Vampire pumpkins and watermelons are a folk legend from the Balkans, in southeastern Europe, described by ethnologist Tatomir Vukanović.

One of the main indications that a pumpkin or melon is about to undergo a vampiric transformation (or has just completed one) is said to be the appearance of a drop of blood on its skin.

He wrote several years later:[citation needed]The belief in vampires of plant origin occurs among Gs.

in the village of Pirani (also in Podrima) it is believed that if pumpkins are kept after Christmas they turn into vampires, while the Lešani Gs.

However others are horror stories that allegedly include the direct involvement of the source (e.g., the fatal consequences of disrespecting the dead).

The story was popularized by Terry Pratchett's 1998 book Carpe Jugulum, a comic fantasy novel making extensive use of vampire legends.