✨🩸 Hey! Hi! Hello!

In this episode of Chickling Chronicles, we’re sinking our teeth into the bloodlines and fur-covered folklore that gave rise to Twilight’s iconic monsters.

We’ll unearth terrifying origins like Mesopotamia’s restless ekimmu, the Philippines’ winged manananggal, and Greece’s cursed King Lycaon, before fast-forwarding to Dracula, The Wolf Man, Buffy, The Lost Boys, and of course… Twilight.

Why do these creatures endure? What do they represent about desire, rage, and transformation? And most importantly, how can writers still make vampires and werewolves feel fresh without recycling the same old tropes?

So light the candle, sharpen your stake, and maybe grab a silver bullet; we’re diving deep into the true lore that still howls in our imaginations.

🧛‍♂️🐺 If you’ve ever argued Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, or secretly drafted your own monster romance, this one’s for you.

💌 Links & Extras

Curious about my own eerie tale? Check out ⁠⁠linktr.ee/chicklingchronicles⁠⁠ for The Missing Reflection (available now!), plus all my socials, bonus content, and spooky behind-the-scenes ramblings.

📬 Want to tell me your favorite vampire or werewolf story? Drop a ✨, 🩸, or 🐾 in the comments on YouTube or DM me on Instagram. I live for this stuff.

📚 Sources I Used & Further Reading/Watching

Folklore & Myth

• Mesopotamian Ekimmu (restless spirits)

• Babylonian Lilitu / Lilith traditions

• Filipino Manananggal

• Indian Vetala

• Ghanaian Asanbosam

• Japanese Nukekubi

• Greek myth: King Lycaon

• Norse Berserkers and wolf-warriors

Classic Literature & Media

• Bram Stoker – Dracula (1897)

• Sheridan Le Fanu – Carmilla (1872)

• Anne Rice – Interview with the Vampire (1976) & The Vampire Chronicles

• Stephen King – ‘Salem’s Lot (1975), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983)

• Annette Curtis Klause – Blood and Chocolate (1997)

• L.J. Smith – The Vampire Diaries (1991–1992)

• Amelia Atwater-Rhodes – In the Forests of the Night (1999)

Film & TV

• Nosferatu (1922)

• Dracula (1931) – Bela Lugosi

• The Wolf Man (1941)

• An American Werewolf in London (1981)

• The Howling (1981)

• The Lost Boys (1987)

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992 film; 1997–2003 TV series)

• Interview with the Vampire (1994 film; 2022 TV series)

• Silver Bullet (1985)

• Teen Wolf (2011–2017, MTV series)

• Twilight Saga (2005–2008 books; 2008–2012 films)

• The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare (2007–2014 books; 2013 film; Shadowhunters TV, 2016–2019)

Modern Takes & Writing Inspiration

• Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Certain Dark Things (2016)

• Grady Hendrix – The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires (2020)

• Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker – Mooncakes (2019)

• Billy Martin (formerly Poppy Z. Brite) – Lost Souls (1992)

• What We Do in the Shadows (2014 film; 2019– TV series)

• Hemlock Grove (2012 novel; 2013–2015 Netflix series)