By Daniel W Cheely
Of all the supernatural entities in the horror genre, the ghost is my favorite. There is a sense of mystery about the ghost that I find appealing. It is not limited to a physical entity and can take on many shapes and appearances. It can be visible or invisible, figurative or literal; it can be as clear as a passing shadow or as elusive as a disembodied emotion. A well-written ghost story should cultivate ghosts in this complexity so that the mystery surrounding their nature is important to the horror factor of the story. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s ghost stories succeed in all of these aspects. He is often considered the leader of Victorian ghost stories.
Camilla LeFanu’s novel is about vampires rather than ghosts. However, I enjoyed it a lot, in part because LeFanu judged this vampire novel by much the same standards as he did ghost novels. The vampire in the story, Carmilla, is a beautiful, charming young girl with dark eyes who possesses many of the characteristics associated with ghosts. She can walk through walls. She can disappear without a trace. She can appear as a shadow at the foot of her victim’s bed. She is the embodiment of eternal longing, of desire and loneliness. Her identity is a mystery. A noble family takes her into their castle temporarily. She immediately forms a bond with the noble’s daughter, Laura (the narrator of the story). But she refuses to talk about her past or her future. She seems to be concerned only with her present activities; her intimate chats with Laura, her observations of the surrounding countryside. She enjoys solitary walks in the woods. Sometimes she disappears for hours or even days.
This novella was written between 1871 and 1872, before Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In that way, it’s no longer my mother’s vampire story, or even my grandmother’s, but my great-grandmother’s. It’s an old tale, but please don’t associate its history with caution and restraint. Quite the opposite is true. The legendary vampire has changed a lot over the years, for better and for worse. Writers of modern vampire legend have explored several creative avenues, but in doing so, they’ve pushed us far, far away from the terrifying creatures that rose from the dead in their gothic gloom. Every once in a while (and that’s “every once in a while” for me), we must trace vampire legend back to its roots in order to reconnect with the more primal archetypes of the stories that horror’s pioneers gave life to. Read Camilla Doing a great job on this.
Modern vampires have lost their edge. They are the object of teenage girls’ fascination, shining like diamonds. They appear in cartoon form on cereal boxes. They are the inspiration for the glam dance music we call “goth”. Don’t forget, vampires are “undeads”; they rise from the sealed tombs and rise again from the dead. Such descriptions occur in Camilla. Earlier, I described the female vampire’s appearance with great pleasure. However, her appearance also had a tough side. As she lay in the grave, she was motionless, eyes wide open, bathed in blood.
Camilla is a paradox. She is young yet old, charming yet repulsive. She enjoys physical pleasures but behaves like a ghost. LeFanu tells the story masterfully, allowing these complex character traits to quietly emerge. I found myself so absorbed in the revelations about her true nature that I almost forgot what I already knew—that Camilla is a vampire. In other words, I was able to set aside any preconceived notions about vampires and let Camilla define herself. I am, for sure, fascinated by her character. Her skills in seducing a vampire transcend the books. She has mesmerized me, and she will mesmerize you too if you decide to read this fascinating novella.
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score:5/5
About the Author: Daniel is the author of multiple books. He has a particular interest in haunted houses in film and literature, and enjoys writing about the subject. To learn more, visit TheBooksofDaniel.com
