Pre-dating Bram Stoker’s Dracula by 25 years, the tale of the temptress vampire, Carmilla, is an enduring tale of feminine seduction. Brought to life in 1872 by Joseph Sheridan LeFanu, the story goes that a beautiful and mysterious woman comes to stay at an estate. Once there, she begins to seduce the young woman who lives there. Eventually, the strange occurrences around the estate spin out of control and then what do you do with a problem like Carmilla? The original novella holds up nicely after 150 years.
The way I first encountered the story of Carmilla was from reading the 2023 graphic novel adaptation by Amy Chu. It’s a gritty, modern interpretation set in New York City. It keeps the major plot points – a strange woman is invited to stay with the main character, Athena. Athena is shown the greener grass on the other side of her unsatisfying life. All the while, the reader sees the undertones of peril that the main character is dismissing despite knowing better.
I think the graphic novel is well done and there are actually now three volumes of the story to enjoy. The artwork by Soo Lee uses muted palettes to convey the mundanity of day-to-day life for Athena, and then bumps up the temperature with rich reds and pinks to show how much life the world of Carmilla’s breathes into our protagonist.
I also like how the narrative incorporates stressors familiar to a modern audience like gentrification and holding onto the traditional when so much of the world wants your assimilation.
However, if you want to see Carmilla in all of its fully realized glory??? You MUST pick up a copy of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn. Published in February 2025, it takes us back to the historical gothic narrative, but Dunn expands and improves the original. I do think the improvement comes from the self-awareness. It’s 2025. We know lesbians exist. We know women have historically gotten the shit end of the stick when it comes to domestic arrangements. Dunn is then able to be less vague about the relationships she is exploring. While I think the original is engaging, this new interpretation really makes the story sing. And the conclusion…my goodness. So satisfying. WAY more satisfying than the original.
At the end of the day, Carmilla is about an independent woman who shows another woman the way towards enlightenment. It looks a lot like doom because there is much to give up if you want liberation. The question then becomes, do you have the guts to go there?
All three Carmilla’s get an OooOOoooOOOohh from The Undead Bookshop! Pick them up at one of our upcoming manifestations.