Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead [Paperback]

Corvis Nocturnum (Author), Christine Filipak (Cover Design)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2009

The mere mention of vampires used to be enough to make people think of a nocturnal predator. But over the centuries the vampire has changed from monstrous villain to sexual object, for both men and women alike. Allure of the Vampire examines our intimate attraction to these beings in a detailed manner. Now, join occult author Corvis Nocturnum as he reveals the fascinating evolution of this icon as it has lured and enticed us in folklore, film and books from the days of ancient civilization to the living breathing inhabitants of our modern subculture, the vampire community.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Occult researcher and Gothic fantasy artist Corvis Nocturnum has owned an occult shop for several years while he maintained office as the Vice President of the Fort Wayne Pagan Alliance, a faith tolerance organization and acted as Vendor Director/Coordinator for Pagan Pride Day in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has done lectures at various events all over Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois on the subjects in Embracing the Darkness; Understanding Dark Subcultures, work detailing the truth and crossover of alternative lifestyles, gaining the attention of readers all over the world. The grand and great-grandson of a Mason. He remains involved in bringing about public awareness to alternative religions at conventions and universities, by being an invited speaker at a World Religions Seminar at the Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne. He has also been a repeated guest of Dr. Ed Craft on Magick Mind Radio. He was interviewed on Esoteric Radio in January of 2009. He has been an active voice in many dark communities, promoting public awareness on various issues, such as ethics, and explaining away misguided stereotypes. Various writings of his have appeared in newsletters and online groups, and he is currently the publisher of Dark Moon Press and of The Ninth Gate Magazine, a publication featuring fashion and interviews with bands in the Pagan, Satanic, Goth and Vampire communities. He serves as administrator on The Lost Children of the Oubliette, is a member of the Tantric Vampires forum, the Vampirism & Energy Work Research forum, and is also a member of the Voices of the Vampire Community (VVC). He also is co founder of the brick and mortar store, The Ninth Gate, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a May 2009 graduate with distinction from Brown Mackie College with an Associates degree who has made the Dean's List and Honors List several times. In his free time Corvis enjoys creating works of fantasy, pagan, and gothic artwork. He enjoys oil painting most of all. He continues to challenge himself not just artistically but also in the literary world with new writings. He is currently working on new books including some possible fiction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (July 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1448658942
• ISBN-13: 978-1448658947
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Occult, vampire and paranormal researcher Eric R. Vernor, best known to his fans under the pen name Corvis Nocturnum, has been an invited speaker at the 2006 World Religions Seminar at Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne, and the guest panelist for the 2010 Kheperu Open House where he enlightened the convention attendees the misconceptions on Satanism. He has also been a consultant for 2010s A& E's Paranormal States episode Satan's Soldier. Guest panelist at Dragon Con 2011 in Atlanta, GA alongside paranormal and vampire authors such as Michelle Belanger and Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Corvis was on on The BET Channels' episode The Lexi Show on The Word Network, as a spokesperson for the Church of Satan detailing the difference between Satanism as a religion and debunking the myth of Satanists as Devil worshippers.

The author has had appearances in magazines such as the October 2009 Penthouse Magazine article interview on sex and Satanism, Philadelphia Weekly as an artist at Germ Gallery (2009), and he occasionally is a writer for Dark Resurrected Magazine. The author is an artist who lectures on Goth culture, vampires and Satanism's true nature at conventions and universities. He is the founder and publisher of Dark Moon Press. Corvis Nocturnum/Eric R. Vernor has dual associates' degrees in Business Management and Criminal Justice.

Books by Corvis Nocturnum include:

Embracing the Darkness; Understanding Dark Subcultures, (Dark Moon Press, 2005)

A Mirror Darkly, (Dark Moon Press, 2006)

Promethean Flame, (Dark Moon Press, 2008)

Allure of the Vampire; Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead, (Dark Moon Press, 2009)

Cemetery Gates; Death and Mourning through the Ages, (Schiffer Publishing, 2011)

I, Lucifer: Exploring the Archetype and Origins of the Devil, (Schiffer Publishing, 2011)

Satan's Minions: Fallen Angels, Demons and other dark creatures, (Dark Moon Press, 2011)

Haunted Asylums, (Schiffer Publishing, 2012)

Most Haunted: Scariest Places on Earth, (Dark Moon Press, 2012)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sink your fangs into this!, November 6, 2009

By 

Draconis Blackthorne (The Haunted Noctuary) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead (Paperback)

What is perceived when contemplating a vampire... the elegance, charm, intelligence, creativity, and opulence; and/or the stalking terror of a monstrous fiend incarnate... it certainly depends upon the beholder, and which part of the veritable demon is envisioned. Whether characterized by cinematic portrayals or actual practitioners of predation - those at the top of the food chain, and their 'willing' victims...

The text covers the psycho-sexual sociological underpinnings of the vampire archetype in folklore and modern culture, from classic films to vamperotica, to books to music and art, including criminology case histories, as well as blood fetishists in the gothic subculture. BDSM, Dom/sub dynamics, pain and pleasure, which are often a combination of these factors.

Among many more, covered are historic personages Vlad The Impaler Tepes {and the legends spawned of his warrior exploits}, the excesses of 'Blood Countess' Lady Bathory, the revealing motivations behind Bram Stoker's Dracula, eponymous Anne Rice's beautiful creatures, the libertine lifestyle of Lord Byron, Joseph Sheridan LeFanu's revolutionary and stimulating Carmilla, and the zietgeist of Bela Lugosi's and Christopher Lee's depictions, along with the performance art of Theatres Des Vampires, Vlad & Sky, and Anders Manga are discussed.

What really sets this book apart from the plethora of biographical literature commonly available are the insightful observations offered by the author, based upon actual experiences and coalescing with those who actively inhabit this gloomy underworld. Interesting observations are offered by several individuals fascinated with this veritable "devil as a gentleman", as well as those deeming to personafy this image and personality, also including the profitable business of merchandising this proposed horror icon. Also notable are relations of various medical conditions contributing to the historical traits and development of these tales.

The cover features goth model Don Hendrie of 'Mad, Mad House' fame, and is filled with illustrations enhancing the entertaining reading style throughout, providing for much delightful contemplation. Also included are extensive informational sources and multimedia recommendations by the author.

Appropriately arriving shortly before Halloween, Allure of The Vampire provided for some delightful amusement and food for thought, which is appreciated throughout the year. Highly recommended for those hungering for an indulgent overview of the genre.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lively Book on the Undead and the Real, April 27, 2011

By 

SarahLynne (Northeast, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead (Paperback)

Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead by Corvis Nocturnum

Why are we attracted to the vampire? Is it his sensuality, his power, or is it his dark mystique? Corvis Nocturnum's Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead answers these questions and at least a hundred more you'll have after you begin reading this comprehensive tome.

Corvis leaves no coffin (sorry, had to) unturned as he explores the vampire from the earliest superstitions to today's real human living vampire. A three-year study of vampirism through the Vampirism and Energy Work Research Study was conducted by Suscitatio Enterprises, LLC. The Survey results reveal that vampirism has unique and complex factors that cannot be strictly categorized. Corvis does a fine job of isolating and comparing the ideas and beliefs of real vampires across what is a very large community online as well as offline.

As an artist, I personally found the The Vampire in Art chapters intriguing, especially the performance art. I wasn't very familiar with performance art though I'd heard about the various theatres and such. Of course, other art forms are expounded upon.

In Vampire Sexualis, Corvis discusses the psychology of the vampire including Carl Jung's version of the vampire archetype. Jung's description of the vampire archetype helps us understand our own subconscious mind. Those who follow a vampiric metaphysical path to apotheosis will be interested in this section (as well as the Vampires of Our Day). Real night stalkers, modern criminal cases and more are covered in this section also.

Do you want to know the heart and desires of the real vampire? If so, you'll relish reading the Vampires of Our Day. Vampires are inherently sexual creatures and the vampire community naturally overlaps with the BDSM community. Tantric vampirism is common as well as Left-Hand Path practice and even blood magick. Enjoy the fascinating dialog with real vampires in the community. Read some of their intimate thoughts in Vampires of Our Day.

The Appendices offer important links to nonfiction works, vampires in literature, movies, and much more. In my view, the Appendix for the Vampire Community Web Sites and Resources is gold. Listings include real vampire website URL's, podcast links, YouTube, and links for vampire Houses and Courts. Maybe you'll find a vampire House if you are a vampire or donor and seeking a House.

I really enjoyed reading Allure of the Vampire and look forward to reading more of Mr. Nocturnum's books (he's quite the prolific and engaging writer). I appreciate the effort and time he has put into his research.

Kelly Redhead (Kelly Redhead/Sahar DuTak in the Online Vampire Community)

4.0 out of 5 stars Guided tour of vampirism, March 27, 2010

By 

Andrew Valentine (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead (Paperback)

Nocturnum's Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead is a fascinating work, pulling in information from sources as disparate as Freud, Montigue Summers and the published works of real life vampires like Michelle Belanger Vampires in Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices.

I came across Nocturnum's work while researching the sequel to my vampire novel, Bitter Things, and found this book a resource of invaluable information as well as inspiration. The book distills the works of other writers and artists, but I was most impressed with his interviews of real life vampires, with whom Nocturnum has personal relationships.

His exploration of our sexual attraction to the undead is well worth overlooking the poor editing, typos and misspellings which appear on just about every page; there are twice as many provocative thoughts on the page! For example, the explanation he provides about the increase in sales of vampire romance and connecting it with the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, is profound and thought-provoking. And now, whenever I'm interviewed and asked about the reasons for the explosive sales of vampire romance today, Nocturnum's theory comes to me.

Nocturnum is a well-versed tour guide in the dark landscape of vampirism, and Allure serves as an excellent gateway inside.