For centuries, the vampire has been the subject of myth and legend. There are actually various types of vampires, but the most well-known is the undead creature that rises from its coffin at night to feast on the blood of the living.[1]

The most famous vampire has to be Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The character of Dracula is believed to be based on the real-life Prince Vlad Tepes III (1431-1476), though many may know him as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was the second son of Vlad Dracul,[2] and is known in Romania for having battled the invading Ottoman Turks. Vlad’s name holds a mixture of history and lore, and (for some) even fear. He is believed to be responsible for more than 80,000 deaths,[3] and to have performed torturous executions upon his enemies. The most famous of Vlad’s executions was the of impaled prisoners on the ends of stakes.

“The end of the stake was usually oiled, and care was taken that the stake not be too sharp; else the victim might die too rapidly from shock. Normally the stake was inserted into the body through the anus and was often forced through the body until it emerged from the mouth. However, there were many instances where victims were impaled through other bodily orifices or through the abdomen or chest. Infants were sometimes impaled on the stake forced through their mother’s chests. The records indicate that victims were sometimes impaled so that they hung upside down on the stake.”[4]

Today, Vlad’s history is intertwined with Dracula’s, who has become a pivotal figure in both literature and film. But what other vampires are there besides Dracula in history, film and literature?

Here is my list of the top 10 most memorable vampires from history, literature, and film/TV!

10) Peter Plogojowitz – History 

If you looked up “Real Vampires in History” (or similar verbiage), you’d notice this particular name keeps popping up. Peter Plogojowitz was a Serbian peasant who died in 1725, and was thought to be a vampire by the villagers. Not long after he was buried, people claimed Peter visited them at night, with some of them dying not too long after. Even Peter’s own son died from massive blood loss days after he claimed to have been visited.[5] Peter quickly became the subject of one of the most extreme cases of vampire hysteria, as well as one of the first recorded cases of vampirism.[6] It didn’t take long before the villagers demanded the vampire be stopped, and got authorities to dig up Peter.

The body of Plogojowitz was exhumed, and when examined, signs of vampirism were present: the hair and nails appeared to have grown, and there were signs of blood in the mouth. The villagers drove a stake through Plogojowitz’s heart, and fresh blood spurted from the corpse. They then burned the body.[7]

9) Arnold Paole – History

Just like Peter Plogojowitz, Arnold Paole is a historical vampire whose name keeps appearing in the history books. Paole (also like Peter Plogojowitz) was Serbian, and before his death in 1726, he claimed to have been bitten by a vampire—an event that left him feeling cursed.[8] After his death from a farming accident a short time later, people in the village began dying, and all fingers pointed to the recently deceased Paole. When the people dug up Paole, they saw proof that he was indeed a vampire. His hair and nails were longer, and had blood on his mouth.[9] Like something from a modern Dracula movie, the villagers drove a stake through Paole’s heart, cut off his head, and burned his body.[10] Little did they know that four years later, 17 more deaths would occur, supposedly at the hands of a vampire.

Maybe it was one of Paole’s victims, come back from the dead?…

8) Lord Ruthven – Literature

If you think Dracula is the first fictional vampire to be written in classic Gothic Literature, think again! That title actually goes to Lord Ruthven, from the short story The Vampyre. First published in 1819 (Dracula was published in 1897), The Vampyre’s vampire is Lord Ruthven. Lord Ruthven is an aristocratic, and suave nobleman who can capture women’s attention—which is a pity for them since his preference for victims are pure and innocent women.[11] Lord Ruthven also has a desire to worsen humanity, yet unlike most vampires we’ve come to know, he is not weakened by crosses or sunlight. He is, however, able to be harmed by mortal weapons.

Lord Ruthven is memorable because he is the first true vampire in English literature, and anyone who meets him ends up suffering, or dead.

7) Carmilla – Literature

Did you know there was another vampire novel printed before Dracula? Carmilla (1872) is one of the most influential books of vampire horror, and has the vampire not be a male, but a female named (you guessed it), Carmilla. Carmilla is hypnotic, alluring, and quickly becomes friends with the book’s narrator, Laura. However, Laura is soon tormented by nightmares of a cat-like creature that comes to her room at night and bites her above the chest. Simultaneously, women throughout the neighborhood mysteriously die.

What sets Carmilla apart from others is the fact that she does not just take a victim and drain their blood in one sitting. She first earns their trust, and even shows signs love—but it’s the type of love becomes possessive, which turns to obsession, and eventually kills the one she is focused on.[12]

Carmilla is memorable not solely for the fact she is the first female vampire to be given a lead antagonist role, but also for how she sets the standard for future vampires’ sensuality and M.O. In fact, if you were to read Carmilla, you’d see how it quite possibly influenced Bram’s Dracula.

Illustration from The Dark Blue, by David Henry Friston, 1872.

6) Jerry Dandridge – Film

Okay, it is time to jump to the modern era! Let’s talk film vampires. If you haven’t seen Fright Night (the one from 1985), then go see it. The vampire for this film is Jerry Dandridge. Jerry is, much like his vampire predecessors, charming and handsome—at least while in his human form. What makes Jerry memorable is because…well, there’s no other way to say this. It’s freaking Fright Night! It’s a badass movie.

Don’t believe me? Then you must have never seen it—or you only saw the remake.

Here, watch a clip:

5) David – Film

David is a fictional character from the movie The Lost Boys. Played by Kiefer Sutherland, David is a bleach blonde, blue eyed vampire, and the leader of motorcycle gang of vampires. Though he is not the Head Vampire, David is still a force to be reckoned with. In The Lost Boys, David and his gang terrorizes the town of Santa Carla, “the Murder Capitol of the World”.[13]

What makes David stand out from other vampires is the fact he makes being a vampire seem cool, freeing, and with no one to answer to (except for the Head Vampire, of course). However, alongside that freedom, he fully embraces his evilness, and takes upon a demonic visage whenever he goes into a vampiric frenzy. When it comes to dealing with someone like David, no one is safe from his bloodlust.

6) Angel/Angelus – Television

Angel, the vampire with a soul. Angel’s character first came to life on the popular TV show, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, and is one of the first well known vampires to have a soul. Before Angel, all vampires were seen solely as blood thirsty monsters, with no sense of humanity in their actions. After Angel, it somehow became the popular norm for vampires to have souls…and feelings. Of course, if Angel were to ever lose his soul, he would revert to his evil ways, and be known as Angelus. Angelus is someone you’d never want to meet.

Here is a wonderful fan-made “trailer” that wonderfully summarizes Angel when he became a vampire with a soul:

Angel is memorable because he set in stone the idea of a vampire with a soul. He opened the doors for stories where, “he’s a something, she’s a human, and they have a forbidden love”. Many people may say it’s Anne Rice who started that theme with Louie, but you can’t deny it was Joss Whedon’s character, Angel, who cemented it. And speaking of Anne Rice…

3) Lestat de Lioncourt – Literature

Anyone who’s a fan of vampires knows the characters from Anne Rice’s novels. From Armand to Louis, and the Queen of the Damned, Akasha, these vampires have left a hard imprint on the vampire world. However, the most memorable vampire has to be Anne Rice’s Lestat de Lioncourt. Lestat is bold, stubborn, and engaging. He is also very manipulative, which is shown in Interview With the Vampire. He is the sire of Louis de Pointe du Lac, and Claudia, who Lestat uses in order to keep Louis with him.

Lestat was first brought to film in 1994, and portrayed by Tom Cruise (which is probably the only role I truly think he was meant to play). Even Anne Rice came out enjoying his portrayal.[14] In an open letter, she wrote:

From the moment he appeared Tom was Lestat for me. He has the immense physical and moral presence; he was defiant and yet never without conscience; he was beautiful beyond description yet compelled to do cruel things. The sheer beauty of Tom was dazzling, but the polish of his acting, his flawless plunge into the Lestat persona, his ability to speak rather boldly poetic lines, and speak them with seeming ease and conviction were exhilarating and uplifting. The guy is great.

It is perhaps because of Tom’s performance that Lestat became such a memorable character in the history of vampires. After all, film (if done right) helps us to see things in person, rather than what we interpret with our minds. It’s exactly that use of visual artistry that makes the next vampire #2 on my list…

2) Count Orlok – Film

Count Orlok, played by Max Shreck, was the vampire in the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu. You could say Nosferatu was Dracula with copyright issues. Bram Stoker’s widow tried keeping the movie from being released due to its unauthorized use of Bram’s novel. To side-step the lawsuit, the producers sold the film to Deutsche Film Produktion.[15] Though Deutsche Film Produktion heavily edited the film, it is through this action that we were given the most visually-memorable vampire in film—one who can never be confused for Dracula if you stood them side-by-side.

Count Orlok is not a sexy vampire. He is frightening, creepy, and definitely not human looking. He has long, talonlike fingers, visible fangs, large eyes, and bat-like ears. He is also thin, taller than most men, and with equally long arms—which only adds to his creepiness as he stalks his victims through the shadows.

You know who Count Orlok is when you look at him. I doubt anyone will argue the fact that he is one of the most visually striking vampires, but he is not the most memorable vampire on this list. That title goes to…

1) Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed – History

The #1 most memorable vampire has to be Elizabeth Báthory. Elizabeth (1560-1604) was a countess from Hungary, who was born into one of the oldest and most powerful families in Transylvania. Elizabeth was educated, ran various estates (her husband was often away, leaving her in charge), and bore many children[16]—all while reportedly killing young women, and bathing in their blood.

Elizabeth Báthory is attributed with torturing and murdering young servant and peasant women (most of whom went to her castle in hopes of a better life, and employment). Elizabeth’s tortures included jamming needles under fingernails[17], stabbing, biting areas of the body, burning with hot-irons (or other metals, like coins), beatings, starvation, and more.[18][19] She would reportedly bathe in her victims’ blood so to keep her youthful features and prolong her life. The total body count of Elizabeth’s victims comes to an estimated 175 to over 200.[20]

With a track record like Elizabeth’s, it’s no wonder she is referred to as the Blood Countess, or Countess Dracula.

What do you think of my list?

Is there someone you think I should have mentioned (or not)? Let me know in the comments section! Who knows? Maybe I will make another list in the future.

Let me know what else you’d like me to write about—other than the sequels of my books. I promise, I will finish them! :). Whether it’s vampires, werewolves, ghosts, religion, history, etc, let me know what you’d like to see.

• [1] Live Science, “Vampires: Fact, Fiction and Folklore.” http://www.livescience.com/24374-vampires-real-history.html (October 22, 2014).
• [2] New World Encyclopedia. “Vlad III the Impaler.” http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Vlad_III_the_Impaler#Biography (accessed May 19, 2016).
• [3] Bartlett, Sarah, Guide to the World’s Supernatural Places: More Than 250 Spine-Chilling Destinations Around the Globe (Washington D.C.: National Geographic, 2014). ISBN: 978-1-4262-1380-9
• [4] New World Encyclopedia. “Vlad III the Impaler.” http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Vlad_III_the_Impaler#Biography (accessed May 19, 2016).
• [5] D’Agostino, Thomas, A History of Vampires in New England. (Haunted America, 2010). Page 21.  (ISBN: 978-1-59629-998-6)
• [6] Smith, Evans Lansing, P.H.D, and Nathan Robert Brown, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Mythology. (Alpha Books, 2007). Page 263. ISBN: 978-1-59257-764-4
• [7] D’Agostino, Thomas, A History of Vampires in New England. (Haunted America, 2010). Page 21.  (ISBN: 978-1-59629-998-6)
• [8] D’Agostino, A History of Vampires in New England. Page 21. (ISBN: 978-1-59629-998-6)
• [9] Stewart, Gail B., Vampires: Do They Exist? (Referencepoint Press, 2010). Page 29-32. (ISBN: 1601521103)
• [10] Stewart, Vampires: Do They Exist? Page 31. (ISBN: 1601521103)
• [11] Skullinthestars, “Dracula’s forefathers: Lord Ruthven, Varney and Carmilla.” Posted October 5, 2008. https://skullsinthestars.com/2008/10/05/draculas-forefathers-lord-ruthven-varney-and-carmilla/ (accessed May 21, 2016).
• [12] Reece, Dr. Gregory L., Creatures of the Night: In Search of Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves and Demons. (I. B. Tauris, 2012). Page 70. (ISBN: 1848853858)
• [13] The Lost Boys. Dir. Joel Schumacher. Warner Bros, 1987. Film.
• [14] Letter from Anne Rice, 1994. (http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~forest/vamipre/morecomments.html)
• [15] Feaster, Felicia on TCM.com, “NOSFERATU.” Posted: Unstated. http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/437|0/Nosferatu.html (accessed May 21, 2016).
• [16] Cavendish, Richard, “Death of Countess Elizabeth Bathory.” Posted August 8^th, 2014. http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-countess-elizabeth-bathory (accessed May 22, 2016)
• [17] History.com, “Bathory’s Torturous Escapades are Exposed.” Posted date unstated. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bathorys-torturous-escapades-are-exposed (accessed May 22, 2016)
• [18] Cavendish, “Death of Elizabeth Bathory.” www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-countess-elizabeth-bathory
• [19] Thorne, Tony, Countess Dracula: The Life and Times of Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess. (Bloomsbury Paperbacks, 2012). Page 63. (ASIN: B0085UP9Y4)
• [20] Thorne, Countess Dracula: The Life and Times of Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess. Page 66. (ASIN: B0085UP9Y4)