These words also describe a vampire. Roderick and Madeline exhibit traits of vampirism. In the novel Vampire: The Complete Guide to the World of the Undead, author Mavela Dunn Mascetti states that vampires possess extremely pale skin and a hypnotic gaze (Mascetti, 11). Poe describes Roderick as having "a horrible pallor of the skin" and eyes having a "miraculous luster". Madeline of course has similar characteristics to her brother. The narrator explains that Roderick's eyes were "tortured even by dim light." What everyone knows. Vampires and sunlight do not mix (Mascetti, 11). Madeline and Roderick are baffled by the house because vampires are not able to cross water (Mascetti, 11). At the beginning of the story, House Usher is surrounded by a small, horrible lake that must be crossed to enter or exit. Roderick states that he is cursed with a family evil, implying that perhaps the entire family were vampires. “In ancient times, vampires could be killed in a variety of ways, such as by staking them or burning them” (website). Usher was attacked by Madeline but may have been directly killed when the house fell and started