The Freaky History Of Vampires Might Surprise You: These Supernatural Beings Originally Were Used As Scapegoats For Disease

And amidst this vampire fright in New England, the monsters were also emerging as popular entertainment tropes in Europe. The Vampyre, a short story written by John William Polidori, was written in 1819; meanwhile, Carmilla, a gothic novella, was penned by Sheridan Le Fanu in 1871.

But, while these characters did draw inspiration from folk legend and historic vampire scares, they also emerged as the more provocative and intriguing vampires we recognize in popular media today.

Since then, countless novels, comics, television shows, and movies have emerged in an attempt to satisfy the public’s apparently insatiable appetite for all things mysterious and horrific.

But, the next time you open a Stephanie Meyer novel or visit Spirit Halloween in search of the perfect Draculaura costume, you can remember the pure fear of the unknown that spurred these supernatural tales in the first place.

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