The Vampyre

Before Dracula, there was The Vampyre — the original tale that gave birth to the modern vampire legend.

Penned in 1819 by John William Polidori, this gothic masterpiece tells the haunting story of Lord Ruthven, a cold and charismatic aristocrat whose charm masks a dark and deadly secret. As he travels through Europe, he draws the young and impressionable Aubrey into a web of mystery, seduction, and supernatural terror. What begins as an exciting adventure quickly turns into a nightmare as Aubrey discovers that his companion is not what he seems.

Written during the same fateful gathering that inspired Frankenstein, The Vampyre marks a turning point in horror literature — transforming the vampire from a grotesque monster into a sophisticated predator cloaked in elegance and desire.

Meet the vampire that started it all — seductive, sinister, and chillingly timeless.