 Varney the Vampire was a landmark popular mid @-@ Victorian era gothic horror story by James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest , which first appeared from 1845 to 1847 in a series of pamphlets generally referred to as penny dreadfuls because of their inexpensive price and typically gruesome contents . The story was published in book form in 1847 and runs to 868 double @-@ columned pages . It has a distinctly suspenseful style , using vivid imagery to describe the horrifying exploits of Varney . Another important addition to the genre was Sheridan Le Fanu 's lesbian vampire story Carmilla ( 1871 ) . Like Varney before her , the vampire Carmilla is portrayed in a somewhat sympathetic light as the compulsion of her condition is highlighted . 
