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*a mysterious dark atmosphere blows onto the board. The cawwing of crows cause readers to cry inexplicably. Some leave their wives, husbands. Some, without knowing why, tune into old editions of 'The One Show', quite possibly to find some semblance of comfort in their damned, disturbed souls, not knowing quite why. Somewhere, the sound of a tin of beans with meatballs being opened causes a wisened old hag living in a dilapidated cottage to gasp in fear for the first time in 207 years...*
 
Just to point out, Brother, that the FTMB has been rather delicate when discussing the Highgate Vampire affair because some participants have been faster with the threat of lawyers and writs than they have with either truth, intelligence or even ability to sue.

In the past, the FTMB has erred on the side of caution when it came to loons screaming about litigation. This case may have been inspirational.
 
brother said:
i have no idea if this is the right place to post this....

if anybody can tell me where i could find the fortean times article on the highgate vampire that would be great.

The most recent article I'm aware of was in FT254 page 20 (October 2009).

brother said:
either its not on the site anymore or i'm being a dumbass. the Search does not seem to be yielding aany results either

It may not as the subject is usually referred to in passing and very oblique terms, for reasons we at not at liberty to discuss. For similar reasons, all or some of any thread discussing it (including this one) are liable to disappear without warning.

Now, as I believe that answers your question I think it'd be best to lock the thread - everyone has been suitably restrained but it rarely lasts long ;)
 
My name is Redmond McWilliams and I'm the founder of the Facebook forum group and page: The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Society. Those already familiar with the case will know that there are essentially two main 'players': David Farrant and Sean Manchester; both of whom have given different versions and opinions of the events concerned.

Sean Manchester insists that the happenings were the result of a blood sucking vampire which was resident in Highgate Cemetery. He went on to write a book in which he claims gives the true account of how he tracked (and eventually destroyed) the vampire to a basement of a derelict neo-gothic mansion on the outskirts of the district.

David Farrant on the other hand rejects the existence of blood sucking vampires and offers the opinion that this was some kind of ghostly or psychic entity; possibly the result of satanic rituals which the cemetery had played host too.

This difference in opinion ultimately lead on to a feud between the two men which remains vigorous to this day; each claims to be a competent exorcist and researcher of the paranormal, and each pours scorn on the other's alleged expertise. They continue to investigate supposed supernatural phenomena, and have both written and spoken repeatedly about the Highgate events, in every medium available; with each stressing his own role to the exclusion of the other.

Other commentators; mainly from fortean or folkloric circles, have regarded the Highgate phenomenon as either: 1. a well-orchestrated hoax; enacted purely for the purposes of pranking a gullible public and generating self-publicity for all those involved, or 2. a pre-existing (but nonetheless verifiable), common-or-garden ghost story/local urban legend that subsequently got blown all out of proportion (and thereby obscured) by the largely sensationalist newspaper and television coverage of the day.

In addition there have also been theories posited which suggest that a certain degree of cross-fertilization could've occurred between both these otherwise distinct possibilities; especially given the media-induced group hysteria that had been generated by such lurid accounts of blood sucking vampires, dark spectres, nude rites, other 'diabolical' nocturnal practices, and the like. If so, such a cross-fertilization would've be further fermented by the folkloric and anthropological phenomenon of ostension (or 'legend tripping') i.e. the real-life imitation of elements from a well-known tale, often involving role-playing, and sometimes leading to ritual acts of vandalism and desecration.

So what do you believe lies behind the tale of the Highgate Vampire? Was it all an elaborate hoax? The end result of a media-induced hysteria? Or was (perhaps still is?) a supernatural entity of unknown origin really on the prowl in a dilapidated Victorian cemetery?

Whatever the answer, you just have to agree that it's certainly a fascinating mystery.

Now over to you!
 
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Okey-dokey Peeps-

I was given a gift of a money spell. It came all wrapped up in green crinkly paper and everything I needed was in there, including a special stone to carry with my money later.
I had to light a candle and some incense and do a little chant and manipulate some coins which had to be given away afterwards.
This had to be done at a particular time of the day and week, and the expected result is an increase in 'good money karma'. So it doesn't make you rich, but keeps you solvent!
Since I did this I've had a nice healthy bank balance. In fact sums of money keep appearing in my account from nowhere! They are actually unexpected tax rebates and a couple of refunds which I'd been expecting grief over but have instead gone through with no trouble.
So you could say that the path of money toward me has been considerably eased, which has helped a lot.
No lottery wins, but that isn't the idea: 'little' magic like this can only tip the balance a little in an individual's favour.

I'm well pleased anyway!
Many people think they'd like to be rich, but money brings its own problems. Enough to live on with a little over will suit me just fine.

Funny to come across this again from so long ago. At the time I was broke and things were generally going downhill. It's fair to say I'd've tried anything!

One of the sums of money that cropped up was £80 which I kept paying out for different things and then having paid back to me. One instance was a dentistry bill that was promptly refunded, for example. I always think of it when I have my teeth seen to!
 
An interesting story that sadly got drowned out because of the feud between two occultists.

Here's a good account for those unfamiliar with the case before it all got really murky. Written by the ever-reliable Nick Redfern

"There are few stories quite as strange and sinister as that which concerned a terrifying monster called “The Highgate Vampire” – on account of the name of the old, London, England-based cemetery in which the creature lurked. It was in the 1960s that Highgate Cemetery found itself inhabited by a most unwelcome visitor: a seven-to-eight-feet-tall monster with bright red eyes, an evil-looking and gaunt face, pale skin, and who wore a flowing black cloak. Amid the old graves, a dangerous parasite roamed by night. As for Highgate Cemetery, it was opened in 1839, is located in north London, and is comprised of the East Cemetery and the West Cemetery. It’s a huge and undeniably atmospheric cemetery which extends close to forty acres in size. Catacombs abound, as do moss-covered, crooked gravestones. The dead are everywhere. Also, the cemetery is dominated by huge trees, endless bushes and a massive variety of plants – not to mention a large fox population, owls, and birds of prey. In fact, so revered are Highgate Cemetery’s wooded areas, it has officially been listed as a “Historic Park and Gardens” by the British Government..."


https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/12/the-sinister-saga-of-the-highgate-vampire/
 
I note the obit for David Farrant in FT 383 makes no mention of a certain gentleman who connected himself to this case.
 
Rather nifty write up of the Highgate Vampire saga here. Or, as I like to refer to it, the Peter Cook vs Derek Nimmo smackdown.

Screenshot_20200207-204116_Facebook.jpg
 
Anybody seen the Discovery + docco on the HV? It has some rare footage of David and some interviews with witnesses and those who have been on the receiving end of Manchester's outbursts. There are also some huge leaps in logic.
 
The way Farrant says 'about eight feet tall' in the same quotidian tone of voice as I might say 'about six feet tall' is the most implausible aspect of an otherwise almost as implausible pseudo-interview.

He was always good natured when he used to post here on the board, but this video pushes me even more towards believing the whole thing a product of bored young men making up stories to escape fairly humdrum lives.

And when you've repeated something for forty years, it begins to feel indistinguishable from the truth, even if it is not.

Edit: I've not looked in on what Sean Manchester has been doing for a good view years now. It seems he's currently going through radiotherapy, but I have none of the details.

 
Worth noting that the first edition of Manchester's book, which in 1985 sold for a rather expensive £7.50 (for 172 pages softback), is now rare enough to sell for twenty times that or more--if a copy can be found. I have a modern reprint, but it's only fair to warn potential readers that reviews are... rather mixed. Somebody said online that it reads like Dennis Wheatley; I'd add that while it isn't entirely without merit, Wheatley was a far better writer.

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That cover looks better than the later version... if I saw it cheap somewhere I'd snag it, but I doubt I'll succumb to online seller's inflated prices.

I didn't realize that Manchester has a YouTube as linked by @Yithian - there is some unusual stuff there.
 
OK, I'm a little behind the times with this!

Byron Room Christmas 2023​

I've subscribed. :evillaugh:

 
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