African American Vampires

African American vampire beliefs can generally be traced to those of Africa, often via Haiti or other colonies in the Caribbean. Once in America though, particularly in the southern states, vampire legends (and not those of vampiric witches) became somewhat more common. Melton, J. G. (1999). The Vampire Book. 2 ed. p.7-8
== Accounts ==
A story from Tennessee about an old woman whose health constantly improved while that of the children living nearby declined due to her sucking their blood while they slept. 
The fifollet or feu-follet was a type of vampire from Louisiana, and was a will-o-the-wisp derived from incubi and succubi. It was the soul of a dead person who had been sent back to Earth by God to do penance for their sins, but instead decided to attack the living. They would generally only make a nuisance of themselves, but occasionally sucked blood, most often from children. A variant of this tale has the fifollet as the undead soul of a child who died before they could be baptised. 
== Modern African American Vampires ==
Owing to the relative rarity of African American vampire legends compared to other groups in the United States, there have been relatively few African American vampires in modern pop culture. 
In the 1970s, there were a few blaxploitation vampire films. Perhaps the most famous example is Blacula (1972), and its sequel Scream Blacula Scream (1973), staring William Marshall as Prince Mamuwalde (the titular Blacula). Also released was Alabama's Ghost (1972), wherein a vampire rock group fought against a ghost. 
Ganja and Hess (1973), also known as Blood Couple, Double Possession, Black Evil, and Black Vampire, was another blaxploitation vampire film, set in New York. In this film, Dr. Hess Green (Duane Jones) became a vampire after being stabbed by his assistant with an ancient African dagger. 
Other lead vampire roles performed by African American performers include Teresa Graves as Countess Vampira in Vampira (also known as Old Dracula in the USA), and Grace Jones as Katrina in Vamp. 
== Further Reading ==
* Brandon, E. "Superstitions in Vermillion Parish", in The Golden Log
* The Vampire Interview Book: Conversations with the Undead, Gross, E. and Shapiro, M.
* A Phonetic Transcription of the Creole Negro's Medical Treatments, Superstitions, and Folklore in the Parish of Pointe Coupee, Lavergne, R.
* Folk Beliefs of the Southern Negro, Puckett, N.
* The Encyclopedia of Super Villains
== References ==
Category:The Vampire Book
Category:Vampires