In her Letter from the Balkans in November's issue of Harper's, entitled 'Twilight of the Balkans: Hunting the Real-Life Undead' Téa Obreht takes us through the history of real folk vampire stories from Eastern Europe. Far from the romance of Dracula's inspiration, Vlad the Impaler, the vampire story originally comes from peasants who were believed to rise from the dead and feast on their fellow villagers. They'd look more like a fat drunkard from a Bruegal or Bosch painting than a lithe, aristocratic Gary Oldman or Christopher Lee.
In the age of Twilight and Sookie Stackhouse, it's refreshing to return to the gritty folk elements of the legend.
You can read about one of the most famous Serbian vampires here. His name was Petar Blagojevic, and besides having a horribly coiffed head of hair, his resurrection was witnessed by officials from the Austrian Empire, a reputable source if I've ever heard of one.
If your tastes are more domestic, check out this entry on O.T.I.S. about Rhode Island's own vampire, Mercy Brown.
Here's another historical account of a Serbian vampire, named Arnont Paule.
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