Understanding the Early Vampire Community (1997 to 2025)
The term Vampire Community (VC) originally referred to a loose network of websites and message boards that emerged in the late 1990s, centered around real vampirism, a term used to describe individuals who identify as psychic or sanguine (blood-drinking) vampires.
Among the earliest and most influential online resources were:
Sanguinarius.org
Founded in 1997, this became a foundational support site offering FAQs, personal writings, and community resources.
Archived: https://sanguinarius.org
Inanna Arthen’s Page
Created by one of the earliest public voices on real vampirism, writing under the name Vyrdolak, it offered writings and perspectives that later evolved into published work.
https://inannaarthen.com
Vampire Research Institute (VRI)
A smaller project with a message-style guestbook rather than formal articles.
Order of Darkness (OoD)
A message board and IRC network created by Allistar Dargon. Though now defunct, it was one of the first large-scale attempts to organize real vampires socially.
After OoD collapsed, many sought new homes, leading to the foundation of the Hall of Memories (HoM), a central space where displaced members could reconnect. By late 1997, a flurry of new websites and webrings appeared, each with the goal of educating the public, supporting individuals, and networking between like-minded vampires. While many of these were grassroots and individually operated, they helped forge the first sense of a wider network.
During this period, some proposed organizing into a visible social movement, mirroring the civil efforts of LGBTQ, Gothic, or Pagan communities. Amy Krieytaz was one notable voice calling for public-facing advocacy, but this idea was largely rejected. Many within the VC feared that coming out would lead to ridicule, misunderstanding, or even legal scrutiny, particularly in the wake of the Satanic Panic and broader cultural stigma.
Though the term Vampire Community became widely used, some questioned whether it functioned as a true community. Conflict, personal drama, and differing beliefs, especially around what defines a vampire, hindered unity. Nearly every site offered a different definition of vampirism, and without central leadership or shared doctrine, the scene remained highly decentralized. Many who helped shape early VC culture eventually distanced themselves from its politics, while continuing to maintain their websites, friendships, and educational contributions.
In more recent years, the early foundations of the VC have faced significant loss. The death of Sanguinarius, founder of Sanguinarius.org, marked the passing of one of the community’s most beloved and stabilizing figures. Their website, a massive archive of vampire-related writings and support resources, remains partially preserved but is no longer actively maintained.
Following that, the community mourned the passing of Gabrielx in 2024, founder of House Lost Haven and a prominent voice who often spoke publicly on behalf of the community under the banner Voice of the Vampire Community. His leadership, diplomacy, and long-standing involvement helped guide many through the murky challenges of self-definition and external misunderstanding.
What survives of the original VC has largely condensed into a smaller number of active spaces. Some key current resources include:
Vampire Community News (VCN)
A Facebook-based group that shares news, events, and updates from across the modern VC.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vampirecommunitynews/
The Vampyre Coven
A more recent effort to catalog, archive, and explain the vampire community in its modern form, including listings of houses, organizations, and educational materials.
https://thevampyrecoven.com/what-is-all-this-vampyre-community-stuff-about-anyways/
While the Vampire Community has changed and fractured over time, it continues to evolve, driven by those still committed to education, mutual respect, and support for those walking this unusual path.