Vampires Cross Thresholds

Vampires traditionally have to be invited into a house by a living resident of the house. Why? And why, you wonder, have I chosen to place this discussion in the Religion section? It has to do with free-will and ownership. Traditionally free-will is considered to be one of the things God gave mankind, so that they could choose him, or choose not-him. And a man/woman owns their own free-will. Unless the owner of the free-will chooses to invite the vampire in, the vampire can’t come in. Of course when it comes to houses, one legitimate guest can invite the vampire in. Should oughta be careful whom you invite into your house because they then own a piece they can share on.

So the threshold is a place between, between the inside and the outside – between the us and the them. Between places always have power, often supernatural power, but that is a different discussion. Arguably the house represents (symbolizes) the body, and only the owner of the body can choose the eventual destination of the soul dwelling inside it. If you choose to invite the vampire into your physical house (the structure of brick and plasterboard) you are really giving it free access to your self.

Usually the vampire is a friend or close relation to the house-holder since we have a marked desire not to accept that our loved people have actually died. Thus when they show up at our door, we are quick to invite them across the threshold and into the house of our own free will. Whenever evil is invited in, it is free to do what it wills; we have made our own free-will subservient to it. We are quick to forget that traditional guest-rules don’t apply inasmuch as they are engrained into our living culture. A vampire is no longer alive.

The help-the-stranger impulse can also be used against the innocent homeowner. How does this work? The doorbell rings once evening just after dark and a good-looking stranger is standing outside; his/her car has broken down just down the block, and their cell phone is dead. Can they please use your phone to call a friend to come get him/her. They are, after all, quite good looking and well dressed. He/she doesn’t look like the sort of person to hurt you. So you don’t listen to all the advice you’ve been given over the years and you invite them in. Sin and evil so often take advantage of the human desire to assist another. Does that mean that you should never come to a stranger’s aid? Free-will says that is up to you.

Inviting a strange young girl into his home goes very badly General Spielsdorf in “Carmilla.” He invites Millarca (no last name) into his home to keep his young ward Laura company. Quickly she becomes the victim of vampiric attentions, and dies. By the time it is discovered what has caused her demise, Millarca has moved on to do the same thing somewhere else. In this world, disinviting seems not to be an option.

In Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot the mistaken invitation may be revoked. Mike Ryerson has been fully turned into a vampire after being invited into Matt’s home. The invitation stands even after he has died, and he is free to come to attempt to attack Matt. It is sheerest chance that Matt happens to be holding a crucifix when the vampire approaches him. It grants him the time to croak, “Get out of here! I revoke my invitation!” The vampire immediately goes backwards out the window that it had used to enter. (Chapter 9 Part 2)

Thus, in some literary worlds there is the up side, one can revoke the invitation, and depending upon whose world you are in, the vampire must leave. So long as you aren’t standing between them and the exit, you would be alright. I guess this would be the equivalent of recovering ones free-will from the being you gave it to. In Christianity, this is called repentance; turning your back on sin, and taking control of your own house by pushing the vampire back across the threshold to the outer darkness. Where evil dwells.