Bats have long been symbols of death and darkness. But why? Their rise as Halloween’s spookiest icon traces back to ancient Celtic traditions, revealing how these harmless creatures turned into something far more evil. Join us under the Congress Street Bridge in Austin as we unravel the spooky myths, vampire lore, and Halloween history that turned these sky puppies into creatures of the night!
Watch the video here:
Like and subscribe to the Storied Channel to get Monstrum all year-round.
*****
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: https://to.pbs.org/DonateStoried
*****
Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Creative Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: Ben Harrison
Illustrator: Samuel Allan
Consultant: Damon L. Fordham, M.A.
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
Additional Footage: Shutterstock
Music: APM Music
Descriptive Audio & Captions provided by The Described and Captioned Media Program
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
Follow us on Instagram @monstrumpbs
Bibliography
Abel, Ernest L. Death Gods: An Encyclopedia of the Rulers, Evil Spirits, and Geographies of the Dead, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2009.
Frembgen, Jurgen Wasim. “Embodying evil and bad luck: stray notes on the folklore of bats in southwest Asia.” Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 65, no. 2, Oct. 2006.
Kachuba, John B. Shapeshifters: A History, Reaktion Books, Limited, 2019.
Lunney, Daniel, and Chris Moon. “Blind to Bats: Traditional prejudices and today’s bad press render bats invisible to public consciousness.” The Biology and Conservation of Australian Bats, eds. Bradley Law et al., 2011, pp. 44-63.
McCrea, James. “On Night’s Wing: Bats as Vampiric Signifiers of Death, Darkness, and Disease.” Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov, Series IV: Philology & Cultural Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, Jan. 2025, pp. 65–86.
Niehaus, Isak, et al. Witchcraft, Power and Politics : Exploring the Occult in the South African Lowveld, Pluto Press, 2001.
Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. First edition., Oxford University Press, 2002.
Sieradzki, Alan, and Heimo Mikkola. “Bats in Folklore and Culture: A Review of Historical Perceptions around the World.” Bats: Disease-Prone but Beneficial. Ed. Heimo Mikkola, IntechOpen, pp. 3-16.
Varner, Gary R. Creatures in the Mist: Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings around the World — A Study in Comparative Mythology. Algora Publishing, 2007.
Youngs, Tim. Beastly Journeys: Travel and Transformation at the Fin de Siècle, Liverpool University Press, 2013.
Support Halloween Love
If an item was discussed in this article that you intend on buying or renting, you can help support Halloween Love and its writers by purchasing through our links:
(Not seeing any relevant products? Start your search on Amazon through us.)