I have a fond memory of going to the hospital for a bad flu when I was in college and my friend reading Carmilla out loud to me as I got IV fluids. Lying weakly in bed while a lovely woman read me a lesbian vampire story was a pretty solid way to hear that story.
"Just because something's legal doesn't mean it's morally right." Beautifully said. And the same can be said of something being illegal doesn't mean it's morally wrong.
Ugh. First Kill still hurts. Seeing that kind of authentic black queer main character (and family) representation was SO SPECIAL. I know it was cheesey, but I can't help how important that sort of thing feels. So wish we had been able to see more.
Love this trope but there was something that Jessica said that made me laugh. 'If it was a child yesterday, it's a child today. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it is morally right.' It made me think of Leo and his young girlfriends.
Recently, the Castlevania animated series on Netflix was great for queer representation, and lesbian vampires were not there for titulation, but their shared goals and lives together.
Oh man Striga I’m always excited to see lesbians in the media I watch, *especially* if they lean butch. Striga probably still appeals to the types of straight dudes who love the muscle women in Dorohedoro but idc Striga’s for the sapphics
@@jessicaoutofthecloset Too true. Apparently the original script of The Hunger had Susan's character get drunk so that Catherine had license to take advantage of her. Susan objected (as noted in the documentary The Celluloid Closet) saying, and I'm paraphrasing here, that gender and orientation is irrelevant - who would not want to get it on with Catherine Deneuve?
i recently read the book carmilla. it is very heavily written with lesbian subtext and mentions MANY romantic gestures, such as this: "sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like the ardor of a lover; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet over-powering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, "you are mine, you shall be mine, you and i are one forever." " the fact that people thought this was just lovely friendship is preposterous. i mean, LOOK AT THIS PASSAGE.
Carmilla has a special place in my heart, as the story isn't just about a lesbian vampire, but is also implied to take place very close to where I was born and grew up. When I visit back home and see Riegersburg castle standing atop what used to be a volcano, I can see very well why Le Fanu imagined vampires and other supernatural beings there. Fun fact: it was also the site of one of the largest Austrian witch trials. Second fun fact: initially, Bram Stoker also intended to have Dracula be set in that area in the south of Styria.
I am bisexual, disabled and in love with all things dark. As I was a preteen growing into a teenager, I searched for books and movies and shows that portrayed all or most of my feelings. Obviously vampire obsession followed. There’s significantly more queer characters in vampire lore, for male/female/+ . I devoured Anne Rice’s books and grew into my bisexual, goth, 32 yo badass self. Complete with custom vampire teeth (removeable). No dad, it was not a phase.
Of course Jessica would choose to explore lesbian vampires, not for Halloween as is traditional for vampires, but for Valentine's Day : ) Well Done. (Yes, I know it's a week late, but sometimes Jessica's life has speed bumps.)
Thank you for this comment. I was trying to figure out why I was familiar with the story! I knew it was some media I consumed in my Tumblr phase of life, and I could not remember for the life of me. Thank you!!
Imagine not being able to have a lie in without being labelled a vampire. Although I would rather be labelled a vampire than "lazy" for having depression. 😅
10:39 The original folklore stories kinda gave a foothold to that. People believed that a vampire (now a bloated corpse possessed by evil) would come back to their spouse *not only to drink blood*
There was a series with lesbian, gay, and bisexual characters that were all sorts of mythical creatures that I loved. It was called Lost Girl. It was made in Canada. It started in 2010 and went till 2016.
I still remember when my grandma recommended the film "Vampire lesbian vampire killers" to me when I was maybe 14? she was just trying to connect but still... not a not awkward conversation
I just need you to know that I've been screaming at the top of my lungs about the 18th birthday obsession thing and it was SO validating to hear you express my exact argument out loud, I feel like I'm losing my mind when I discuss that topic with people sometimes
This is lovely. I just read an article about this history of the lesbian cheerleader trope, and it’s super interesting to see what tropes have been associated with lesbians over time.
How did I never see this before? Not the lesbian vampyr trope- excellent video, love it - but the fact that a crossover with you & Kaitlin Doughty (Ask A Mortician) would be fantastic! Your presenting styles are so complementary. Please? It'd be great!
Who else here was read “Fledgling” by Octavia Butler? Technically not about lesbian vampires, but written by a lesbian and adult Ina (vampires) are in complex, often bisexual polyamorous relationships with human and Ina alike.
This topic is near and dear to my heart. In case anyone doesn’t know, Carmilla is available to read for free online, and is really short! Would also urge everyone who likes this video and hasn’t watched Buffy to do that now! It’s so so good. (Also shoutout to the spin-off Angel for giving more scenes to iconic queer-coded vampire gals Darla and Drusilla)
Carmilla has a speech in the book in which she states unapologetically that she is the way that she is because that is her nature. Well, it's subtext, she and Laura are discussing a 'plague' of her killings, but I like the speech anyway.
Not related to lesbians specifically, but there is a queer interpretation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" that isn't that unfounded: Stoker was a manager of a theatre actor with whom he had an odd relationship. His protégé was known to be a vain and self-absorbed person, but Bram nonetheless remained devoted to him and never said a bad thing about him. Stoker's description of Dracula in the legendary novel is definitely based on this actor (the overlap is too huge to overlook) and some suspect that predatory nature of The Count is a metaphor for repressed homosexual attraction to him. It's also interesting to note that Bram wasn't just a *good manager*. He was so successful in the endeavour papers at the time attributed his protégé's popularity to Stoker's hard work. If someone is interested in more, a channel called Biographics is where I have learned about it and the video on Bram Stoker the have is awesome.
Why do bad things (and bad movies) always happen in a Norfolk village? (Granted, small East Anglian villages are spooky at night!) Wonderful video! I loved that you gave the history behind vampire stories and tropes before talking about the movies. As always, your humorous side commentary is brilliant and your serious commentary is thought provoking. Thank you for an informative and entertaining video!
Loved the video, this may be a bit off topic but I recently discovered the band 'The Scary B*tches" and they have a song Lesbian Vampires from Outer Space I just wanted to share that its pretty awesome and I'm pretty positive they are on the side of the Lesbian Vampires that are coming from outer space (along with the gayboy vampires) to anihilate the straight boy lesbian vampire killers again I really enjoy your videos, thank you!
I'm so happy you covered Camilla ! Read it as closeted bi in high school and been sad ever since when people forget her :D Was waiting impatiently for the first 5 minutes and you delivered !
The Buffy Vampires backstories was beautifully enhanced by Buffy and Angel running concurrently allowing you to view the same events in Spike, Angel, Darla and Drusilla's back stories from two completely different perspectives.
Love this! I did think it was too bad that you didn’t mention Lost Girl when you spoke about succubi (unless it did appear onscreen and I just missed it-I was giving my cat his medicine while playing the video, and since he’s definitely a vampire- or at least a witch with knives in his feet- it’s important I keep my eyes on the prize during that chore!). And I join you in mourning for First Kill 😢 I also wanted to say that I got a ridiculous thrill when you featured the low FODMAP diet-after developing severe IBS and getting no proper diagnosis or treatment for years, I finally lucked into a GI doc who prescribed the diet a few years ago and utterly changed my life. I almost never see the diet referenced anywhere other than sites specifically dedicated to it, and most people I talk to have still never heard of it. It’s lovely to see it acknowledged!
I've just noticed that the frame around your thumbnails is the same as your wall moldings and bedhead. Holy shit, that's thorough! That's dedication! So much respect!
I legit love "lesbian vampire killers" its one of my favourite movies of all time! I still use one of the quotes several times a day. "Ive got an idea" "Does it involve girls?" "Its cheap" "yeah, does it! Involve! Girls!?" I say "does it involve girls?" To literally every question ive been asked for the last 10 years hahaha with all the women freed of the vampire curse at the end of the movie, the joke is that fletch was spending the whole movie trying to get laid. So even when the curse is ended, they're still gay, so there is still 0% chance any of them will be interested in him.
So pleased that The Vampire Lovers got mentioned. I went on a binge of films adapted even loosely from Carmilla, of which there are many, and it was the most entertaining and enjoyable. Definite recommendation to any who enjoy cheesey horror films of the era.
Fun fact, Carmilla and Laura's relationship was loosely based on real people. Le Fanu found letters written by one of them and lifted full paragraphs from what she wrote for the story. It's all detailed in the annotated version by Carmen Maria Machado which should be pretty easily available.
Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Machado frames the story as based on real letters as an homage to Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and how her claimed the original story came from the letters of a doctor. It's also a way to reclaim the story and make it more openly queer.
@@Karnsteinband It's nothing to be annoyed with yourself about, Carmen Maria Machado's backstory is pretty convincing and there isn't any mention that Machado is embellishing the story's origins within the book. The first time I read that version of Carmilla I was tricked too and I only found it it wasn't true because I wanted to learn more about the women it was based on.
If you want to hear more about the history of vampires & their folkloric origins, I recommend the “Vampirology” episode of Alie Ward’s Ologies podcast - it’s great!!!
I love this! By the way, have you seen Owl House? Just below lesbian vampires, I think pan-sexual and bi sexual witches is trope pretty high on the queer supernatural list and defiantly worth exploring (could technically include Willow as a bi witch?)
I'm so glad you liked First Kill, although I'm sad that means you share my sadness that it wasn't renewed. I get why it wasn't for everyone, but it was good cheesy fun for me, and I found both leads very likeable and was excited to see how they'd navigate their very complicated relationship(s). Big bummer.
First I played D&D. Then I moved into the Vampire: the Masquerade series of table-top RPGs. As an asexual, my favorite part of this was that the undead stopped feeling the urges of the flesh. Food tasted like ash, drink tasted like dust, and nobody cared about sex. Vamps could be very pretty and charismatic, and they knew how to manipulate mortals with sex, but they never personally wanted it. When I started running the games, instead of playing in them, sex was ALWAYS a source of trauma, whenever encountered. (Characters were encouraged NOT to harm people, so as to avoid descent into raving monsters.)
BVTS really went there re: bisexuality. For the 90s, I mean. Virtually every character had a same sex attraction to SOMEONE.Giles and Joyce were the maybe possible exceptions. I say maybe because Ethan Rayne clearly had a thing for Ripper, and really, who knows?
I was not aware you were a BTVS fan, cool :-) I also watched True Blood, mostly for Lafayette & Tara, hated the last few seasons. I haven't watched The Hunger starring Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve but I think it also has a strong "lesbian vampire theme?
I was so excited to see this topic. Studying vampires has been a hobby of mine for around 30 years and I'm currently compiling research for a trilogy of books I'm going to write about them. :)
I love BTVS!! Have you noticed all the Buffy book series that have been coming out the past few years. It's insane for a show that hasn't been on the air in so love. I'm so happy. Also, I love these videos!
@verilybitchie has two great videos called "The Lesbian Vampire in Film (A Deep Dive)" and "A Bisexual History of Dracula" that I think could serve as great companion pieces to this. Also, @MavenoftheEventide is an excellent channel that I recommend if you're in need of more vampire analysis.
Yoko, the Vampire girl with John Lennon glasses, was actually supposed to be the co-captain to Enid in the Poe Cup til Bianca intervened by garlic bread
Good timing! I went to my local queer bookshop for the first time a few weeks back, picked up Carmilla and read it that same weekend, so still very much in the mood to hear more of the history :D
A delightful subject! Arigatou, thank for what you did ( and also for what you did not🤫) discuss regarding the lesbian vampires! i loved reading Camilla! She is so much more enjoyable as a character than the troped out, leather-clad, psychotic lesbian /bi vampires of this century.
Buffy x Faith won the series top Sexual Tension Award in the Buffering podcast. This married couple do a terrific job talking BTVS ep by ep with particular interest in feminist and LGBTQ themes. The podcast is so much fun!
I was so happy when you mentioned Carmilla the book but how could you not mention Carmilla the webseries? It was so amazing!!!! Anyways much love for all you do!
The vampires in Whitewolf's World Of Darkness are asexual, and use their sexual characteristics as another way to simply manipulate the mortal Kine of the world.
And carnal relations with mortals were at a minimum very heavily frowned upon, at least by the Camarilla. I remember there being pejoratives for Kindred who did this sort of thing.
Very interesting! I’ve been binging the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs which is so freaking good by the way! Highly recommend. And it has vampires in it as well as fae, werewolves and other Native American mythical creatures. This video came at the perfect time!
I wonder where the film "The Hunger" would fall on your scale; I feel like it's right in the middle of "exploitation for straight men" masking a lot of "actually for gay women." (I certainly know it gave me some....feelings I wasn't sure I understood as a teenager!) I think it's interesting how the Anne Rice books in the '80s both played with this trope *and* the trope of gay male vampires. I haven't seen the new streaming "Interview" series yet, but it apparently leans into that.
My first introduction to vampires was Young Dracula. In my opinion, BBC sci-fi and fantasy programmes are some of the best programmes out there, compared both to other sci-fi and fantasy programmes, and to other BBC programmes, and I think they're criminally under-referenced. Young Dracula, Eve, Wolfblood, Dani's Castle, Wizards vs Aliens, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Heirs of the Night... they're some of my favourite programmes ever, with so much unfulfilled potential for sequels, spin-offs, and fanfiction... can you believe they're even lacking much fanfiction?! What's wrong with people?! And this is only mentioning those aimed at teens and preteens, the BBC also has many great programmes aimed at older audiences, but at least they get a little more appreciation. The Twilight and Buffy series are aimed at teens though, and they get to be cultural phenomenon, so come on!
So much subtext that I missed growing up watching Buffy. I need to get a copy and re watch it. Absolutely love the video and am always in awe of your . Well. Everything. You inspire me. Can't wait to see your next video
Great video! ❤️ I recognized the picture of the sailors going to their deaths with a siren song - it is from the book “The Odyssey” by Homer. I learned a lot from Jessica on lesbian vampires. 😊 Now, I need to go check out the book about Carmella. Sounds like a great read! 😊
Always funny how most classic monsters were made with the idea of showing how the scary foreigners and gays are destroying men and corrupting the purity of white women and everyone consistently went, "Actually, that's hot."
There was a show out from the BBC that was called "Lady Killers" it was about women who murdered. I pointed out that it should have been called "Killer Ladies" because "Lady Killers" implies it is the ladies who are being killed. Now we have a title that is even more ambiguous. Are "Lesbian Vampire Killers" homosexual women that kill vampires, Homosexual female vampires who kill, or is it the homosexual female vampires who are being killed? Or are we totally messed up and these are Vampires from a particular Greek Island?
Just looking at the title, I also was confused at the specific nature of the protagonists regarding that particular movie. I can remember watching vampire movies as a child, most did not scare me. If the "bat motif" was used, the transformation seemed to happen in a puff of smoke, thus did not overly concern me. However werewolf movies did scare the blank out of me. I definitely have an aversion to any type of body horror movies, even if the main character is a rather attractive wolf😉. Never came across a lesbian werewolf movie, but I am sure that genre is out there, somewhere. Love these "historical" videos that Jessica prepares!
Point of order on Carmilla as the first - It was effectively a novelisation of the 1797 poem Christabel by S.T. Coleridge, a whole century before Dracula!
I'm obsessed with vampires, lesbian or not, coz I mean the queer vibeeeeeessssss. Recently watched Season 1 of the Carmilla web series here on YT and it was excellent.
When I was a tween one of my biggest representations of the modern, sexy vampire was with Twilight. I was never really that into the whole Jacob vs Edward thing. But recently I finished watching Buffy and I'm getting really into the Angel show right now. And, well, the titular character is one of the most attractive vampires to me👀 Spike and Angel are both quite mesmerising to me. Then there's also my attraction towards Willow and Tara, but that's just my bisexuality acting. Not really related to vampires lol. Gosh but strangely enough the idea of sapphic witches and vampires attracts me a bit more than a hunky male vampire. I wanna be a bi wicca and part of Willow's social circle please. Oh, and the amount of quirky and medieval clothes that Willow and Tara wore was amazing. Especially in that musical episode where they're walking on the grass fields of the college wearing those elegant dresses.
The truth is that Carmilla is my favorite vampire and I'm sorry that she's not known enough, only those of us who know about history have her in mind but there are too many vampire fans who don't have the slightest idea who she is and it's a shame, considering Considering everything this character meant to vampires, it would be great to see a new series based on Carmilla
![Breakfast at Tiffany’s is queerer than you think [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dLH7AKn-ZWM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Breakfast at Tiffany’s is queerer than you think [CC]](/img/tr.png)
![The History of Queer Coding [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GsO4fZYHQic/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Original Lesbian // Sappho of Lesbos [CC] [AD]](/img/n.gif)
I have a fond memory of going to the hospital for a bad flu when I was in college and my friend reading Carmilla out loud to me as I got IV fluids. Lying weakly in bed while a lovely woman read me a lesbian vampire story was a pretty solid way to hear that story.
Good friend!
"friend"...
You and said "friend", wouldn't happen to be "Room-mates" now?
Sounds positively dreamy
Sorry you had to be in the hospital, flus suck
Hospital stays are indeed the best opportunities to enjoy lengthly vampire stories. You are exceptionally lucky for having such a caring friend.
This is perfect because my wife has a spreadsheet of lesbian vampire movies rated by how good they are at lesbian, vampire, and movies
would your wife be willing to share 👀that sounds fun and very useful
I'd love to see a very good sapphic vampire story that is just utterly fails at being a movie 😂
I would deeply like this shared. For science.
"Just because something's legal doesn't mean it's morally right." Beautifully said. And the same can be said of something being illegal doesn't mean it's morally wrong.
Lesbian/queer vampires are a genre of horror I throughly enjoy, they are so extra and dramatic, their love stories are so complex and so complicated
Ugh. First Kill still hurts. Seeing that kind of authentic black queer main character (and family) representation was SO SPECIAL. I know it was cheesey, but I can't help how important that sort of thing feels. So wish we had been able to see more.
SAME. That was an amazing show in so many ways. Ugh.
I wish they put more effort into it. It had soooo much potential!
I too loved that show! I wish it was more appreciated (I've seen a lot of people hate on it) and really wish we got Season 2!
Love this trope but there was something that Jessica said that made me laugh.
'If it was a child yesterday, it's a child today. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it is morally right.'
It made me think of Leo and his young girlfriends.
Recently, the Castlevania animated series on Netflix was great for queer representation, and lesbian vampires were not there for titulation, but their shared goals and lives together.
Oh man Striga
I’m always excited to see lesbians in the media I watch, *especially* if they lean butch. Striga probably still appeals to the types of straight dudes who love the muscle women in Dorohedoro but idc Striga’s for the sapphics
Alright, got to watch the last two seasons
Another queer vampire film rec: “The Hunger” (1983) with Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon (and also David Bowie). Loved this discussion!
The list is endless! 👀
@@jessicaoutofthecloset Too true. Apparently the original script of The Hunger had Susan's character get drunk so that Catherine had license to take advantage of her. Susan objected (as noted in the documentary The Celluloid Closet) saying, and I'm paraphrasing here, that gender and orientation is irrelevant - who would not want to get it on with Catherine Deneuve?
i recently read the book carmilla. it is very heavily written with lesbian subtext and mentions MANY romantic gestures, such as this:
"sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like the ardor of a lover; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet over-powering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, "you are mine, you shall be mine, you and i are one forever." "
the fact that people thought this was just lovely friendship is preposterous. i mean, LOOK AT THIS PASSAGE.
In 1981, I did my senior thesis on “The Romantic Lure of Vampires”!
Oh my goodness this sounds fascinating!
Carmilla has a special place in my heart, as the story isn't just about a lesbian vampire, but is also implied to take place very close to where I was born and grew up.
When I visit back home and see Riegersburg castle standing atop what used to be a volcano, I can see very well why Le Fanu imagined vampires and other supernatural beings there.
Fun fact: it was also the site of one of the largest Austrian witch trials. Second fun fact: initially, Bram Stoker also intended to have Dracula be set in that area in the south of Styria.
I am bisexual, disabled and in love with all things dark. As I was a preteen growing into a teenager, I searched for books and movies and shows that portrayed all or most of my feelings. Obviously vampire obsession followed. There’s significantly more queer characters in vampire lore, for male/female/+ . I devoured Anne Rice’s books and grew into my bisexual, goth, 32 yo badass self. Complete with custom vampire teeth (removeable). No dad, it was not a phase.
Hell yeah
anne rice loving goths unite
@@keyaunna. many of the books I found had pretty good queer representation for all, it really opened my world up 🖤
I was upset that Buffy gave Willow a bi-erasure. The 90s, am i right? ugh
I stan this energy so hard 🖤😍
Can’t believe you didn’t talk about Jennifer’s Body. I know that she wasn’t specifically called out as a vampire but it does play into the trope.
"She's just floating, its not that impressive."
Of course Jessica would choose to explore lesbian vampires, not for Halloween as is traditional for vampires, but for Valentine's Day : ) Well Done. (Yes, I know it's a week late, but sometimes Jessica's life has speed bumps.)
Having read Anne Rice’s vampire novels in my 20s, I remember they were awfully homoerotic. I don’t remember much lesbian imagery or themes though.
I'm surprised you didn't cover the Carmilla web series that was here on TH-cam. It was based off the novel and was very explicitly gay and positive
I very much enjoyed this series from Kinda TV. The movie was great as well.
Same! I was waiting to hear this mentioned. It was great and very positive.
Thank you for this comment. I was trying to figure out why I was familiar with the story! I knew it was some media I consumed in my Tumblr phase of life, and I could not remember for the life of me. Thank you!!
NOT JESSICA COMING THROUGH WITH THE SAUCY LESBIAN JOKES!
As a fellow former film student, I Stan this video. 🖤🌈
Imagine not being able to have a lie in without being labelled a vampire. Although I would rather be labelled a vampire than "lazy" for having depression. 😅
10:39 The original folklore stories kinda gave a foothold to that. People believed that a vampire (now a bloated corpse possessed by evil) would come back to their spouse *not only to drink blood*
There was a series with lesbian, gay, and bisexual characters that were all sorts of mythical creatures that I loved. It was called Lost Girl. It was made in Canada. It started in 2010 and went till 2016.
I still remember when my grandma recommended the film "Vampire lesbian vampire killers" to me when I was maybe 14? she was just trying to connect but still... not a not awkward conversation
I just need you to know that I've been screaming at the top of my lungs about the 18th birthday obsession thing and it was SO validating to hear you express my exact argument out loud, I feel like I'm losing my mind when I discuss that topic with people sometimes
This is lovely. I just read an article about this history of the lesbian cheerleader trope, and it’s super interesting to see what tropes have been associated with lesbians over time.
How did I never see this before? Not the lesbian vampyr trope- excellent video, love it - but the fact that a crossover with you & Kaitlin Doughty (Ask A Mortician) would be fantastic! Your presenting styles are so complementary. Please? It'd be great!
Two brilliant, pale women who look great in red lipstick and love the macabre with a good helping of social commentary!
Twilight.
A romantic tale in which a woman has to choose between necrophilia and beastiality - Fun for the whole family 😳
🙂🐿🌈❤️
Ahh trueee foulll
I actually wrote my final undergrad paper on Lesbian Vampires!! So glad to see your video as I prepare myself for the presentation of my project :-)
Who else here was read “Fledgling” by Octavia Butler? Technically not about lesbian vampires, but written by a lesbian and adult Ina (vampires) are in complex, often bisexual polyamorous relationships with human and Ina alike.
This topic is near and dear to my heart. In case anyone doesn’t know, Carmilla is available to read for free online, and is really short! Would also urge everyone who likes this video and hasn’t watched Buffy to do that now! It’s so so good. (Also shoutout to the spin-off Angel for giving more scenes to iconic queer-coded vampire gals Darla and Drusilla)
Carmilla has a speech in the book in which she states unapologetically that she is the way that she is because that is her nature. Well, it's subtext, she and Laura are discussing a 'plague' of her killings, but I like the speech anyway.
Not related to lesbians specifically, but there is a queer interpretation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" that isn't that unfounded:
Stoker was a manager of a theatre actor with whom he had an odd relationship. His protégé was known to be a vain and self-absorbed person, but Bram nonetheless remained devoted to him and never said a bad thing about him. Stoker's description of Dracula in the legendary novel is definitely based on this actor (the overlap is too huge to overlook) and some suspect that predatory nature of The Count is a metaphor for repressed homosexual attraction to him. It's also interesting to note that Bram wasn't just a *good manager*. He was so successful in the endeavour papers at the time attributed his protégé's popularity to Stoker's hard work.
If someone is interested in more, a channel called Biographics is where I have learned about it and the video on Bram Stoker the have is awesome.
The youtube series Carmilla was such a good retelling of Carmilla
Why do bad things (and bad movies) always happen in a Norfolk village? (Granted, small East Anglian villages are spooky at night!) Wonderful video! I loved that you gave the history behind vampire stories and tropes before talking about the movies. As always, your humorous side commentary is brilliant and your serious commentary is thought provoking. Thank you for an informative and entertaining video!
Loved the video, this may be a bit off topic but I recently discovered the band 'The Scary B*tches" and they have a song Lesbian Vampires from Outer Space I just wanted to share that its pretty awesome and I'm pretty positive they are on the side of the Lesbian Vampires that are coming from outer space (along with the gayboy vampires) to anihilate the straight boy lesbian vampire killers again I really enjoy your videos, thank you!
I'm so happy you covered Camilla ! Read it as closeted bi in high school and been sad ever since when people forget her :D Was waiting impatiently for the first 5 minutes and you delivered !
i recently read it this past month!! absolutely loved it and it has become one of my favourite novels!
The fact that for lesbian werewolf you put Rory from the Werewolves pack made my Simming heart happy!
The Buffy Vampires backstories was beautifully enhanced by Buffy and Angel running concurrently allowing you to view the same events in Spike, Angel, Darla and Drusilla's back stories from two completely different perspectives.
Love this! I did think it was too bad that you didn’t mention Lost Girl when you spoke about succubi (unless it did appear onscreen and I just missed it-I was giving my cat his medicine while playing the video, and since he’s definitely a vampire- or at least a witch with knives in his feet- it’s important I keep my eyes on the prize during that chore!). And I join you in mourning for First Kill 😢
I also wanted to say that I got a ridiculous thrill when you featured the low FODMAP diet-after developing severe IBS and getting no proper diagnosis or treatment for years, I finally lucked into a GI doc who prescribed the diet a few years ago and utterly changed my life. I almost never see the diet referenced anywhere other than sites specifically dedicated to it, and most people I talk to have still never heard of it. It’s lovely to see it acknowledged!
I was obsessed with Lost Girl! I swear that show had something for everyone.
Lost Girl was such a good show. It really should have gone on longer than 5 seasons.
I've just noticed that the frame around your thumbnails is the same as your wall moldings and bedhead. Holy shit, that's thorough! That's dedication! So much respect!
She is all about the aesthetic!
I legit love "lesbian vampire killers" its one of my favourite movies of all time!
I still use one of the quotes several times a day.
"Ive got an idea"
"Does it involve girls?"
"Its cheap"
"yeah, does it! Involve! Girls!?"
I say "does it involve girls?" To literally every question ive been asked for the last 10 years hahaha
with all the women freed of the vampire curse at the end of the movie, the joke is that fletch was spending the whole movie trying to get laid. So even when the curse is ended, they're still gay, so there is still 0% chance any of them will be interested in him.
So pleased that The Vampire Lovers got mentioned. I went on a binge of films adapted even loosely from Carmilla, of which there are many, and it was the most entertaining and enjoyable. Definite recommendation to any who enjoy cheesey horror films of the era.
I remember watching Lesbian Vampire Killers during Pride Month as a joke. But afterwards I just felt so hollow after it wasn’t even funny 😅
Fun fact, Carmilla and Laura's relationship was loosely based on real people. Le Fanu found letters written by one of them and lifted full paragraphs from what she wrote for the story. It's all detailed in the annotated version by Carmen Maria Machado which should be pretty easily available.
Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Machado frames the story as based on real letters as an homage to Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and how her claimed the original story came from the letters of a doctor. It's also a way to reclaim the story and make it more openly queer.
@@ornitharts oh interesting, annoyed at myself for not knowing that
@@Karnsteinband It's nothing to be annoyed with yourself about, Carmen Maria Machado's backstory is pretty convincing and there isn't any mention that Machado is embellishing the story's origins within the book. The first time I read that version of Carmilla I was tricked too and I only found it it wasn't true because I wanted to learn more about the women it was based on.
If you want to hear more about the history of vampires & their folkloric origins, I recommend the “Vampirology” episode of Alie Ward’s Ologies podcast - it’s great!!!
I love this!
By the way, have you seen Owl House? Just below lesbian vampires, I think pan-sexual and bi sexual witches is trope pretty high on the queer supernatural list and defiantly worth exploring (could technically include Willow as a bi witch?)
Saw the title and came here to see how quickly Jessica would mention Buffy and Faith, I was not disappointed. 100% canon I agree. 😏
As a lesbian hobbit, I laughed your little mention at the beginning lol 😆. Love you Jessica, Claudia, and Rupert ❤️❤️❤️
I'm so glad you liked First Kill, although I'm sad that means you share my sadness that it wasn't renewed. I get why it wasn't for everyone, but it was good cheesy fun for me, and I found both leads very likeable and was excited to see how they'd navigate their very complicated relationship(s). Big bummer.
First I played D&D. Then I moved into the Vampire: the Masquerade series of table-top RPGs. As an asexual, my favorite part of this was that the undead stopped feeling the urges of the flesh. Food tasted like ash, drink tasted like dust, and nobody cared about sex. Vamps could be very pretty and charismatic, and they knew how to manipulate mortals with sex, but they never personally wanted it.
When I started running the games, instead of playing in them, sex was ALWAYS a source of trauma, whenever encountered. (Characters were encouraged NOT to harm people, so as to avoid descent into raving monsters.)
There was a lovely reimagining of Carmilla as a TH-cam series. They modernized it as a vlog kept my Laura. It was excellent
They made a web series of Camilla, it has 3 seasons
And a movie
BVTS really went there re: bisexuality. For the 90s, I mean. Virtually every character had a same sex attraction to SOMEONE.Giles and Joyce were the maybe possible exceptions. I say maybe because Ethan Rayne clearly had a thing for Ripper, and really, who knows?
I was not aware you were a BTVS fan, cool :-) I also watched True Blood, mostly for Lafayette & Tara, hated the last few seasons. I haven't watched The Hunger starring Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve but I think it also has a strong "lesbian vampire theme?
I love this!! we need more diverse lesbian adaptations, lesbian fiction, lesbian everything
I was so excited to see this topic. Studying vampires has been a hobby of mine for around 30 years and I'm currently compiling research for a trilogy of books I'm going to write about them. :)
I love BTVS!! Have you noticed all the Buffy book series that have been coming out the past few years. It's insane for a show that hasn't been on the air in so love. I'm so happy. Also, I love these videos!
@verilybitchie has two great videos called "The Lesbian Vampire in Film (A Deep Dive)" and "A Bisexual History of Dracula" that I think could serve as great companion pieces to this. Also, @MavenoftheEventide is an excellent channel that I recommend if you're in need of more vampire analysis.
Yoko, the Vampire girl with John Lennon glasses, was actually supposed to be the co-captain to Enid in the Poe Cup til Bianca intervened by garlic bread
Good timing! I went to my local queer bookshop for the first time a few weeks back, picked up Carmilla and read it that same weekend, so still very much in the mood to hear more of the history :D
A delightful subject! Arigatou, thank for what you did ( and also for what you did not🤫) discuss
regarding the lesbian vampires! i loved reading Camilla! She is so much more enjoyable as a character
than the troped out, leather-clad, psychotic lesbian /bi vampires of this century.
YES JESSICA TALKING ABOUT CARMILLA THE OG VAMPIRE. I READ THE NOVEL FIRST WHEN I WAS 15 AND MY ENGLISH TEACHER WAS IMPRESSED
BTVS is still one of my favourite shows. I enjoyed learning from this video, thank you. 💜
Buffy x Faith won the series top Sexual Tension Award in the Buffering podcast. This married couple do a terrific job talking BTVS ep by ep with particular interest in feminist and LGBTQ themes. The podcast is so much fun!
I was so happy when you mentioned Carmilla the book but how could you not mention Carmilla the webseries? It was so amazing!!!! Anyways much love for all you do!
The vampires in Whitewolf's World Of Darkness are asexual, and use their sexual characteristics as another way to simply manipulate the mortal Kine of the world.
And carnal relations with mortals were at a minimum very heavily frowned upon, at least by the Camarilla. I remember there being pejoratives for Kindred who did this sort of thing.
I would love to see your take on the Castlevania animated show and the representation of queerness in that!
Very interesting! I’ve been binging the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs which is so freaking good by the way! Highly recommend. And it has vampires in it as well as fae, werewolves and other Native American mythical creatures. This video came at the perfect time!
This Is a lovely video and Buffy is the better vampire show of all time.
Can I ask/suggest a video on the Life and work of Laurell K. Hamilton?
I wonder where the film "The Hunger" would fall on your scale; I feel like it's right in the middle of "exploitation for straight men" masking a lot of "actually for gay women." (I certainly know it gave me some....feelings I wasn't sure I understood as a teenager!) I think it's interesting how the Anne Rice books in the '80s both played with this trope *and* the trope of gay male vampires. I haven't seen the new streaming "Interview" series yet, but it apparently leans into that.
Oh, and reading Carmilla is a *revelation!*
i enjoyed reading the og Carmilla but the webseries adaption had me in a chokehold at its time
Side-note Jessica, you were missed.
Also, so many pearls.
I became obsessed with the pearls, neat or untidy.
OMG!!!! My uni's sapphic club is having a dance this weekend that is Cowboys vs Vampires themed! This was perfectly timed!
"And I get to talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer" let's be real, that's the MAIN reason you made this one :P
My first introduction to vampires was Young Dracula. In my opinion, BBC sci-fi and fantasy programmes are some of the best programmes out there, compared both to other sci-fi and fantasy programmes, and to other BBC programmes, and I think they're criminally under-referenced. Young Dracula, Eve, Wolfblood, Dani's Castle, Wizards vs Aliens, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Heirs of the Night... they're some of my favourite programmes ever, with so much unfulfilled potential for sequels, spin-offs, and fanfiction... can you believe they're even lacking much fanfiction?! What's wrong with people?! And this is only mentioning those aimed at teens and preteens, the BBC also has many great programmes aimed at older audiences, but at least they get a little more appreciation. The Twilight and Buffy series are aimed at teens though, and they get to be cultural phenomenon, so come on!
So much subtext that I missed growing up watching Buffy. I need to get a copy and re watch it. Absolutely love the video and am always in awe of your . Well. Everything. You inspire me. Can't wait to see your next video
It’s been said the Dracula & Interview With The Vampire books were based on the New England vampire panic of the late 1800s.
Great video! ❤️ I recognized the picture of the sailors going to their deaths with a siren song - it is from the book “The Odyssey” by Homer. I learned a lot from Jessica on lesbian vampires. 😊 Now, I need to go check out the book about Carmella. Sounds like a great read! 😊
Always funny how most classic monsters were made with the idea of showing how the scary foreigners and gays are destroying men and corrupting the purity of white women and everyone consistently went, "Actually, that's hot."
You should watch 'What We Do In The Shadows'. It plays on all the vampire tropes. And it's funny, not scary (because I'm a scaredy cat).
i personally loved the carmilla tv show as a teenager!!
There was a show out from the BBC that was called "Lady Killers" it was about women who murdered. I pointed out that it should have been called "Killer Ladies" because "Lady Killers" implies it is the ladies who are being killed.
Now we have a title that is even more ambiguous. Are "Lesbian Vampire Killers" homosexual women that kill vampires, Homosexual female vampires who kill, or is it the homosexual female vampires who are being killed?
Or are we totally messed up and these are Vampires from a particular Greek Island?
Just looking at the title, I also was confused at the specific nature of the protagonists regarding that particular movie. I can remember watching vampire movies as a child, most did not scare me. If the "bat motif" was used, the transformation seemed to happen in a puff of smoke, thus did not overly concern me. However werewolf movies did scare the blank out of me. I definitely have an aversion to any type of body horror movies, even if the main character is a rather attractive wolf😉. Never came across a lesbian werewolf movie, but I am sure that genre is out there, somewhere. Love these "historical" videos that Jessica prepares!
Point of order on Carmilla as the first - It was effectively a novelisation of the 1797 poem Christabel by S.T. Coleridge, a whole century before Dracula!
I like the idea that vampires live so long that they stop giving a crap about being gay or straight.
immediately knew I would love this video when you read my faith x buffy thoughts right out of my head. THEY ARE EVERYTHING!,
Thank you! Love cultural commentary, and this was just great!
Lesbian/Queer vampires was my favourite topic covered in the Queer for Fear on Shudder.
I'm obsessed with vampires, lesbian or not, coz I mean the queer vibeeeeeessssss. Recently watched Season 1 of the Carmilla web series here on YT and it was excellent.
When I was a tween one of my biggest representations of the modern, sexy vampire was with Twilight. I was never really that into the whole Jacob vs Edward thing. But recently I finished watching Buffy and I'm getting really into the Angel show right now. And, well, the titular character is one of the most attractive vampires to me👀 Spike and Angel are both quite mesmerising to me.
Then there's also my attraction towards Willow and Tara, but that's just my bisexuality acting. Not really related to vampires lol. Gosh but strangely enough the idea of sapphic witches and vampires attracts me a bit more than a hunky male vampire. I wanna be a bi wicca and part of Willow's social circle please.
Oh, and the amount of quirky and medieval clothes that Willow and Tara wore was amazing. Especially in that musical episode where they're walking on the grass fields of the college wearing those elegant dresses.
My mom watched buffy a long time ago so when we got Disney+ she encouraged me to watch it and she highlighted that exact vampire Willow scene for me
Oh my gosh, you mentioned Sanctuary! It’s one of my favorite shows. Dr. Magnus is so amazing.
Love your content!!
Edit: in the CBBC show "heirs of the night" Ivy and the Norwegian girl kiss with little to no build up, strange.
Carmilla was reinvented in the VERY queer web series filmed in a vlog style. Superbly written and executed and wonderfully lesbian.
My best friend since we were 12 worked on the 1999 Carmilla movie and is listed as the director.
I feel so called out as I am currently reading a lesbian vampire novel. lol
Have you read the monstrous-feminine by Barbara Creed? I had to study it for a fantasy fiction course I did at uni.
Fun video! I was hoping you would talk about Carmilla! Also, you need to see Lost Girl.
KindaTV’s Carmilla is so fun too. Natasha Negovanlis’ Carmilla is
~Chef’s kiss~
I miss them ;-; ❤
The truth is that Carmilla is my favorite vampire and I'm sorry that she's not known enough, only those of us who know about history have her in mind but there are too many vampire fans who don't have the slightest idea who she is and it's a shame, considering Considering everything this character meant to vampires, it would be great to see a new series based on Carmilla
Well, I'm at home with covid this week so I guess it's time to rewatch Buffy... love your videos!!
Hope you recover quickly.
@@jennifers5560 thanks :)
The best way to recover, feel better soon! ❤️
I'm still upset Willow was given a bi-erasure, but it was the 90s. Bisexuality was regarded with suspicion and prejudice. Ugh.