Why have we ever revered Dracula as the standard vampire? Who put that tale first when we have Carmilla? Carmilla is a lesbian vampire novella from 1872. I didn’t know a vampire story this perfect could exist and also be so ahead of it’s time. There is a girl who haunts your dreams, a mysterious illness wiping out a whole town and a sexy romance…what more could you want from a vampire story?
— AmberIsolated in a remote mansion in a central European forest, Laura longs for companionship - until a carriage accident brings another young woman into her life: the secretive and sometimes erratic Carmilla. As Carmilla's actions become more puzzling and volatile, Laura develops bizarre symptoms, and as her health goes into decline, Laura and her father discover something monstrous.
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's compelling tale of a young woman's seduction by a female vampire was a source of influence for Bram Stoker's Dracula, which it predates by over a quarter century. Carmilla was originally serialized from 1871 to 1872 and went on to inspire adaptations in film, opera, and beyond, including the cult classic web series by the same name.