Superheroes and stories about walking, talking toys might be ruling the box office this summer, but there’s still plenty of room at the multiplex for other cinematic subjects—like vampires! Currently running in United Kingdom movie theaters is Carmilla, the latest screen adaptation of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic tale of vampiric love and obsession. This version is written and directed by Emily Harris (Love Is Thicker Than Water) and stars Devrim Lingnau as the titular vampiress and Hannah Rae (Broadchurch) as Lara, Carmilla’s intended lover/victim.
If you’re unfamiliar with what’s probably Le Fanu’s most famous work, here’s the back-cover copy from the edition that we published in 2010, which has become the most popular title in our Illustrated Classics line:
Before Edward and Bella, before Lestat and Louis, even before Dracula and Mina, there was the vampiric tale of Carmilla and Laura.
Living with her widowed father in a dreary old castle in the woods of Styria, Laura has longed to have a friend with whom she can confide; a friend to bring some excitement to her pastoral lifestyle. And then Carmilla enters her life.
Left by her mother in the care of Laura’s father, Carmilla is young, beautiful, playful—everything that Laura had hoped to find in a companion. In fact, the lonely girl is so thrilled to have a new friend that she is willing to overlook the dark-haired beauty’s strange actions…which include a disturbing, growing obsession for her lovely hostess.
Carmilla, it seems, desires more than just friendship from Laura….
Beyond being an inspiration for Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides who threaten Jonathan Harker in Stoker’s seminal novel, Dracula, Carmilla is regarded by a good number of literary experts as being one of the first lesbian vampire stories. It’s that “scandalous” aspect that’s helped keep the tale of Carmilla and Laura in the public’s awareness, and which (naturally) has appealed to filmmakers for decades—Hammer Films’ The Vampire Lovers, director Roger Vadim’s Blood and Roses, and the comedy Lesbian Vampire Killers (starring talk-show host James Corden!) are prime examples of sex being the primary box-office appeal of Carmilla.
On a more literary note, critics continue to enjoy this tale:
“With a cover that looks like it belongs on the paranormal romance shelf in a bookstore and half a dozen illustrations provided by Eliseu Gouveia, [the StarWarp Concepts] edition stands a good chance of tempting some younger readers to pick up this classic vampire tale…. I wish I’d picked this book up in seventh grade instead of slogging through Dracula.”—The Gothic Library
“What makes Carmilla so endearing [is] the fact that the story is centered around two female characters, whose complicated relationship is colored by thinly veiled lesbian undertones.”—Slate
“Like many vampire romances, Carmilla and Laura’s love is doomed and unhealthy, but glorious.”—io9
Carmilla—the SWC edition, featuring six original illustrations by artist Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, A Princess of Mars)—is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.
