Identity of the Highgate Vampire

[Westny]

Jaimie:

Very interesting.

I can't tell a lot by the hairstyle. To me it looks rather contemporary. In the 60s and 70s (which I lived through) it would have looked very out of place, at least to my recollection of the styles of that day. That is not to say that some were not wearing it (in rock groups or otherwise), but it most definitely was not the usual style of the day.

If what you say is true in terms of the attire, that would itself be a remarkable thing and well worth looking into. It smacks more of an Anne Rice (or Bela Lugosi) type vampire than the type of supernatural fiend more commonly portrayed on this board. Somehow I can't picture the types of blood-glutted revenant we usually discuss nipping over to a 60s or 70s boutique and picking out a "Beatles Jacket" (actually I think Nehru Jacket is the more usual terminology used). Is it possible that its worshipful servants could have re-attired the resting corpse at some point? (I'm only partially tongue-in-cheek here.)

One other thing. As noted, I lived through this period. I can tell you that no one fashionable (at least no one I know of) was wearing "Beatles Jackets" by 1974 when the Highgate Vampire was supposedly staked. This was a very transient stylistic phenomenon--even if it is making something of a comeback in some circles. So, the vampire would have stood out in 1974 both by his hairstyle and by his clothing. It would have been, at best, very dated or retro Chic.

So, a lot of interesting questions raised. I think Bishop Manchester should respond on the Nehru Jacket comment at least. I would have been too terrified to notice much in the circumstances, but I don't think I would have failed to notice a Nehru Jacket on a vampiric corpse. A pop vampire would definitely stand out.

Cordially,
Westny

P.S.-Your eyes are better than mine. I can't tell what he is wearing, just that it is dark and fits tightly at the neck.

P.P.S.-This brings up other interesting questions. Was there a change of attire and/or hairstyle between the first and second daytime coffin sightings of the vampire? And, what was the vampire wearing on the first round? Food for thought at the least.

[Westny]

I'll follow up my own post with a single additional comment. The outline of the collar (from what I can see of it) looks more like a Mao jacket collar than a Nehru.

Once again, if true, a very remarkable stylistic and political statement for a vampire.

[JaimieMcTeagle]

Greetings again.

I can plainly remember that in the early 70's a few hipsters were wearing "nehru" jackets or as i prefer to call them beatle jackets in and around the london area.

The hairstyle and beard sported by the highgate vampire were indeed in vouge in the early 70's due in part to the popularity of a programme called Jason King, starring a certain actor called Peter Wyngarde who sported such a coiffure,and many a youth cultivated such a beard as well as the well hairsprayed cut sported by the highgate vampire.

I can also remember at the time that the fashion was for white frilly gothic shirts , which were far from uncommon in the circles my mother moved in (fashion) and i still have 2 examples from the time in my wardrobe as a keepsake(fond memories).

I think the whole set of highgate vampire photographs deserves to be looked at in a whole new light.

I look forward to hearing everybodies comments.


Jaimie

[Vampirologist]

I don't know where this fixation with The Beatles' period of fashion, "Nehru" and "Mao" jackets is coming from?

Are we viewing the same photograph(s) of the Highgate Vampire?

There is nothing vaguely resembling a "Nehru" or "Mao" jacket etc, as far as I can see.

The hair bears no particular resemblance to styles contemporaneous to the time when the pictures were taken in 1974. That hair could apply to a number of periods in history, which is why it might have blended so well at the time of its final manifestations in North London.

Bishop Manchester, in his account and elsewhere, informs that a marked alteration in the appearance of the vampire between his first and last encounters was evident.

Finally, the vampire was not "supposedly" staked.

It was definitely staked!

[JaimieMcTeagle]

Just a thought.


If there was a marked difference between the vampire on 2 occasions then maybe there were 2 vampires one genuine and maybe the other a gentleman dressed up,prancing around the Highgate area in the early 70's when it was fashionable to do so,dressed in contemporary clothing and hairstyle a'la in the Jason King Style.

Remember that at the time of the vampire scare , there were a few hammer horror films around at the time , one of them deing DRACULA AD 1974 which itself was set around an old church/graveyard and involved a young dandy called Johnny Alucard, who dressed in a groovy early 70's way.Maybe someone was trying to emulate what they saw in the big screen.

On closer examination the photograph also reveals that the gentleman/vampire in the picture appears to be wearing a false beard and on the left hand side of his face this can clearly be seen coming away from his face when seen in negative or by using colour inversionand can also been seen, though not as clearly in the unprocessed photograph.

We must ask ourselves why the vampire was using a false stick on beard . Was he trying to hide his true identity?.

On the left hand side of the vampires head there is also evidence of the vampire having had his hair BLOW WAVED, a style whice i believe was in vouge at the time,and after having shown the pic to my mother(who was a fashion designer 1969-1976) , she agrees with me that i am right as the blow wave can be distinctly seen in the picture. She also agrees that the jacket is more of a "Mao" jacket than a "Nehru".

Maybe someone else could look at the picture using colour inversion(negative) as i have noticed some other glaring anomalies in the photograph.


I look forward to hearing everybodies comments with interest.


Jaimie.

p.s i hope the S.N.P win in Scotland -LOL.

[Westny]

Jaimie:

As previously noted, your eyes may be better than mine. All I can see is a dark top of some kind that fits closely at the neck. The outline does not look like a Nehru to me at all, but could be that of a Mao. On the other hand, it could also be the collar of a dark shirt (or some other kind of dark jacket) with its top button closed.

Frankly, as I look at the pictures I think I see something that looks like a slightly contrasting tie in the front and the edge of a coat collar lower down than the "shirt" collar. Unfortunately, this may just be my creative imagination. Aside from the fact that something dark and close fitting is being worn, I just can't tell that much.

Likewise with regard to hair and beard--you're seeing a lot more than I am. They look normal and genuine to me, but I'm no judge of hair cuts or fake beards. So, on these points I'm going to have to take a pass.

However, on the question of what was stylish and/or being worn in the London area in the early 70s it is obvious that you have more knowledge than I do, so I defer to your superior information on these points. In my neck of the woods no one (except for a few mind blown hippies--who could be caught wearing just about anything) would have been wearing a Nehru in '74. And, everybody except for a few oldsters was wearing their hair long and/or over the forehead--not short and swept back.

Cordially,
Westny

[Memphremagog]

Now in regards to the false beard pulling away from the face: when the vampire was in its initial stages of decomposition after the staking what took place was the pulling away from the skull of the fleshly parts, i.e. the face and beard. Anyone who has seen a corpse or carcass after a few days following death can attest that sometimes the flesh goes soft and the skin and hair no longer adhere to the skull and bone structure.

In the case of the Highgate Vampire what we are seeing is a photograph of a very rapidly decaying corpse, returning to what it should have been all those years. Since no photo of a "living" vampire is possible it is only in the stages of dissolution that we can photograpgh it at all! Surely its eyes are sunken in far more than a corpse that has just expired, and likewise its facial flesh and hair are also in a rapidly decomposing state. This is to be expected considering it is a vampire that is at last falling into dust.

As far as the coat goes, the so-called Nehru jacket was around far longer than the Beatles and the 1960s. That style of jacket can be found as far back as the late 1700s and all thorughout the 1800s. Although the colour appears to be black the general style was in vogue in most parts of Europe on and off again throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Have you never looked at old photographs and paintings from those times?

I see no mystery here at all. As to whether it changed clothes from time to time, well who could possibly answer that except the vampire himself and he is not in a position to reveal that!

Memphremagog.
In te Domine speravi.

[drbombay]

Greetings freinds.

Forgive me for being ignorant,But i have been led to believe that a true vampire casts no reflection,and therefore cannot be photographed.

This is i believe a shared belief throughout most cultures that do have a vampire mythos,especially in the balkan regions.

If this is the case,does this mean that the highgate vampire pictures are NOT pictures of a vampire , but of someone masquerading as a bloodsucker in the classic sense and not as people believe a spiritual being.

If this is the case does this not mean that the veracity of the highgate photographs should be examined more carefully as they do appear to be extremely paradoxical at best.

I hate paradoxes.

ALACAZAM

dr bombay

[Vampirologist]

You are absolutely correct to assume that vampires cannot be photographed, nor do they refelct in a mirror or cast a shadow.

What was photographed post-exorcism was the quickly decomposing shell. The demonic presence had at this stage already been cast out.

I shall reproduce the caption which appeared beneath the first photograph (in the series) that was published on page 98 of the first edition of THE HIGHGATE VAMPIRE (published by B.O.S., 1985):

"The decomposing vampire - moments after exorcism. The undead condition quickly passed away as the corporeal body returned to normal time when capture on film was made possible."