"There are those who try to turn people into vampires and make them drink other people's blood, or encourage them to have special sexual relations to obtain special powers," said Professor Giuseppe Ferrari at the meeting in Rome, which heard that the number of such possessions is rising globally.

"These groups are attracted by the so-called beautiful young vampires that we've seen so much of in recent years." Continue reading

Professor Giuseppe Ferrari said this to a Vatican-backed exorcism course in Rome recently.

The professor heads an Italian occult watchdog, The Group on Research and Socio-Religious Information.

Series like True Blood and the Twilight movies have attracted large young audiences.

The Vatican regards genuine demonic possession as rare, with many suspected cases proving to be people with mental illnesses.

But the Rome course heard that the number of possessions is rising globally.

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