The Ingrid Pitt Bedside Companion For Vampire Lovers (book review).
I looked up publisher Batsford and discovered that they’ve shifted their focus away from horror books. However, they did release ‘The Ingrid Pitt Bedside Companion For Vampire Lovers’ back in 1998. I read one of Pitt’s novels, ‘The Cuckoo Run,’ decades ago and, despite finding a plot deficiency, considered her a capable writer. Pitt employs modern metaphors rather than relying too heavily on archaic language, which enhances comprehension. In this book, she starts with her own history before delving into the subject of vampires.
What sets her work apart is her approach to the subject matter; instead of solely focusing on well-known myths like Dracula and Carmilla, she explores vampire legends from various countries. Though I’m not sure I’d classify Kali as a vampire, the book broadens the scope of what we usually associate with the term. Pitt also discusses the phenomenon of consecrated corpses not decaying, drawing comparisons with vampire lore. Inevitably, she compares the three-day resurrection concept to the story of Christ, not to suggest that Christ was a vampire, but to explore how certain mythologies are reinterpreted to endure over time.
Pitt’s examination of significant real-life vampires does shed light on how the myth evolved, but less so on its original propagation. Legends often grow organically without a single point of origin. The fact that so many countries have different vampire myths suggests that these legends likely developed independently. People of the past may not have understood anatomy as we do today, but they knew that blood was essential for life.
I do think that her second section on fictional vampires could have been integrated with her discussion on vampire films. Given that she passed away in 2010 and didn’t return as a vampire, an updated edition is unlikely. It is rather unique that Ingrid Pitt, who portrayed vampires in films, would write on the subject without the use of a ghostwriter. It would have been interesting to see a deeper analysis of the vampire’s appeal, which, at its core, is a predator of humans.
However, I suspect most people wouldn’t actually want to be a real vampire, given the late hours and the constant threat of someone trying to stake you in your coffin, all while hoping for a miraculous resurrection to continue your nocturnal mayhem.
GF Willmetts
August 2023
(pub: Batsford Film Books, 1998. 192 page illustrated indexed mid-size softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 0-7134-8277-X)
check out website: www.batsfordbooks.com
