Have you ever wondered why vampires hate garlic? Or why they can't look at mirrors? And, while we're on the subject, do you remember the classic film Dracula Meets the Outer Space Chicks? If any of these questions have kept you in movie theaters for hours or up until dawn with a page-turning horror tale, you are not alone. Vampires have recaptured the hearts and minds (and necks) of millions of people all over the world. And now, David J. Skal, the bestselling author of Hollywood Gothic, tells us everything about the fiendishly fascinating creature known as the Vampire. Here's the real story behind those wooden stakes, Nosferatu, and the children of the night. Here, too, are zombies, bats, crypts, Bram Stoker, satanic rites - even the psychosexual roots of Dracula lore.