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Vampires: Both the folklore and the history of vampires are explored in this fairly erudite documentary. I was surprised by the seriousness of the piece. It even covers many of the obscure works of fiction on the subject, as well as historical accounts of vampirism and infamous figures who contributed to the myths, such as mass-murderer Gilles de Rais and, of course, Vlad Tepes, the original inspiration for Stoker's Dracula. You might be surprised to find out that many people believe vampires exist today. According to the Vampire Research Society of New York, there are 1,215 real vampires in today's world, most of them centered around Los Angeles. Working as extras or studio execs, no doubt. Nostradamus: The life of the famous 16th-century prognosticator is detailed in this serious documentary. Although the presentation is a bit dry, the material is scholarly. I wish they hadn't felt compelled to dramatize so much, because they couldn't find anything better for their actors to do than recite quatrains or passages from his biography. It would have been better to concentrate on deciphering Nostradamus's obscure poetry; there's enough material there for many documentaries. --Jim Gay
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