Summary
- Vampires in America documentary explores mysterious disappearances with theories of a vampire conspiracy.
- Eric Streit and Marcel Von Tingen claim to have found evidence of vampires living across the U.S.
- Available for streaming on various platforms, the documentary takes a dramatic, non-spoof approach to the supernatural.
The Travel Channel documentary Vampires in America is in a long line of pseudo-scientific supernatural reality shows and documentaries, but this one is so unbelievable that some people even think it's a spoof. Documentaries about the supernatural have always been points of fascination for some viewers. It's not even necessarily about believing what goes on in the documentary, but watching the people on screen whose careers and lives revolve around what most people would consider fiction. Of course, it's also always fun to pretend that the fantastical could be real, too.
Like Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and History, Travel Channel rebranded in the 2010s to focus on reality television and what some may consider pseudo-science. Paranormal reality TV shows have become more popular than ever, with Travel Channel explicitly stating they would be taking viewers into, "...the paranormal, the unsolved, the creepy and terrifying..." (via TravelChannel). This new direction is evidenced by documentaries like Vampires in America, which premiered on February 1, 2022, and seems to be more spoof than reality.
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Vampires In America Is A Travel Channel Documentary That Many People Think Is A Spoof
Eric Streit And Marcel Von Tingen Believe Vampires Are The Cause Of Recent Disappearances
Vampires in America is a Travel Channel documentary in collaboration with their parent company, Discovery+, about two vampire hunters in America who believe that vampires live and are responsible for many unsolved disappearances and murders that have occurred across the U.S. and beyond. Eric Streit and Marcel Von Tingen are friends who have been working together since 2001 and have claimed to find evidence of the mythical creatures in every state in the Union. That's just one of the strange claims made in the documentary.
Streit and Tingen go so far as to claim that vampires had a hand in writing their own fiction over the centuries, are an offshoot of humans from around 68,000 BC, and first arrived in America during the Civil War. They think there are as many as 20,000 vampires within the country's borders.
Streit and Tingen go so far as to claim that vampires had a hand in writing their own fiction over the centuries, are an offshoot of humans from around 68,000 BC, and first arrived in America during the Civil War. They think there are as many as 20,000 vampires within the country's borders. Many of these points are explained in the long trailer Travel Channel released on Twitter alongside a dramatic caption that suggests a large group of vampires has recently emerged from hibernation and now are wreaking havoc in the Southwest U.S.
The tone of the trailer and documentary veers into the overdramatic, even more so than similar documentaries like Discovery+'s Megalodon series. Lines in the film often feel like they're being read by an actor. However, it's decidedly not a spoof. In an interview with SlashFilm, Streit said,
"Well, I have a lot of thoughts on that. Stories covered are based on true life events, are they actors, are they real people? I would rather leave that for your own judgment. I want people to take this show how they want to take it. I hope that they're inspired to explore the possibility that vampires exist. I don't want to reveal too much, but I'm just very happy with how it turned out. We're getting a lot of viewership and a lot of people watching and a lot of people asking the right questions. And that is exciting."
That's a bit of a non-answer from Streit, but it's not the response of someone who has made a spoof. It seems more likely Streit believes what's in the documentary, but with some parts exaggerated for effect.
Vampires coming to America during the Civil War is also the plot of the spoof novel and film adaptation, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Vampires In America Is Available For Streaming On Max, Amazon, And More
The Discovery+ Library Has The Documentary Available For Streaming
Any platform Discovery+ is available on, Vampires in America is also available on. Max, Amazon, Hulu, Travel Channel GO, The Roku Channel, and Discovery+ all have the documentary available for streaming. Discovery+ can be purchased as an add-on through Apple TV+, SlingTV, and Philo, and it can also be purchased on its own for $4.99/month or $8.99/month ad-free. As a recent Discovery+ movie, it is expected to be on many platforms. Nearly all these services also have free trials for those who want to watch Vampires in America as soon as possible.
