Monday, May 15, 2023

Fairy Tale Spotlight: No Such Thing as a Vampire [Short Story Review]

"No Such Thing as a Vampire" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1959. It plays heavily into popular vampire themes and tropes.

There are a bunch of superstitious beliefs we all have heard regarding vampires. The repulsion to garlic, the aversion to crosses, and the inability to be active in daylight. This short story has all of those things in play, and it is very important to remember that when going into this story set in the nineteenth century.

The real question of this tale is not so much about a vampire but if they even exist at all. Whether or not they do, something bad is happening, and the truth needs to be figured out. In that respect, the story is very gloomy and dark. It's much like an Edgar Allan Poe story but without the overwritten baggage. I liked it.

The ending of "No Such Thing as a Vampire" was pretty darn satisfying. I would recommend this one if only so you can see how a Poe story could have been better written. You don't need tons of overwritten garbage just to tell your spooky mystery story. Richard Matheson proved that guy wrong in this very interesting horror story.

This blog was written on April 24, 2023.

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6 comments:

  1. Interesting. Monsters exist whether literally monsters or not. It seems that is the point of this grim tale. I'm interested.

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    1. Yes, it has a little debating in it, but the ending really put a smile on my face.

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  2. Poe without the baggage you say... Interesting, I'd like to check this out eventually. Horror done right is rare, I really enjoy it when it is.

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    1. Yes, I really feel like this smacked of Poe but without his usual dumb stuff.

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  3. Vampires may not be real, but there those who spend their lives preying on others. It is not required for their continued existence, rather it is what they desire. They do not care about the damage done, so long as they get what they want.

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    1. Not a bad reply, especially if you had read the story.

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