Vampire fans will recognized the name Countess Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Hungarian noblewoman who, along with four of her servants, were arrested for allegedly torturing and killing hundreds of girls from 1590 - 1610. Although never confirmed, she was also thought to have bathed in the blood of her victims, who were largely from families of the lower nobility. As a result of her reportedly nefarious deeds, she entered Eastern European folklore as a type of vampire.
Báthory was convicted of her crimes after compelling testimony from numerous claimants. Like many other legends, the passing of history has clouded much of the truth about the supposed vampire. Some say there was no clear evidence of her crimes, others say that there are enough documents that indicate she was guilty, and still others claim that her arrest and imprisonment was politically motivated to bring down the powerful House of Báthory. In any event, she ended up being confined to her castle as punishment where she died a few years later at the age of 54.
It's events like this that make for scandalous and salacious stories "based on fact". One of the types of publishers that used this to their advantage were the men's adventure magazines (aka "men's sweats"). As usual with this example, the title "The Monster Vampires Who Lived on Maiden's Blood" and the accompanying illustration are the main attraction for an otherwise anemic article.
You'll also get a good idea of the demographic targeted for these magazines by taking a peek at what the advertising had to offer.
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| Lili St. Cyr by Bernard of Hollywood. |
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