Vampires are a race of undead and immortal supernatural creatures, that need to consume blood in order to survive.
Overview[]
History & Culture[]
The history of the vampires, if they have one, is unknown. Nor is it known whether vampires are large in numbers, as only a few have been encountered in the series, which also leaves it unknown whether these few are typical examples of vampires. Based on the little information given however, vampires appear to lack any form of community and are largely nomadic people, making it easier for them to feed and survive. The oldest known vampire is Ivor, who has been around for at least three centuries and is certainly older than Tobias Matthews.
Vampires seem to have a mixed opinion on humans, as while none seem to view themselves as being better than humans they don't seem to have any guilt over killing others. Toby for example has been known to befriend some humans, but also ruthlessly kill one who trusted him completely simply because he didn't have any need for her.
Vampires have been shown to live in both England and America, suggesting that they are a worldwide species or have immigrated over time.
Biology, Abilities & Weaknesses[]
Except for having fangs, vampires resemble humans in every way. The process that turns a human into a vampire is unclear, but involves a vampire feeding on a human. After being turned, they no longer have a reflection, which is the only known way to confirm whether someone is a vampire. Vampires also develop a form of psychic connection between themselves and someone they turned, allowing their makers to know when a vampire they created dies.
Vampires are immortal, never aging past when they were turned, but must feed from the blood of humans to stay alive. The process of feeding is at first painful to humans, but quickly becomes pleasurable. They have much greater senses than humans while their physical abilities appear enhanced, while they are also shown to have hypnotic abilities that allows them to manipulate people and alter their memories. Along with their hunger for blood, they are affected by the sign of the cross and can be killed by sunlight.
According to the Man Upstairs, the souls of vampires are all "burned out" which makes possession impossible unless they use another soul to "clean the place out". Because they're not human it's not necessary to ask for their consent to use their body, so once the secondary soul has been removed it's possible for entities to freely steal the bodies of vampires. Also the fact that they're undead means that certain rules that protect humans don't apply to them, which is why the Greek goddess Mnemosyne was able to freely steal Toby's memories without having to make a deal with him.
Mina Harker claimed to be a half-vampire, though the circumstances behind this is unknown.
List of known vampires[]
- Tobias Matthews
- Ivor
- Mina Harker (half-vampire)
Notes & Trivia[]
- Given that The Confessions of Dorian Gray is intended to be set in the same universe as Big Finish's Dark Shadows audio range, it's possible that the vampire in the Confessions series are one and the same as the vampires from Dark Shadows.