A “subtle” hint of Literary misogyny has confined Carmilla to countless Hammer-style lesbian vampire flicks yet J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s perfectly executed short novel (1872) preceded Bram Stoker’s Dracula by a good twenty years.
Many familiar folkloric traditions were collected and presented here first, so Le Fanu’s tale has lost non of its relevance. The foggy Eastern European locales, racing horse-drawn carriages, suspicious locals and masquerade balls are all present and continue to contribute to the variable laws of vampirism.
The prose is fast-paced and contemporary with a tantalising cinematic quality. Taut with tension and genuinely chilling Carmilla deserves just as much adoration as The Count!
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