ORF-E
English
1 × 45 min / 1 x 52 min
Worldwide

In 1731, nine “vampires” were burned at the stake near Olomouc, including seven children. In Banat (part of today’s Serbia), which the Habsburgs had recently prised away from the Turks, reports of “people whose blood had been sucked dry” were piling up. Empress Maria Theresa, the enlightened monarch, wanted to put an end to the goings-on and instructed her personal physician, Gerard van Swieten, to look into the matter. The reformer and advocate of the Enlightenment was well known far beyond the borders of the empire because of his stand against vampirism and other superstitions. Calling on the help of experts and historians, the TV documentary describes the various aspects and facets of vampirism and its origin in a series of re-enactments. Of course, a vampirologist also gets involved – and a bat expert too!