Halloween 2011: Where Popular Nightmares Come From (INFOGRAPHIC)

INFOGRAPHIC: The Global Origins Of American Monsters

Everyone knows that vampires come from Transylvania. They've got that campy accent and they look Romanian -- even Count Chocula has the tall, dark and handsome thing going on. But where do ghosts, werewolves and ghouls come from?

Here's a hint: Not central casting.

Turns out that the Halloween costumes of today are based on legends from all over the world. Fear is contagious and stories of ghouls, zombies and werewolves have spread from Africa and Europe over the centuries. Like Americans themselves, the monsters that roam streets across the country on Halloween are largely descended from immigrants.

Here is where they're from:


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