The First Vampire

 
Credits
2004, 25 mins. (USC)
Director: Jason Todd Ipson
Writers: Kevin Burke and Jason Todd Ipson
Producers: Jaime Lynn Ipson, Jason Todd Ipson, Frederick Wedler, Randy Weiss
Editor: Chad Galster
Director of Photography: Michael Fimognari
Cast: Ben Livingston, Derrick O'Connor, Susan Duerden, Dan Merket, Sarah Ann Schultz
 
About
The story of The First Vampire centers on the true origins of the Western Vampire Legend--14th-century Scandinavia. A Viking fleet is decimated by an unknown force that drains the men of blood, pitting religion and science against each other, as the main characters try to make sense of the horror unfolding in front of them. The story is based on the historical origins of Vampirism as opposed to classic Vampire mythology.

Ipson, a surgeon who left the operating room for Hollywood's cutting room, conceived of the idea during medical school while studying Sweden and Finland's genetic populations. The specifics of the fictionalized script have not been disclosed. Nevertheless, Ipson says that the film is an epic historical film that has the additional benefit of thriller elements. "It is a vampire film unlike any ever seen before." --Wanstrom and Associates press release
 
Online Resources
Plague overview, National Institutes of Health (NIAID)
Erythropoietic porphyria (Gunther's disease), eMedicine
Disease proposed as cause for vampires, New York Times
The First Vampire on imdb.com