The Terrifying Story of Bela Kiss, Hungary’s Most Murderous Bachelor

For centuries, the vampire has captured imaginations and inspired nightmares in communities around the world. And while Romania’s Transylvania region has long dominated the vampire-related conversation, for a few decades in the early 20th century the most feared blood-drainer in the world was not Dracula, but a person from Romania’s neighbor to the west: Hungary.

Vampire Killers and the First Vampire

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word vampire as "the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep." Since the word was first coined in 1734 the myth of the vampire has grown, entering into popular culture with the publication of Bram Stoker's {Dracula} in 1897 and more recently through the books of Anne Rice, the most famous of which, {Interview with a Vampire} was made into a film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. But these are works of fiction. Still, myths do not just spring out of mid-air. Throughout the ages, human killers have been fascinated by the blood of their victims. Here are some of history's most notorious "vampire" killers.

The First Vampire

Bela Kiss, the Vampire Killer

BUDAPEST, Hungary: Bela Kiss was a pillar of his community until the strange disappearance of his beautiful, blond wife. The prosperous tinsmith from the village of Czinkota became bitterly reclusive. It shocked his neighbors when shortly after the outbreak of WWI, Kiss enlisted in the Hungarian Army.

In the days before the war, more strange disappearances occurred. The niece of the Minister of Commerce, Isabelle Koblitz, vanished from her home. A young woman, Luisa Ruszt, reported being attacked by a wild-eyed monster with fangs. She claimed he'd jumped out on her as she walked along a moonlit street.

The History of Vampires

I. It Started With Blood

The Vampire persona has evolved from many true and untrue facts, legends and myths. At various times vampires, real and imagined, have been considered fiends, supernatural beings, shape-shifters, mentally disturbed deviants, satanic servants and fetish followers. However, it all began and still revolves around a taste for blood!

Contrary to the popular belief that Vampire history, stories and legends began with Vlad the Impaler, they go back much further than that. Many ancient societies worshipped blood thirty gods. This caused people to begin to associate blood with divinity, leading to the development of the early vampire cults. Regardless of the spiritual value, some people have always had a desire to drink blood and the reasons are as varied as the practitioners. In some societies the practice was accepted, as in ancient Egypt. But in others, vampirism was considered deviant behavior and condemned.