The Highgate Vampire

In the late 1960s, Highgate Cemetery became the center of a supernatural panic. Visitors reported seeing a tall, dark figure with glowing eyes among the Victorian graves.

In 1970, rival vampire hunters descended on the cemetery. A mass hunt on March 13 attracted hundreds. Over following years, graves were broken into, corpses mutilated, and occult materials found.

How much was genuine phenomena, hoaxers, or media attention remains debated. The Highgate Vampire represents a modern vampire panic, complete with sensationalism and competing “experts.”