Vampire hunting with a Sainsbury's carrier bag and a shoelace
A photograph (first published on page 16 of The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook) shows David Farrant holding “a stake to plunge through the heart” of the vampire and “a cross made from two bits of wood tied together with a shoelace.” The picture was taken prior to Farrant's collaboration with journalist Barrie Simmons in October 1970. Simmons joined Farrant for a “midnight date with Highgate’s Vampire.” The journalist featured his meeting in an article accompanied by a selection of photographs (showing Farrant hunting a vampire) in the London Evening News, 16 October 1970:
“I joined a macabre hunt among the desecrated graves and tombs for the vampire of Highgate Cemetery. … David, 24, was all set, kitted out with all the gear required by any self-respecting vampire hunter. Clutched under his arm, in a Sainsbury’s carrier bag, he held the tools of his trade. There was a cross made out of two bits of wood tied together with a shoelace and a stake to plunge through the heart of the beast. Vampire hunting is a great art. There is no point in just standing around waiting for the monster to appear. It must be stalked. So we stalked. Cross in one hand to ward off the evil spirits, stake in the other, held at the ready. David stalked among the vaults, past the graves, in the bushes and by the walls. When he had finished he started stalking all over again.”
These publicity-seeking antics led to five columns in the London Evening News, including a half-page feature of photographs, but little else. Farrant was something of a novice when it came to vampire hunting, but Simmons’ article attests to the fact that, albeit amateurishly, Farrant did engage in such behaviour.
