The Annotated Carmilla

One major omission (which I hope to see rectified in an updated edition) is the lack of a comprehensive section on the appearances of Carmilla in other media after the main body of the book. The (incomplete, and very rough) list which follows is something which would go a long way to helping completists such as myself hunt down all of the character’s appearances. I guess that someone with more time on their hands could eke out a few more instances from either the Wold Newton universe or Anno Dracula, but I’m almost certain that she is absent from The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen – I’ve been through it a few times, and I haven’t seen any references to either the character or the story which I could easily identify.

Films:
Vampyr (1932; Dir:)
Blood And Roses (1960; Dir:)
La cripta e l’incubo (1964; Dir:)
The Vampire Lovers (1970; Dir:)
Lust for a Vampire (1971; Dir:)
Twins of Evil (1971; Dir:)
Daughters Of Darkness (1971; Dir:)
La novia ensangrentada (1972; Dir:)
Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas (1978; Dir:)
Carmilla (1999)
Vampires Vs. Zombies (2004; Dir:)
Carmilla (2009; Dir:)

Live-Action Television:
Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Carmilla (1966; Dir:)
Carmilla (1980; Dir:)
Carmilla: Le coeur petrifié (1988; Dir: Paul Planchon)
Nightmare Classics: Carmilla (10 Sep 1989; Dir: Gabrielle Beaumont)

DTV:
Carmilla; Game of Pleasure (1998) A Tom Le Pine Production.
Outliving Dracula: Le Fanu’s Carmilla (2010)

Radio / Audio:
Carmilla (Radio Theatre Group) Read by Louisa Thornton
Nightfall: Carmilla (1981; CBC Radio)
Carmilla (2009; BBC Northern Ireland)
Carmilla: A Vampyre Tale (Audio Partners) Audio Book read by Megan Follows

Comics:
The Occult Files Of Doctor Spektor #8 (Jun 1974; Gold Key Comics) Carmilla appearance. Written by Donald F. Glut; illustrated by Jesse Santos
Carmilla (6 issues) (Feb – Jul 1991, Aircel Publishing) adapted by Steven Phillip Jones; illustrated by John Ross
Gothic Classics vol. 14 (2007; Eureka Productions) adapted by Rod Lott; illustrated by Lisa K. Weber
Carmilla (2008; Vertigo Graphic) adapted by Sofia Terzo

Illustrated editions:
Carmilla (2011; StarWarp Concepts) illustrated by Eliseu Gouevia

Original Novels:
Lust for a Vampire novelization by William Hughes (1971; London: Sphere)
Carmilla: The Return by Kyle Marffin (1998; Darien, Illinois: Design Image Group)
The Darker Passions: Carmilla by Amarantha Knight (2004; Cambridge, MA: Circlet)
Within the Glass Darkly by William Gareth Evans (2010; Guildford: Grosvenor House)

I haven’t found a complete list yet, but there are numerous appearances of Carmilla in computer games, specifically Castlevania. It would be nice to see the character’s lasting importance in pop culture be given a proper run-through, especially when she has such a standing in Japanese works – anime and manga have taken the notion of the lesbian vampire and ran with it to lengths which Le Fanu would be shocked at. This is, of course, not central to the issue of understanding just how important and lasting the work has become, but it would go some way to showing how the legacy of a nineteenth century novella stretches across cultural and social strata.

As it stands, the book is a solid three and a half stars (four if you are unfamiliar with the work), but with a few tweaks it has the potential to be a true five-star reference work whch demands a place in every library. As I have pointed out in the previous post, here is a lot of work in the guide as it stands, and even for seasoned horror aficionados there are explanations which may surprise. Instead of purchasing modern travesties of the English language such as Twilight, do your brain a favor and pick this up instead.

You can find David MacDowell Blue on his personal website, his Facebook page, on his YouTube Channel, on Twitter or his page at DeviantArt. You can purchase The Annotated Carmilla at