The 18th century âvampire epidemicsâ in Central and Eastern Europe are mentioned in a (deleted) scene between Professor Von Franz, Dr. Sievers and Friedrich Harding, where the Professor asks Sievers to share Glaserâs account on the âpestilent revenants of the eastern frontiers of the Hapsburg Empireâ.
Glaser was a âContagions-Medicusâ (a sort of infectious disease specialist) send to investigate epidemic outbreaks in a small village in Serbia. His conclusion: a vampire was the cause (and his report is available online). Based on his scientific views (âcontagionismâ), Glaser âmedicalizedâ vampirism as an infectious disease; the bite of a vampire would turn others into vampires; which created a new vampire myth, inspired countless writers to this day, including Bram Stoker.
Since this doesnât apply to âNosferatuâ (2024) and Count Orlokâs victims just die of plague and to become a vampire in the âNosferatuâ tale, one has to make a Faustian bargain (sell their soul to the Devil), the âaccountâ in the film is also incorrect, on purpose, otherwise it could confuse the audience:
âA plague ravaged the countryside. The alleged cause... a walking corpse that maintained a semblance of life by feeding on the heart blood of the living. Every victim succumbed to death.â
Since this literal contagion of vampirism (thereâs the metaphorical, though) isnât exactly relevant to the narrative of the film, I donât think itâs worth discussing it further. Here are some papers and essays for those interested in learning more about this topic:
Peter J. Bräunlein; âThe frightening borderlands of Enlightenment: The Vampire Problemâ (2012)
ĂdĂĄm MĂŠzes; âDoubt and diagnosis: Medical experts and the returning dead of the southern Habsburg borderland (1718-1766)â (2019) [PDF available online]
ĂdĂĄm MĂŠzes; âVampire Contagion as a Forensic Fact: The Vampires of MedveÄa in 1732â (2020)
Clemens Ruthner; âOutbreaks of the Balkan Village Vampire in the Eighteenth Centuryâ (2024)















