The history of the House Maidenfear is a bit of a murky one. And presuming it was, indeed, established in 1966, that not presumes a direct lineage; but reveals just how contemporary the “modern vampire culture” is.

The alternate explanation for why no House before 1966 could simply be because there was no “scence” back then. If House Maidenfear was legit, it would rather be the spiritual ancestor of the modern VC, as opposed to a direct proginator. Hard to tell without a proper genealogy in place (evidence for the House’s existence is mainly through message board posts, not contemporary evidence).

Considering the relative recentness of the VC – not to mention its often contradictory and divisive nature – it’s not hard to see why it’s been difficult for researchers to put their thumb on the whole thing. Before the Internet, the movement was certainly not as well organised or established as it is now. As it stands, there’s no hard-and-fast rules about specifics, because there aren’t any even within the VC itself. It’s not an institution, it’s a fluid thing (that said attempts have been made by certain “leaders” to establish rules and whatnot).

It’s fair to say that Layock, however, is a reliable source on these matters. I would also single out Merticus for similar praise, too.

There are only minor attributes in sanguinarian vampires that might be tied to vampire fiction or folklore… those things are the reason why they decided to call themselves vampires in the first place (rather than the other way around). Even fewer things support that link for psy-vamps. The first vampire house was established in 1966, so far as we know. Not in the 80s. (It is called House Maidenfear).

While Houses are concentrated in large cities, vampires themselves are absolutely everywhere. Since they make up a small percentage of the population, they remain invisible in places where there aren’t enough of them to form groups. They don’t dress up, they don’t behave oddly, and you can’t tell them apart from anyone else by their interests or activities. This is exactly why most vampires think it’s likely that vampires have always existed.

Why no vampire Houses prior to 1966? Well, no one particularly wants to be lynched or ostracized from their community. If there were Houses prior to that, they would have been extraordinarily secretive – and for obvious reasons. If any such existed, there’s no one who has come forward with any evidence to prove it.

The comment about the lack of research is spot on. Some of the best research has been done by the community itself, as it seeks to understand vampirism. Only a few outside researchers, such as Joseph Laycock, have gained the community’s respect. (Note to potential researchers – approaching the community with an assumption that its members are either suffering from a mental disorder, or are playing dressup and have taken it too far, is a good way to get every door slammed in your face. Respect will be met with respect… and the same is true for disrespect and presumption).