It’s one thing to be a history buff. It’s another thing entirely to be such a history nerd that a literal expert suspects that you’re actually a vampire. And not the energy kind.
One Galveston, Texas tour guide alleges that not only are vampires real, but that she’s encountered them. In a TikTok clip that’s garnered over 1.4 million views for the HORRORble Podcast (@Horrorpodcastt), host Askia Booker interviews Spooky Gin, an expert in Galveston’s most unsettling historical events.
Is It Insane If It’s Real?
“You encounter vampires on a regular basis, and probably don’t even realize it when it’s happening,” says Gin to Booker in a now-viral clip.
“I know that sounds insane, but there are different types of vampires,” she asserts. Then follows up with an explanation, saying, “One of the most prevalent kind are energy vampires. They will suck all of your energy away. It’s just a completely draining experience.”
Then she pivots, explaining that for those who believe (or are just curious), the best time to encounter any kind of vampire in Galveston (specifically) is during Mardi Gras.
“The vibe is off and you just see things,” she explains in a subsequent video. Despite the infusion of celebratory energy, she feels that the city just “doesn’t feel safe,” during the big party.
Galveston’s Tragic History
Perhaps Gin suspends tours during Mardi Gras because of the hurricane that hit the city in 1900. Considered “the deadliest natural disaster in American history,” it left one in four city residents homeless and killed up to 12,000 people.
Winds were up to 120 mph, sending debris flying through the air like shrapnel. While waves covered city streets in up to 15 feet of water. Later, clean-up crews would say the stench of decay went on for miles. These deaths make Galveston home to endless stories of hauntings.
Galveston is also home to a site that has been called “the most haunted place in America.” Once the St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum, and now a Walmart, over 100 people died at that site during the storm. In an attempt to save themselves, nuns tied themselves and the children together via clothesline. But it was of no use; all but three boys drowned.
Curious Vampires & Port Cities
“I stop doing tours when Mardi Gras is happening,” Gin says, explaining that she’s had conversations with vampires. “For the weeks that Mardi Gras is happening, I will not do walking tours at all,” she says.
“I have had vampires on my [Spooky Galveston] tour, and I have run into them in the streets,” she alleges.
How does she know they’re vampires?
“They asked a lot of questions about things that most people who take a vampire tour don’t ask about,” she says to Booker.
Then she gets specific, saying they were asking about European vampiric traditions, and other, specific, nuanced, and historical issues. Notably, to Gin, they asked about Jacques St. Germain and what her thoughts were on different people who’d been accused of vampirism.
“It was one of the weirdest tours I have ever given,” she recalls.
Jacques St. Germain is a folkloric figure who threw lavish parties, told his guests stories of ancient times, and claimed to be a descendant of the Count of St. Germain. The Count was an 18th-century adventurer, musician, and alchemist. Jacques, also, according to legend, bore a striking resemblance to his purported ancestor, and possibly murdered a woman. Giving Lestat vibes for sure.
Energy Vampires Dominate The Chat
Despite a few pithy remarks about the vampires they’d most like to meet, many of the users in the comments section are focused on energy vampires. It seems as if almost everyone has met one.
“’I’ve met energy vampires a few times of my life and i was so exhausted after talking to them. I don’t even remember what we were talking about,” says @itsmeabesh.
A presumably tired mom, @sharebare091, quips, “Pretty sure my children are energy vampires.”
While Angela DiCicco (@ittybitty83) pivots towards facts and finds Gin’s evidence thin. “Different things about different stuff – a whole lot of nothing explained,” she wrote.
Whether Gin can prove that vampires exist isn’t the point. It’s enough that folks are walking around giving ancient aristocratic vampire vibes in 21st-century Texas to give you a case of the creeps.
@horrorpodcastt You encounter vampires on a regular basis 🧛♂️ #vampire #podcaststories #horror #paranormaltiktok
BroBible reached out to Spooky Gin via her company, Spooky Galveston’s email.