BLOOD LOST

Carol Page’s Blood Lust Reviewed

Carol Page, an American journalist, wrote the following to Seán Manchester on 20 October 1989: “It is clear that you have a great deal of knowledge and experience with the subject [of vampirology] and I will gladly devote an entire chapter in my book to your work.” They met in a London suburb for a little under two hours on 15 November 1989. This was the only time they held a conversation. It became apparent that Page was out of her depth and knew nothing about either vampirology or vampiroidism. Despite employing Seán Manchester’s work to provide, albeit in altered form, one fifth of the text for her book, she failed to mention him in her acknowledgements and would not supply him with a complimentary copy when her book was published. She requested the loan of some photographs, two of which were not returned, and none of which were used as her book contains no illustrations. Page wanted inside information about the subculture, and anything vaguely sensational. She was to be disappointed. It was explained that Seán Manchester is a researcher into supernatural phenomena and that his published work The Highgate Vampire might best inform her about his modus operandi. During the meeting, conducted in an indoor café, Page wore exceptionally dark sunglasses (as in the picture above) which made it impossible to see her eyes. Seán Manchester had no real wish to constantly look only at his own reflection and, therefore, averted his gaze from time to time. Page makes an issue of this in her book. She is indescribably petty. It is indeed incredible that her book ever came to be published. Save for the text devoted to defaming the VRS president, her effort dwells on a few vampiroids she met plus a catastrophic television show beamed by satellite from Budapest to the USA on which Seán Manchester, while invited, declined to appear. His instinct, once again, proved correct.

Having by now met Seán Manchester and absorbed his work from cover to cover, Page wrote on 23 February 1990: “The chapter about your work is based on your book, The Highgate Vampire, and the transcript of the interview we did in November.” It is nothing of the sort, needless to say. Her letter continued: “I told [Julian Henriques of the BBC] that I did not think any look at the modern vampire ‘scene,’ if you will, was complete without a look at Seán Manchester and his work. I hope that is all right with you.” This was written by Page an entire three months after she had met Seán Manchester, and long after she had read and absorbed the contents of The Highgate Vampire. She concluded her letter with the following sentence: “Your work in this area is important and I congratulate you for taking the time to do it.” (To obtain a copy of this letter, send a SAE in the UK, or one IRC).

However, when she came to write her book she wrongly attributed the damage to tombs at Highgate Cemetery, not to those persons actually convicted of such crimes, but to the VRS president whom she portrays in what can only be described as defamatory terms. Seán Manchester has not been convicted of any crime or misdemeanour. She also claims that he has been banned from entering Highgate Cemetery. This, again, is completely untrue as the Friends of Highgate Cemetery will gladly confirm. It is hardly surprising that her publishers are not interested in reprinting her book. It misinforms and offends.

The catalogue of distortions and half-truths in her book will not be dignified with too much repetition, save that one of the milder inaccuracies ~ the false attribution that Seán Manchester considers Lady Caroline Lamb to be a vampire ~ is not untypical of the journalistic style employed. Her attention to what is a matter of public record took a very poor second place to the agenda which Seán Manchester describes in his vampirological guide as being reliant on “squalid sensationalism, silly gossip and malicious falsehood.” He also raises the very significant point that “Page sought no comment” from him “on any of the charges she brings.”

Readers of her book were quick to voice their disapproval. A representative sample follows:

“I would treat anything this woman said with the utmost scepticism.”

~ Clare Emmett, Norwich, Norfolk, England.

“Regarding Highgate Cemetery, as I recall, the criminal damage was done by [name deleted], not Manchester who I believe was on record then as attempting to counter [the true offender’s] odd behaviour.”

~ Phædra Kelly, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, UK.

“I have pretty much concluded that Ms Page doesn’t care about what she has written, she is only waiting for royalties.”

~ Dorion Cable, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

“She is snide and condescending, both to the people she interviews and to the reader. She incessantly states her own opinions, interpretations, and snotty comments at every opportunity.”

~ Chad Savage, San Francisco, California, USA.

“She’s not at all objective and it definitely colours the way she writes. She takes things I said so far out of context that even though I said certain things they have a totally different meaning than I meant. Carol took one isolated incident and exaggerated it and made me out to be bi-sexual, which I am not. … Sexual preference is a big thing to her, all through the whole book. It seems what Carol wanted to write about was sex, not ‘vampires.’ … I don’t appreciate being used as a tool to sell her book.”

~ Shannon, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

(Shannon, like Seán Manchester, was interviewed by Carol Page for Blood Lust.)

Rob Brautigam commented at the time: “Those guys at ‘prestigious’ Harper Collins [publishers] must have been asleep on the job when they decided to accept such a worthless book for publication.” Jeanne Youngson, who had collaborated with Page throughout the production of the book, wrote in her Count Dracula Fan Club newsletter in January 1992: “I’m sure some people envy Carol Page. It’s not often one can get a book published and get paid for it while shooting down people one doesn’t like.”

Meanwhile, Seán Manchester has, of course, revealed the whole Blood Lust saga in a chapter of his concise vampirological guide, The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook. He closes his response to Page with this comment: “Having acquiesced to her request for some of my time and having been made the subject of one fifth of her text, my only reward was to be labelled ‘depraved’ and ‘the true evil that occurred in Highgate Cemetery’.” It is indeed a most curious way for a new author to show gratitude for help given.