AND DECOMPOSITION.

Williams: THIS PIGLET DIED
OF NATURAL CAUSES.

IT WAS BURIED AS SOON
AS POSSIBLE AFTER DEATH.

WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE
A MORE ADVANCED DECOMPOSITION.

Narrator:
THE PIGLET HAS BEEN BURIED
TWO FEET BELOW THE SURFACE.

Williams:
YOU CAN HEAR MY TROWEL

SCRAPING ACROSS
ITS TAUT BELLY.

YEP, YOU CAN SMELL IT.

Narrator:
HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS DESCRIBE

HOW SUSPECTED VAMPIRES
LOOK WELL-FED.

ANNA IMMEDIATELY NOTICES
A DISTINCTIVE FEATURE

THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THIS.

Williams: THIS ONE LOOKS QUITE
BLOATED IN ITS ABDOMINAL AREA.

GAS BUILDS UP INSIDE
THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY,

AND THAT CAUSES THE BODY
TO SWELL AND TO BLOAT.

MIGHT MAKE IT LOOK LIKE
IT HAD A RECENT MEAL.

Narrator: COULD A BUILDUP
OF GAS ALSO EXPLAIN

WHY SOME CORPSES WERE SAID
TO GROAN WHEN IMPALED?

Williams: THE BACTERIA THAT ARE
IN THE PIG'S INTESTINE,

THEY CONTINUE
WORKING AFTER DEATH.

INSTEAD OF DIGESTING THE FOOD
THAT'S BEEN SENT DOWN,

THEY START DIGESTING
THE BODY AROUND IT.

THAT CAN CREATE NOISES,

AND THAT CAN BE MISCONSTRUED
AS THE BODY STILL BEING ALIVE.

Narrator:
THESE STRANGE EFFECTS OF DECAY

SEEM TO SUGGEST
A LIVING CORPSE.

THEY WOULD'VE TERRIFIED
AN 18th CENTURY OBSERVER.

Williams: THINGS THAT MEDIEVAL
VILLAGERS MIGHT HAVE SEEN

WHEN THEY'VE BEEN
DIGGING UP BODIES --

FROTHING AT THE MOUTH,
DESICCATION OF THE LIPS

THAT CAUSES EXPOSURE
OF THE TEETH,

THINGS MEDIEVAL VILLAGERS

MIGHT HAVE MISINTERPRETED
AS SIGNS OF VAMPIRISM.

Narrator: MANY VAMPIRE
DESCRIPTIONS ALSO TALK

OF THE FINGERNAILS ON
DEAD BODIES STILL GROWING.

Williams: THE SKIN IS DRYING
AND DESICCATING

AND RECEDING AWAY
FROM THE NAIL BED.

THAT GIVES THE IMPRESSION
THAT THE NAILS WERE GROWING.

Narrator: WHAT REALLY HAPPENS
TO A BODY AFTER DEATH

TO CAUSE THESE
VAMPIRE-LIKE SYMPTOMS?

♪♪

DECAYING CORPSES UNDERGO
A NATURAL

BUT GRUESOME TRANSFORMATION.

AS THE SKIN DRIES AND TIGHTENS,

IT PUSHES BEARD STUBBLE
FURTHER OUT.

SKIN SHRINKS BACK ON THE HANDS,
MAKING FINGERNAILS SEEM LONGER,

AS IF A CORPSE IS GROWING CLAWS.

AS THE BODY'S TISSUES
BREAK DOWN,

IT BECOMES INFESTED
WITH GAS-PRODUCING BACTERIA.

PRESSURE BUILDS INSIDE
THE BLOATED CORPSE,

FORCING BODILY FLUIDS
FROM THE NOSE AND MOUTH,

MAKING THE CORPSE
LOOK LIKE A VAMPIRE

WHO'S JUST FEASTED ON BLOOD.

ANNA'S EXPERIMENT REVEALS
HOW THE UNEXPECTED WAY A CORPSE

DECAYS MIGHT HAVE BEEN SEEN
AS PROOF OF VAMPIRES.

MEDIEVAL PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T
UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS

OF DECOMPOSITION COULD THINK
THAT THE BODY WAS STILL ALIVE.

Narrator: EVIDENCE LIKE THIS
CONVINCED PEOPLE

THAT VAMPIRES REALLY WERE
RISING FROM THE GRAVE

TO BLEED THE LIVING DRY.

BUT WHY DID THEY BELIEVE
THESE MONSTERS

COULD ALSO TAKE
ON THE FORM OF ANIMALS?

[ GROWLING ]

COULD ANOTHER SHAPE-SHIFTING
MYTHICAL BEAST

REVEAL THE TRUTH
BEHIND THE VAMPIRE'S

MOST EXTRAORDINARY POWER?

[ SNARLING ]

♪♪

[ THUNDER RUMBLING ]

[ SNARLS ]

Narrator: OUR CLASSIC IDEA
OF THE VAMPIRE

COMES FROM HORROR FILMS.

THE ABILITY TO CHANGE
FROM HUMAN FORM TO THE BAT

AND BACK AGAIN

IS ONE OF THE MOST
STRIKING CHARACTERISTICS

OF COUNT DRACULA.

THESE EVIL CREATURES
WERE CHANGING FORM

AND COULD MORPH
INTO SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: VAMPIRES
WERE THOUGHT TO TRANSFORM

INTO ALL KINDS OF THINGS,

NOT JUST BATS,
BUT WOLVES AND EVEN MIST.

Nubia: THERE'S THIS IDEA
OF SHAPESHIFTERS,

HUMAN BEINGS
THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY

TO TURN INTO SOMETHING ELSE.

THEY COULD TAKE THE FORM
AND SHAPE OF ANIMALS.

Narrator:
BUT WHY DID PEOPLE BELIEVE THEY
COULD CHANGE FORM LIKE THIS?

THE ANSWER MAY LIE IN THE MYTH
OF ANOTHER TERRIFYING CREATURE

WITH HIDDEN CONNECTIONS
TO THE VAMPIRE.

THE TALE OF PETER STUMPP TELLS
OF A WEALTHY GERMAN FARMER

WHO DID A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL.

HE RECEIVED A MAGICAL BELT

THAT ALLOWED HIM TO TURN
INTO A WEREWOLF.

[ HOWLING ]

NOW, STUMPP COULD LIVE OUT
HIS BLOODLUST,

KILLING ANIMALS
AND PEOPLE FOR FUN.

HE EVEN SLAUGHTERED HIS
OWN CHILD AND ATE HIS BRAINS.

THE WOLF WAS
THE PERFECT DISGUISE.

WHENEVER STUMPP WAS IN DANGER
OF GETTING CAUGHT,

ALL HE HAD TO DO
WAS TAKE OFF HIS BELT,

ALLOWING HIM TO KILL UNDETECTED
FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

THE WEREWOLF AND THE VAMPIRE
WERE SOMETIMES INTERCHANGEABLE.

IN THE ORIGINAL
SERBIAN FOLKLORE,

THE SAME WORD
WAS USED FOR BOTH.

THEY WERE EACH NOCTURNAL KILLERS
AND A DANGER TO LIVESTOCK.

WHEN THEY DIED,

IT WAS THOUGHT THAT WEREWOLVES
TURNED INTO VAMPIRES.

BELIEF IN THE ABILITY TO
CHANGE SHAPE WAS SO STRONG

THAT POTIONS WERE DEVELOPED THAT
CLAIMED TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN SOMEBODY USED ONE?

BOTANIST STEPHEN HARRIS
INVESTIGATES.

HE'S UNCOVERED A RECIPE
FOR A WEREWOLF POTION

PUBLISHED IN A 19th
CENTURY MANUSCRIPT.

STEPHEN ANALYZES
THE INGREDIENTS.

Harris: WOLFSBANE --
IT MEANS "WOLF KILLER."

TRADITIONALLY, THE ROOTS
OF THIS PLANT WERE MASHED UP

AND USED IN ORDER
TO CONTROL WOLVES.

IT AFFECTS YOUR BREATHING,
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM,

AND NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Narrator: BECAUSE WOLFSBANE
IS SO TOXIC,

STEPHEN MUST HANDLE
A DRIED SPECIMEN.

Harris:
THE LONGER IT'S DRIED, THE LOWER
THE POTENCY IS GOING TO BE.

BUT THEY REMAIN POISONOUS
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

Narrator: NEXT, HE FINDS SOME
POPPY SEEDS, POPLAR BUDS,

AND DEADLY NIGHTSHADE.

Harris: ATROPA BELLADONNA --
IT'S A VERY POISONOUS PLANT,

BUT IF YOU APPLY TO A SOLUTION
TO SOMEBODY'S EYES,

THEN THEIR PUPILS
WILL DILATE VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator: WHEN MIXED TOGETHER,

THIS OINTMENT WOULD BE
HIGHLY DANGEROUS.

THIS OINTMENT HAS SOME VERY
DRAMATIC HALLUCINOGENIC EFFECTS.

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO START TO
HAVE ALTERED MIND STATES.

Narrator: THE IDEA OF VAMPIRE
AND WEREWOLF TRANSFORMATION

FASCINATED OUR ANCESTORS.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BODY

WHEN A SUPPOSED SHAPE-SHIFTING
POTION WAS ACTUALLY USED?

WEREWOLF OINTMENT CONTAINS
POWERFUL DRUGS

THAT MIMIC CHEMICAL MESSENGERS
INSIDE THE BODY.

THEY PENETRATE THE SKIN, THEN
LATCH ONTO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM,

WHERE THEY WREAK HAVOC
WITH BODILY FUNCTIONS.

PUPILS DILATE, CAUSING
EXTREME SENSITIVITY TO DAYLIGHT.

BODY TEMPERATURE SKYROCKETS,

AND THIRST BECOMES
ALMOST UNQUENCHABLE.

FINALLY, POWERFUL HALLUCINATIONS
COULD TRIGGER VISIONS

OF TURNING INTO
A BLOOD-CRAZED WEREWOLF.

JOY REIDENBERG INVESTIGATES
HOW A PERSON COULD BE CONVINCED

THAT THEY HAD CHANGED
INTO A MYTHICAL BEAST

BY USING ONE OF THESE POTIONS.

Reidenberg: THIS IS A PLANT
CALLED DOGBANE.

THE SAP IS THE KIND OF
TOXIC SERUM

THAT PEOPLE WERE
PUTTING INTO POTIONS.

Narrator: HOW COULD THIS POISON
HAVE CONVINCED SOMEONE

THAT THEY WERE MORPHING INTO
A DIFFERENT CREATURE ALTOGETHER?

THESE ARE SCANS OF BRAINS,
AND THESE LITTLE SLICES HERE

SHOW YOU
WHERE THESE CROSS-SECTIONS

ARE COMING FROM IN THE BRAIN.

THIS IS A NORMAL BRAIN
OF SOMEBODY

WHO'S LOOKING AT AN IMAGE.

YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S LIGHTING
UP IN THIS ORANGE COLOR

TO INDICATE
THERE'S SOME ACTIVITY HERE.

THIS BRAIN OVER HERE IS
FROM SOMEONE WHO'S TAKEN LSD.

IT'S ALL LIT UP.

LSD HAS SOME OF
THE SAME PROPERTIES

THAT YOU WOULD SEE
IN THE POTION.

THIS IS SENSORY
AND MOTOR OVERLOAD.

THIS IS PROBABLY WHAT WAS
GOING ON WITH THE PEOPLE

WHO TOOK THE POTION.

THEY WERE IMAGINING ALL KINDS
OF HALLUCINOGENIC THINGS.

THIS PERSON IS NOT ONLY SEEING
THAT IMAGE,

THEY WERE SENSING IT,
HEARING IT, SMELLING IT.

Narrator: BUT YOU DIDN'T NEED
A HALLUCINOGEN TO BELIEVE

IN SHAPE-SHIFTING MONSTERS.

WEREWOLVES AND VAMPIRES
WERE SEEN AS A VERY REAL THREAT.

THERE WERE TRIALS, EXECUTIONS,

AND EVEN SUPPOSED
VAMPIRE EPIDEMICS.

THIS HAPPENED SCORES OF TIMES
IN NEW ENGLAND

THROUGHOUT THE REGION.

Narrator: WHERE DID THE BELIEF
IN VAMPIRE OUTBREAKS COME FROM?

AND WHAT DID PEOPLE THINK
HAPPENED TO THEM

WHEN THESE CREATURES
TOOK A BITE?

♪♪

[ THUNDER RUMBLING ]

Narrator: THE VAMPIRE --

A MONSTER WITH
A TERRIFYING ABILITY

TO RISE FROM THE DEAD
AND FEED OFF THE LIVING.

BUT WHY DID PEOPLE BELIEVE
THAT A SINGLE DREADED BITE

WOULD SEAL YOUR FATE,

A PLACE IN A GROWING
VAMPIRE ARMY?

ACCORDING TO A FRENCH MONK,
AUGUSTIN CALMET,

VAMPIRES WERE OUT TO RECRUIT

AS MANY PEOPLE TO THEIR
DEADLY CLAN AS POSSIBLE.

FIVE YEARS AFTER THE CASE
OF ARNOLD PAOLE,

MORE PEOPLE FROM
THE SAME VILLAGE

STARTED DYING WITHIN WEEKS
OF EACH OTHER.

THEIR MYSTERIOUS DEATHS
CAUSED PANIC AMONG THE LOCALS.

TERRIFIED OF ANOTHER VAMPIRE
ON THE LOOSE,

THE AUTHORITIES DUG UP
17 BODIES

AND BURNED THEM TO MAKE SURE
NONE OF THEM

COULD EVER RETURN
TO INFECT THE LIVING.

AT PERPERIKON IN BULGARIA,

IVO MAEV THINKS THAT AS MANY
AS 1 IN 10 GRAVES

COULD BELONG
TO A SUSPECTED VAMPIRE.

Maev: THE MAJORITY OF
ANTI-VAMPIRE GRAVES

HAVE BEEN MADE
IN SOUTHERN PART OF BULGARIA.

HERE, WE HAVE MORE THAN
OFFICIALLY 20,

BUT IF WE ARE COUNTING
ALL DEVIANT BURIALS,

WE CAN TALK ABOUT HUNDREDS.

WE CAN CATEGORICALLY SAY
THAT BULGARIA IS THE PLACE

WITH THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION
OF VAMPIRE GRAVES

AROUND THE WORLD.

Narrator: IN THE MIDDLE AGES,

BULGARIA WAS
A HOT SPOT FOR VAMPIRISM.

BUT IT DIDN'T STOP
AT THE BORDER.

IN THE 18th CENTURY,
VAMPIRE EPIDEMICS

STARTED TO OCCUR
THROUGHOUT EASTERN EUROPE

IN ALARMING NUMBERS,

STOKING FEAR OF A VAMPIRE ARMY.

TERROR OF THE UNDEAD SOON SPREAD
TO THE NEW WORLD.

IN RHODE ISLAND,
FOLKLORE RESEARCHER MICHAEL BELL

INVESTIGATES A STORY
THAT AFFECTED PEOPLE

ACROSS THREE STATES.

LOCALS WERE DYING
OF SOMETHING INEXPLICABLE,

AND THEY BELIEVED A WAVE
OF VAMPIRE ATTACKS WAS TO BLAME.

MICHAEL VISITS A GRAVEYARD
IN JEWETT CITY, CONNECTICUT,

WHERE MANY VICTIMS
WERE LAID TO REST.

SOMETHING INCREDIBLY STRANGE
HAPPENED HERE

MORE THAN A CENTURY
AND A HALF AGO.

PEOPLE WERE DYING ONE
AFTER ANOTHER.

THIS IS THE GRAVESTONE
OF ELISHA RAY.

HIS FATHER, HENRY B. RAY,
HAD PASSED AWAY.

AND THEN LEMUEL RAY HAD DIED,
FOLLOWED BY ELISHA.

ANOTHER SON, HENRY NELSON RAY,
WAS VERY ILL,

AND IT LOOKED LIKE
HE MIGHT DIE.

Narrator: WITH SO MANY DEATHS,
THE RAY FAMILY WANTED ANSWERS.

THEY BELIEVED THAT THEIR
DEAD RELATIVES

WERE RISING FROM THE GRAVE
TO FEAST ON THEM.

TOWARD THE END OF THEIR LIVES,
THEY WOULD BE COUGHING UP BLOOD.

THERE WOULD BE BLOOD ON
THE CORNERS OF THEIR MOUTHS

AND ON THEIR BEDCLOTHES
IN THE MORNING

WHEN THE FAMILY MEMBERS
WENT IN,

SO IT LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING
WAS LITERALLY SUCKING THE LIFE,

SUCKING THE BLOOD RIGHT OUT
OF ALL THE FAMILY MEMBERS.

THE FAMILY RESORTED
TO THE UNDERLYING BELIEF

THAT IT MIGHT BE
ONE OF THE DEAD FAMILY MEMBERS

WHO WAS CAUSING THE DEATH.

THEY EXHUMED THE BODIES OF TWO
BROTHERS, LEMUEL AND ELISHA RAY.

THEY WERE LOOKING FOR
UNNATURAL SIGNS.

ANYTHING THAT WAS LIQUEFIED,

ANY BODILY FLUID
THAT WAS IN AN ORGAN,

THAT WOULD BE INTERPRETED
AS FRESH BLOOD,

AND APPARENTLY THEY FOUND THEM
AT LEAST IN ELISHA.

Narrator: TO TRY AND
PREVENT MORE DEATHS,

THE BODIES WERE BURNED.

BUT THIS FAMILY WAS JUST
ONE OF MANY

THAT EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE DEATHS
IN A SHORT PERIOD.

Bell: THIS WAS NOT
AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.

THIS HAPPENS THROUGHOUT
THE REGION.

IT WAS BARBARIC BEHAVIOR TO
ACTUALLY COME OUT TO A CEMETERY

AND MUTILATE
YOUR OWN FAMILY MEMBER,

SOMETIMES EVEN EAT THE ASHES

OR INHALE THE SMOKE
FROM THE BURNING CORPSES.

THIS WAS BASICALLY
A FORM OF CANNIBALISM.

MICHAEL BELIEVES A KILLER
DISEASE WAS REALLY TO BLAME.

SOME MYSTERIOUS THING
WAS KILLING ONE PERSON

AFTER ANOTHER.

THE DOCTORS WOULD CALL IT
CONSUMPTION.

LATER, THEY STARTED CALLING IT
PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CURE.

EVEN THOUGH IT WAS
DISCOVERED IN 1882,

IT WASN'T UNTIL THE 1940s
THAT THERE WAS AN ANTIBIOTIC

TO ACTUALLY DEAL
WITH TUBERCULOSIS.

Li: IT WOULD'VE SPREAD
LIFE WILDFIRE.

DISEASES LIKE THAT
SPREAD QUICKLY

BETWEEN PEOPLE
OF DIFFERENT GENERATIONS.

PEOPLE PROBABLY THOUGHT
THAT VAMPIRISM

WAS AT THE CAUSE OF IT.

PEOPLE NEVER BLAMED
THEIR DEAD SIBLINGS.

THE PERSON'S SOUL
HAD BEEN CAPTURED.

IT WAS MORE LIKE THERE WAS
AN EVIL INHABITING THAT CORPSE.

THE VAMPIRE MYTH HAS SURVIVED
INTO THE 21st CENTURY

BECAUSE HUMAN BEINGS
DON'T HAVE A NATURAL PREDATOR.

WE NEED TO BE SCARED.

Narrator: THE VAMPIRE --

THIS TERRIFYING CREATURE
ROSE FROM THE GRAVE

TO SATISFY ITS THIRST
FOR FRESH BLOOD.

IT WOULD ENTER A DWELLING
TO FEED ON THE LIVING,

DRINK THEIR BLOOD,

AND ADD TO THEIR
GROWING ARMY OF THE UNDEAD.

AS EXPERTS OPEN
MORE AND MORE GRAVES,

THE SHOCKING EXTENT OF
OUR ANCESTORS' FEAR OF VAMPIRES

IS FINALLY REVEALED.

THE TRUE STORY OF THE VAMPIRE
ISN'T DRACULA.

IT'S CORPSES THAT REFUSE TO DIE

AND WILL STOP AT NOTHING
TO MAKE YOU ONE OF THEM.

[ SNARLS ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪