The folklore behind vampires is deeper and more vast than most anyone actually realizes. When Wikipedia fails to educate you on a topic, you can always count on TED to give you the information you need… especially on Halloween!

The myth of the bloodsucking vampire has stalked humans from ancient Mesopotamia to 18th-century Eastern Europe, but it has differed in the terrifying details. So, how did we arrive at the popular image we know, love and fear today? And what truly makes a vampire…a vampire? Michael Molina digs up the science and the superstition.