Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist primarily by feeding on the blood of living creatures, whether they are the undead or living persons. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures, and according to the British literary historian Brian Frost, who speculates that “vampires and demons are as old as humanity itself,” their origins may go as far back as “prehistoric times”. The term “vampire” became popular in the early 18th century, following a wave of vampire superstitions in Western Europe, originating from regions where vampire legends were common, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Local variations were also known under different names, such as "vampir" in Serbia and Bulgaria (вампир), "vrykolakas" in Greece, and "strigoi" in Romania.
This rise in superstition across Europe led to mass hysteria, and in some cases, people were even accused of vampirism. While the folkloric vampires of the Balkans and Eastern Europe had a wide range of appearances, from nearly human to rotting corpses, it was John Polidori’s success with the novel The Vampyre (1819) that introduced the fictional, charismatic, and sophisticated vampire. This archetype continued into the 19th century with works like Varney the Vampire and Dracula. Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel, which laid the foundation for the modern fictional vampire. The image of the Victorian vampire has persisted into contemporary times in films, video games, and literature.
