UK Vampire

Here's another bizarre humanoid encounter, courtesy of researcher Albert Rosales.  While the account mentions the black eyed children, this particular encounter doesn't have too much in common with those cases.  Rather, the description of the primary figure sounds more like the classical, Nosferatu vampire.  Who says there aren't stranger things out there?

There's no source listed for the account, so I'm not sure where it originally appeared.  So there's no way to follow up on further interviews, details, visit the site etc...but this one was to strange to pass up.  Take it as you will, but it's certainly one for the book of weirdness:

"It all began on a beautiful summer day at the beginning of autumn, 1998.  I live in a small town called Grantham in Lincolnshire, U.K.  I was out with a couple of friends and it was coming up to the end of summer holidays.  I was at my friend's house when I decided to nip home to get a drink.  My two friends walked down with me as it was only around the corner--a five-minute walk to my house.  I went in and they waited outside for me...or so I thought!  While I was inside, I had a real thirst on and drank about  three pints of water before going back out to my friends.  When I went back out, there was no sign of my friends.  I looked up and down the street for them.  Down the street, about four houses down from mine, there were a couple of large conifer trees about 18 feet high and overhanging the fence at the front.  As I looked down, I saw two pair of legs, as if two people were backed up in the tree, hiding.  I automatically thought it was my friends messing around, so I stated walking down, shouting that I could see them and to stop messing around.  As I shouted to them, they sort of jumped up over the fence where the conifers were (a feat on its own, really), came out on the other side of the conifers and weirdly jumped over the next fence into the next door garden.  (I say weirdly as the way they jumped; it was more like a dive than climbing.)  When they entered the next garden, they went to a gate at the side of the property, which was about eight feet high, and proceeded to dive jump that too!

I didn't understand how they had done that, but I still wasn't fazed by it and shouted again for them to stop messing around.  Then I had an idea: I'd go down quickly and catch them when they come out of the next garden!  I proceeded on to the next garden and couldn't believe what I was looking at.  There in the garden stood two "people".  At first they looked really odd.  There was a man of about 50 wearing a large trench coat that went down to nearly his feet.  I could see he had large black boots on.  As my eyes moved up, I saw his hands; they were very pale and I noticed that his fingernails were very long, like claws, and were really dirty, like a yellow colour.  Next I saw its head.  It was bald on top and at the sides had long, black, greasy hair down to its shoulders.  Its mouth was open enough to show sharp yellow teeth, and it had a large pointed nose!  That's when I noticed the eyes--jet black eyes that you would never believe if you hadn't seen them.  I instantly froze to the spot.  It felt like time froze.  No one was around, nothing moved, no wind, and all I could do was stare in its eyes and I knew it was staring right back at me.  I was aware of the other one near it.  "He" was younger and dressed in more modern clothes of the time, as in trainers, popper trousers, a big blue puffa jacket and a baseball cap.  I didn't see that one's face as I was stuck staring into those deep, endless pits there were the eyes of the first thing.  I will tell you now that I have never felt so terrified in my life!  After what felt like hours, I managed to break my gaze and run home.

When I got indoors, I cried my eyes out.  I think it was the shock.  The horror of knowing these things are wandering around in broad daylight!  I never knew what they were until last night when I discovered the stories of black-eyed children.  After reading some of the stories, I realize I was quite lucky that it wasn't a night time door visit and hope I never experience it again!"

 

The Vampire of Serbia

In the western part of Serbia, the small town of Zarozje is in the midst of a public health concern.  The threat?  A vampire.
While it may sound like the plot of a horror movie, town Mayor, Miodrag Vujetic is convinced that the vampire legend is real and released an official warning to residents.  Locals have been warned to take all necessary precautions and to stock up on garlic and crosses.  "We are all very frightened" the Mayor said when he told locals to hang crosses on their walls and to place the garlic around all doors and windows.

The supposed Vampire's name is Sava Savanovic.  Local lore has been filled with stories of the reputed vampire for years.  Savanovic lived in an old water mill on the Rogacica river.  Legend says that when visitors came to the mill in search of grain, they would fall victim to the bloodlust of Savanovic and his vampiric needs.
The mill sat empty for years, owned by a local family  who was afraid to use it for fear of disrupting the slumbering vampire.  Left to the elements, the building rotted and collapsed.  It's the destruction of the building that has re-ignited fears of the vampire.  Locals believe that the now homeless vampire is angry and on the prowl for fresh blood.

While some townspeople view the legend as a creative way to build tourism, many are actually worried about falling victim to the vampire.  They wear crosses, carry garlic in their pockets and warn visitors about the undead entity roaming the vicinity.  Some locals claim that they've heard the vampire walking in the nearby forest.  Adding to the tension in the area, five people have died recently, one right after another.  While one of the deaths was a suicide, some members of the community are proclaiming that the deaths are not accidents and are indeed connected to the legendary, angry vampire.

While the vampire is a popular fictional character in western horror movies, the view of these undead creatures is quite different in Serbia and its neighboring countries. 
Most scholars believe that vampire myths were created as a result of people trying to understand the mysteries of death.  Medical mysteries, death and decomposition of the body all contributed to the mythological lore of the vampire.  While science has explained many of these mysteries over the years, the power of cultural traditions does not easily fade away.  Eastern Europe is the home of vampire lore and the long history of the bloodsuckers dates back to at least the 1700's.  If recent
stories like this one are any indication, vampires are here to stay, at least in Serbia.