How Many Vampires Does It Take to End the World?

What makes a vampire story apocalyptic? What makes an apocalypse story vampiric? And why don’t more vampire stories end with the end of the world? In this episode, Rebecca and Hannah do some vampire math, face their wor(mie)st fears, nail down the difference between zombies and vampires, and rant about haunted houses. Would you survive the vampire apocalypse? Be warned, there might be ancient viruses, antique furniture, human blood farms, and lots and lots of tiny worms.

Come vamps, join us around the campfire.

Content warning: brief mention of suicide in fiction, worms

Major Spoilers:

* I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 1954

* ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975

* Salem’s Lot, directed by Tobe Hopper, 1979

* Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro, 2002

* I Am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence, 2007

* Daybreakers, directed by Peter Spierig, 2009

* The Strain, 2014-2017

* V Wars, 2019

* ‘Salem’s Lot, directed by Gary Dauberman, 2024

Other media mentioned in this episode:

Fiction

* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897

* The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 1959

* Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, 1992

* The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, 2009

Film

* The Last Man on Earth, directed by Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, 1964

* Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, 1968

* The Omega Man, directed by Boris Sagal, 1971

* Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998

* Shadow of the Vampire, directed by E.Elias Merhige, 2000

* Dracula 2000, directed by Patrick Lussier, 2000

* Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2025

TV

* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003

* True Blood, 2008-2014

* Castlevania, 2017-2021

* Midnight Mass, directed by Mike Flanagan, 2021

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This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman

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