The Richmond Vampire, or the Hollywood Vampire, is an urban legend claiming there is a vampire roaming the grounds of the Hollywood cemetery. The legend began to circulate in the 1960s ,eventually gaining popularity on the VCU campus in the 1980s.
The legend goes; William Wortham Pool, a book keeper, was run out of England for being a vampire in the 1800s. It is said that a vampire remains in Pool’s tomb to this day. This story merged with the Church Hill tunnel collapse incident, during which railroad workers were buried alive. The tunnel awakened an ancient evil. When the rescue team arrived at Church Hill, they encountered a creature covered in blood and holding human skin hanging between its fangs as it leered over the workers. The creature quickly left the scene and ran towards the James River. It was then approached by a group of men, after which it escaped to Hollywood cemetery, where it was said to have hidden in the tomb of W. W. Pool.
This photoshoot by Isaiah Mamo, LIGHTPAINTERR commemorates The Richmond Vampire urban legend, and brings it into today’s context with alternative and gothic styling– featuring a gender-expansive, Black vampire.
