Carmilla and The Vampyre

Two of the most famous early examples of vampire literature, J Sheridan LeFanu's Carmilla and John William Polidori's The Vampyre both predate Bram Stoker's legendary Dracula by several decades are are often cited as influences on Stoker's novel. Carmilla is an atmospheric and erotic novella, which strongly influenced the genre and became a source of inspiration for Hammer films. Written at the same time as Frankenstein, when Polidori was also staying with Lord Byron, is often described as the first successful vampire novel.