Alexis Pharae on Vampfangs, Endless Night & Vampyre Culture

When folklore becomes culture, somebody has to build the ballroom

By: The Lace Ledger Staff

In 2026, the concept of a grand ball seems like something borrowed from the pages of a storybook. We imagine gowns sweeping across polished floors beneath the glitter of chandeliers, every guest dressed magnificently for the occasion. An extravagance from another age, preserved in old novels and period films, but absent from modern day life.

And yet, once a year, such a night awaits those fortunate enough to cross the threshold of Endless Night New England.

Several hundred guests arrive having spent months preparing for the occasion. Corsets are laced. Fangs catch the low light. Music spills across a ballroom transformed so completely that, until morning, the outside world feels centuries away.

An initiated Vampyre Priestess and the co-producer of the iconic Endless Night New England Vampire Ball, Alexis Pharae spends much of the year creating the elaborate gatherings that bring this international subculture together. In Salem, she and business partner Benjamin Addam are also proprietors of Vampfangs, the storied and beloved Salem institution that has been fitting fangs since 1993, now serving a broader culture through fashion and events.

Long before any of this became her profession, she was the girl fascinated by Victorian history and haunted houses who eventually discovered an entire community speaking a language she already understood. The fashion came naturally. So did the darkness. Finding her people simply meant she no longer had to explain why.

Perhaps that is what makes Pharae such a compelling creative force in the community. She isn't dressing for a world she wishes existed; she’s is cultivating the one in which she already feels at home.

We has the pleasure of speaking with Pharae about finding her place within Vampire culture and the role she now plays in shaping its future.

1. Let’s start before the fangs. Take us back to your first introduction to Vampyre culture. How did you find your way in, and was there a moment when you realized, “oh, these are my people?”

I think I found Vampyre/Vampire culture before I even knew there was a name for it. Growing up, I was fascinated by Victorian history and aesthetics, haunted houses (both real and created!) and fashion and all its art forms.

I’ve always been equally drawn to the light and the dark, something I think people don’t always expect of me… and that balance has shaped so much of who I am. To me, it’s the contrast between the two that makes each one beautiful, and I don’t believe there has to be rules around how those sides of yourself coexist. I think people sometimes assume I live in this 24/7 world of darkness and mystery, and they’re surprised to discover how much balance there actually is in my life.

Maintaining that balance isn’t always easy. It’s much easier to surrender completely to one side; when you go too deeply in one direction, it can be difficult to find your way back to the center. I think I’ve learned to appreciate both without feeling like I have to choose between them.

Discovering that there was an actual community of people who shared the same interests and perspectives was completely different. It wasn’t just about loving vampires; there was history, philosophy, creativity and this incredible group of people who had created a culture around all of it. That was definitely my “these are my people” moment. I didn’t have to explain why I was drawn to these things anymore.

2. There’s an important distinction between dressing as a vampire and identifying as a Vampyre. For someone encountering Vampyre culture for the first time, what does being a Vampyre mean to you—and when did it become part of your identity rather than simply an aesthetic you were drawn to?

The aesthetic is absolutely part of the fun… I love the fashion, the art, the drama etc., but living this life goes far beyond looking fabulous in a pair of fangs (which admittedly I forget to even wear half the time). For me it’s all how you carry yourself, how you move through the world and the community you choose to surround yourself with.

There’s no single definition or “correct” way to do this, and I think that’s something people outside the culture don’t always realize. We’re not exactly known for following rules.

I realized it wasn’t something I was putting on and taking off. It had simply woven itself into my life. I can take out the fangs, wash off the makeup, trade the corset for blue jeans and still be every bit as much of me. Although… the corsets are more fun.

3. You’re an initiated Vampyre Priestess, a Vampyre Witch, an intuitive psychic and a second-generation Polarity Therapist. How do those practices intersect for you? What does your spiritual life look like when we move beyond the titles and into the rituals, beliefs or practices that actually shape your day-to-day life?

They’re all parts of my life that have shaped me in different ways, and there’s definitely a natural connection between them. I grew up around Polarity Therapy and later became a practitioner myself, while my spiritual path developed much more personally over time.

As I’ve gotten older, though, my spirituality has become WAY quieter and WAY more private. I used to feel like I needed to define or explain it, and now I’m much more comfortable simply allowing it and all other things to be part of my life.

There are things that are meaningful to me, but I’ve found that keeping some of that just for myself has actually made them feel more sacred.

At the end of the day, all of those titles are pieces of me, but they don’t necessarily need to define me. My life is something I’m always learning from and growing with and I think I’ve just learned to leave a little more room for mystery.

The art of not sharing all of me is pretty awesome.

4. Vampfangs has a storied history: it began with custom fang fittings in Salem in 1993 and grew from its roots in fangsmithing into a destination for Vampyre fashion, lifestyle and culture before eventually coming into your and Benjamin’s hands in 2017. What made you want to become part of its story?

Part of what attracted Benjamin (my business partner) and me to Vampfangs was the history it already carried. We weren’t inventing something from nothing, we were being trusted with something that had existed within the goth and Vampire community for decades (Vampfangs was started in 1993).

Growing up in the area, Ben and I (without knowing each other), each got our first set of fangs fitted from Vampfangs in Salem back in the 90’s. The nostalgia was real! We actually got our start creating haunted attractions, so building immersive worlds and experiences has always been part of what we did. When we purchased Vampfangs in 2017, we decided to honour its history while also expanding what it could become.

The fangs will always be at the heart of it, but we wanted the shop to represent the larger culture surrounding them: fashion, art, events and community. I think we both understood that Vampfangs could be more than a store, so we decided to strengthen the community around us by providing them an outlet for social interaction by creating events.

5. The shop brings together an incredible mix of independent designers and makers, from Dark Alchemy and Killstar to Videnoir—a TLL favourite! When you’re sourcing or curating for Vampfangs, what criteria do you consider when deciding what to carry, and how do you discover new brands and makers?

We’re incredibly selective because Vampfangs has such a specific identity. We never want it to feel like you could walk into any alternative store and find the exact same assortment. We look for things that feel special and genuinely aligned with the world we’ve created.

We love discovering independent designers and makers who have a really strong point of view. You can tell when someone is creating from a place of genuine passion rather than simply following an aesthetic trend.

We find the brands we carry everywhere… social media, events, other artists, recommendations and sometimes totally by accident. The best pieces are the ones I immediately want for myself. That’s usually a pretty good sign they belong at Vampfangs!

6. Salem attracts millions of people fascinated by witches, ghosts and all things spooky and occult, but for you, it’s also home and the place where you’ve helped build a year-round Vampyre community. What is Salem like after the tourists go home, and how has the city shaped the community you've built there?

I like to say that we are all rides at a theme park- we are NOT the attraction. I think the more businesses in town that understand that the better.

Salem after October is completely different, but I do love all versions of the city. The crowds disappear, everything gets quieter and you remember that underneath this tourist destination is a very (very) small community.

There’s obviously a long relationship here with witchcraft, the occult and people who live outside of conventional norms, and I think that makes Salem a place where you can be yourself. The community we’ve built here isn’t something that disappears when Halloween is over. These are friendships, artists, business owners and people who genuinely show up for one another throughout the year.

Salem lets people be a little strange. I think that’s one of its greatest qualities.

7. You co-produce Endless Night New England from the ground up, overseeing everything from marketing and creative development to the show itself. We'd love a peek behind the curtain: when you begin imagining a new Vampire Ball, how do you turn an idea into an immersive night where hundreds of people are willing to dress, travel and temporarily step outside ordinary life into something unforgettable?

It starts with a feeling. Before we think about performers or décor or marketing, we ask what world we want people to walk into that year. With ALL of our events- what we create is what we want to hang out in. From there, everything has to support that… the venue, music, performers, imagery, dress code, lighting, installations and all of the tiny details people may not consciously notice but absolutely feel. Those tiny details are part of what makes us unique.

I think the audience is without a doubt one of the most important parts. They spend months planning what they’re going to wear, they travel from all over the world and they arrive ready to party. That completely creates the energy of the night.

Behind the scenes it is an insane amount of work… like if anyone knew how much work we put in they would think we were nuts. BUT… when the doors open and this imaginary world we’ve been talking about for a year (yes it takes us a full year to create one event) it’s real and there are actual people inside of it. That moment never gets old.

That moment when we are standing on stage for the first time of the night and looking at all of those INCREDIBLY dressed people in the crowd- it NEVER gets old. It’s always a WOW.

8. Vampires have always been exceptionally well dressed. From Dracula’s aristocratic tailoring and Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger to the decadent costumes of Interview with the Vampire, fashion is inseparable from the fantasy. How does that translate to Endless Night? What advice would you give someone dressing for their first Ball, what did you wear to yours, and can you give us a little teaser of what you’re wearing this year?

Fashion is such an enormous part of Endless Night because getting dressed is really the first stage of it all. You’re deciding who you want to be for that night- and its always fabulous.

For someone attending their first Ball, my biggest advice is not to treat it like a Halloween costume. Start with yourself and then exaggerate to the max. Wear the version of yourself you would be if there were absolutely no rules. That might mean couture, latex, corsetry, historical dress, something completely handmade OR as simple as a little black dress that you feel incredible in. The best looks aren't necessarily the most expensive or elaborate, they're the ones where you can tell the person feels AMAZING in it.

My own Ball looks have definitely evolved over the years, and I’ve become much more interested in custom pieces and collaborating with designers (all over the world) to create something that exists specifically for that night. This year’s theme in Boston is Le Cabaret Royale, so you can expect decadence, corsetry and a little bit of Parisian darkness. I’m proudly wearing a few items from Dark Garden Corsetry throughout the weekend that I can’t WAIT to put on- Dark Garden is a VIBE I’m so ready for.

Their corsets and dresses are OUT OF THIS WORLD incredible and I don’t think I have ever been so expertly fitted for my attire before. As usual, you will also catch me in something from Italian designer Videnoir as well.

I mix and match her pieces pretty regularly and it’s something we carry now in the store for that reason.

9. Our cultural appetite for vampires seems insatiable. Centuries after the earliest folklore emerged, we’re still writing about them, watching them, dressing like them and finding new ways to inhabit the archetype. From your perspective inside Vampyre culture, what keeps that fascination alive? What do you wish more people understood about the culture beyond its portrayal in books, film and television?

Vampire popularity in pop culture comes in waves. Every generation seems to reinvent them around whatever we’re fascinated by or afraid of at that moment. They can represent immortality, sexuality, power, beauty, death, loneliness, freedom, danger, the archetype is pretty adaptable.

But I think one of the things that makes the vampire particularly powerful is the idea of existing outside of ordinary society. Vampires live by different rules- if any at all. For people who have always felt a little outside of the mainstream (and it’s not always what you would stereotypically assume) there’s something pretty awesome about that.

What I wish more people understood is that modern Vampire culture is a real community. I feel like its often looked at as group of people pretending to be fictional characters, drinking blood or sucking your energy (while yes this can be true for some, it’s not ALL.) There are real traditions, philosophies, art, spirituality, friendships and decades of history behind it. Yes, we all mostly love the fantasy, we just also built something very real from it. But again… there are no rules.

Some vampires are what you assume, but most are not.

10. You’ve built a business, developed a deeply personal spiritual practice, served as an architect of major events and helped foster a thriving Vampyre community in Salem. When you step back and look at the life you’ve created, what still feels surreal—and what are you hungry to sink your teeth into next?

Sometimes the most surreal thing is realizing that the things I was in love with when I was younger became my actual life. We get to create for a community we genuinely love, build these enormous events, work with incredible artists and designers and spend our days surrounded by things that inspire us.

There are definitely moments where I look around and think, “How is this my job?” I don’t feel finished at all. I want to keep growing everything we (Benjamin and I) are doing and creating experiences that become bigger, stranger and more immersive.

I want Vampfangs to continue evolving while still protecting the history and community that made it special in the first place.

I think I’m always chasing that feeling of discovering something new and thinking, “I can’t believe we get to do this.” As long as I still have that feeling, I’m going to keep following it.

Perhaps that is the greater magic behind what Pharae has created. She treated the things that captivated her as worthy of pursuit and followed them far beyond fascination. She put in the years of work required to turn those interests into something tangible, building upon them with the same ambition she once reserved for imagining them.

Take what fascinates you seriously enough, work hard enough to see where it might lead, and you may eventually find yourself standing inside a life that once existed only in your imagination.

Experience Endless Night New England for yourself, and follow Alexis Pharae and Vampfangs on Instagram to keep up with what she conjures next. Subscribe below to receive our free monthly digital issue, where conversations like this continue to unfold.

An Architect of Endless Night: Alexis Pharae, Steward of Old-World Decadence

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