Lesbian vampirism is a trope in 20th-century exploitation film and literature. It was a way to hint at or titillate with the taboo idea of lesbianism in a fantasy context outside the heavily censored realm of social realism. Origins and early history The vampires based in Slavic mythology, the wąpierz, were said to sneak into houses at night and drink the blood of people. Countess Elizabeth Bathory also inspired the vampire myth, and her victims were all young women. It is believed that these two early additions to vampire lore, real and fictional, have contributed to the mythology of the vampire, in particular an attraction to young, beautiful women present in modern retelling of the vampire mythos. The portrayal of vampires has had sexual connotations since the Victorian era, but during that era it had more to do with demonising sexual behaviour. The women in Victorian era vampire media were often portrayed as sexually transgressive and then punished for said transgressions. As part of this moral panic, the trope of lesbian vampires appeared to reinforce heteronormativity. Carmilla and its adaptations The genre has its roots in Sheridan le Fanu's novella Carmilla about the love of a female vampire for a young woman: Sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like the ardour of a lover; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet overpowering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips travelled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, 'You are mine, you shall be mine, and you and I are one for ever'. (Carmilla, Chapter 4). Carmilla is a constant presence in the protagonist, Laura's life. Her role evolves from mother to lover, though their relationship revolves around Carmilla feeding on Laura. When Carmilla is discovered later in the novella, the story plays on themes of patriarchy and homophobia as Carmilla is seen to be corrupting and tarnishing these young women. Dracula's Daughter (1936) gave the first hints of lesbian attraction in a vampire film, in the scene in which the title character, portrayed by Gloria Holden, preys upon an attractive girl