With the advent of television shows such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", fictional horror novels including Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys and the series of vampire novels by Anne Rice, and movies such as "Interview with a Vampire" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula", one would believe that vampire appearances are just as common now as they were in the Middle Ages. ... Transylvania became the "home" for vampires when Bram Stoker wrote Dracula in 1897, a story which is loosely based on Rumanian leader Vlad Drakul, who ruled Transylvania in the late 1400's. ...

• Word Count: 2902
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

For over a thousand years, mankind has always feared the world of the unknown. Fear has always been man's most primal instinct since the dawn of time. Their irrational fear has led them to extreme paranoia and a strong feeling of hatred for anything that is unfathomable. But first, what exactly is the "unknown?" and why is it so frightening? ...

• Word Count: 2649
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School