Carmilla, or Countess Mircalla Karnstein, is one of the most influential and enduring sympathetic vampires in all of fiction. First published in serialized form in The Dark Blue magazine in 1871–72, J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella precedes Bram Stoker’s Dracula by more than two decades. Yet its legacy continues to echo through literature, film, television and queer theory.
Set in a secluded castle in the forests of 19th-century Styria, the story is told from the point of view of Laura, a sheltered young woman who lives with her father. Their quiet life is disrupted when a mysterious carriage accident leaves a pale, beautiful girl named Carmilla in their care. As Carmilla and Laura grow closer, their relationship becomes emotionally and physically charged, though Laura remains unsure of what she feels. Meanwhile, a spate of unexplained illnesses and deaths plagues the nearby village. Eventually, Carmilla is revealed to be a vampire who has preyed on girls like Laura for centuries—yet her feelings for Laura are portrayed as sincere, even tender.
Carmilla’s tragedy lies in the way she blurs the line between monster and victim. Unlike the bestial vampires of Eastern European folklore, Carmilla is ethereal, poetic, and intimate in her monstrosity. “You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one forever,” she whispers to Laura—words that read equally as a romantic confession and a supernatural threat. Her hunger is portrayed not as a diabolical force but as an inescapable part of her being. The reader is meant to fear her, yes—but also to pity her. In a Victorian era that demonized female sexuality and queerness, Carmilla embodied both, not as moral failings but as fundamental elements of who she is.
Literary scholar Nina Auerbach, in Our Vampires, Ourselves (1995), described Carmilla as “the prototypical predatory yet tragic lesbian vampire,” emphasizing her unique role as both seducer and exile. Scholar Camille Paglia has noted that the story’s central relationship is “charged with an erotic intensity rare in male-authored Victorian fiction,” and argued that Le Fanu created one of the first representations of female same-sex desire to be treated with emotional complexity rather than ridicule or horror. More recently, author and academic Sarah Waters has written that Carmilla “makes queerness central to the vampire myth” and that the novella’s legacy lies in how it positions love and monstrosity as intertwined.
The subtext of forbidden love, guilt, and longing has made Carmilla a cornerstone of queer Gothic literature. It has also become a flashpoint in discussions about gendered power dynamics, consent and the marginalization of desire. While Le Fanu could not explicitly write about lesbianism, he constructed a narrative where female desire is not only visible but central, even if it must ultimately be punished. In doing so, he carved a space for empathy, allowing readers to see Carmilla not merely as a villain, but as a symbol of emotional repression and social exile.
Carmilla’s legacy is vast and varied. Bram Stoker was heavily influenced by Le Fanu’s novella—Dracula borrows its castle setting, its theme of the outsider invading a closed world and even its structural framing through letters and personal accounts. In the 20th century, Hammer Films adapted Carmilla into The Vampire Lovers (1970), casting Ingrid Pitt as a sensuous, doomed version of the character. The film emphasized the erotic elements of the story, bringing its once-subtle subtext into full view during a period of relaxed censorship.
In 2014, Carmilla was reinvented again in a groundbreaking Canadian web series of the same name. Created by Jordan Hall and Ellen Simpson, the show reimagined Carmilla as a reluctant, witty vampire living on a college campus, with Laura now recast as a driven journalism major. Rather than being a predatory figure, this version of Carmilla is tortured by her past and falls genuinely in love with Laura, leading to a redemptive arc that culminates not in death, but in agency and renewal. The show became a cult hit in LGBTQ+ media circles and was later adapted into a feature film.
Across centuries, Carmilla remains compelling not because she is a vampire, but because she is profoundly human. Her loneliness, her desire, her inability to escape her own nature—they speak to universal emotions beneath the trappings of horror.
Adaptations of Carmilla
Vampyr (1932)
Writer: Carl Theodor Dreyer (loosely inspired by Carmilla and other Le Fanu stories)
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Cast: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Sybille Schmitz
Premise: A traveler arrives at a remote inn and becomes entangled in a ghostly, dreamlike battle against a female vampire terrorizing a local village.
Behind the Scenes: Though not a direct adaptation, Vampyr is widely considered to be influenced by Carmilla in its mood and narrative structure. Dreyer’s haunting visuals, minimal dialogue, and supernatural ambiguity defined it as an early masterpiece of art-house horror. The vampire character, Marguerite Chopin, is a spectral precursor to Carmilla’s lonely predator.
Lust of the Vampire (aka I Vampiri) (1957)
Writers: Piero Tellini, Ugo Guerra
Director: Riccardo Freda (uncredited), Mario Bava
Cast: Gianna Maria Canale, Carlo D’Angelo
Premise: A journalist investigates a series of murders in postwar Italy, leading to the discovery of a countess who maintains her youth by draining the blood of young women.
Behind the Scenes: While not a direct retelling of Carmilla, this landmark Italian horror film shares its themes of female vampirism and dual identity. It’s often credited as Italy’s first sound-era horror movie and marked the early rise of Mario Bava’s genre-defining visual style.
Blood and Roses (1960)
Writer/Director: Roger Vadim
Cast: Annette Vadim, Mel Ferrer, Elsa Martinelli
Premise: In 20th-century Italy, a woman named Carmilla becomes obsessed with her cousin’s fiancée. After a mysterious explosion, she believes herself possessed by the spirit of a long-dead vampire ancestor.
Behind the Scenes: A lush, erotic take on Carmilla that emphasizes psychological ambiguity and emotional repression. Vadim’s direction plays up the sensuality and dream logic, and cinematographer Claude Renoir’s use of color and shadow was widely praised. This version helped reframe Carmilla as both a romantic and tragic figure.
Crypt of the Vampire (1964)
Writers: Tonino Valerii, Ernesto Gastaldi
Director: Camillo Mastrocinque
Cast: Christopher Lee, Adriana Ambesi
Premise: A baron (Lee) investigates his family’s cursed past while his daughter begins to suffer visions and nightmares tied to an ancient vampire spirit—Mircalla.
Behind the Scenes: A gothic Italian production clearly inspired by Carmilla, this film uses the Karnstein name and themes of possession and repression. Though more atmospheric than narrative-driven, it gained cult status through Christopher Lee’s presence and Hammer-style production design.
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Writer: Tudor Gates (screenplay), based on Carmilla
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Cast: Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith, Peter Cushing
Premise: Carmilla, posing under various aliases, seduces and kills the daughters of noble families before her identity is revealed. She forms a deeper bond with one victim, raising the stakes of her exposure.
Behind the Scenes: The first film in Hammer’s Karnstein Trilogy and the most direct adaptation of Le Fanu’s novella. Ingrid Pitt brings a mix of sensuality and sadness to the role, while the film broke taboos with its frank lesbian content. Hammer pushed genre boundaries here, helping reintroduce Carmilla to a broader audience.
The Blood Spattered Bride (1972)
Writer/Director: Vicente Aranda
Cast: Simón Andreu, Maribel Martín, Alexandra Bastedo
Premise: A young bride becomes haunted by visions of a woman named Mircalla, whose violent influence leads her to question her husband and embrace a darker self.
Behind the Scenes: Loosely inspired by Carmilla, Aranda’s Spanish horror film is a feminist response to repression, featuring surreal imagery and strong political subtext. Its combination of brutality and beauty has led to scholarly reevaluation in recent years.
Carmilla (1980, TV adaptation)
Writer: Adapted from the novella
Director: Gabrielle Beaumont
Cast: Helen Cherry, Susan Penhaligon, Jon Finch
Premise: In this faithful British TV adaptation, Carmilla arrives at a lonely manor, and a slow, emotionally charged relationship with Laura unfolds—until her true nature is revealed.
Behind the Scenes: Part of the UK anthology series Shades of Darkness, this version was praised for its subtle pacing and emphasis on atmosphere over shock. It avoids exploitation and sticks close to Le Fanu’s tone, making it a favorite among purists.
Carmilla (2014–2016, Web Series)
Creators: Jordan Hall, Ellen Simpson
Director: Spencer Maybee
Cast: Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, Annie Briggs
Premise: Set on a modern college campus, the series reimagines Carmilla as a snarky, brooding vampire roommate. Her relationship with Laura Hollis, a curious journalism student, evolves from suspicion to romance amid supernatural chaos.
Behind the Scenes: Groundbreaking for its representation and modern retelling, Carmilla became a viral hit in LGBTQ+ media. It retained the gothic tone in a fresh, accessible format and expanded into a feature film in 2017. It repositions Carmilla as a flawed, evolving heroine.
Carmilla (2019 film)
Writer/Director: Emily Harris
Cast: Hannah Rae, Devrim Lingnau, Jessica Raine, Tobias Menzies
Premise: In a repressive 18th-century English countryside, a teenager named Lara forms a bond with the enigmatic Carmilla, who arrives under mysterious circumstances. Their relationship threatens to upend the household’s strict moral order.
Behind the Scenes: Harris’s adaptation strips away overt horror and emphasizes character psychology and romantic tension. The film’s muted palette and slow pace reflect the story’s emotional repression and focus on coming-of-age themes. A lyrical and minimalist interpretation praised for its visual beauty.