Vampires are bloodsucking creatures of the night who prey on humans to sustain their life. While the media has often depicted vampirism through male characters, pop culture gave rise to famous female vampires who took the mythological fandom by storm. There’s so much depth and character to these vampires, and you’ve got to explore them!
Famous Female Vampires
Here is a list of the famous female vampires who have made appearances in literature and films through the years.
#1. Carmilla
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The creation of author J Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla is a book about a vampire, Carmilla, who is also referred to as Millarca and Mircalla (anagrams of the name Carmilla), the Countess Karnstein.
One of the earliest fictional female vampires in modern Europe, Carmilla preys on young women and terrorizes a Styrian town. She exclusively picks female victims, sometimes developing emotional relationships with them.
There are flirty and sexual undertones between Carmilla and the narrator of the story Laura, a young adult who first met Carmilla when she was a child. Laura begins to detect Carmilla’s vampirism and falls ill, only to heal after Carmilla leaves.
As Laura’s father hunts Carmilla after Laura falls ill, a Baron manages to execute her. Carmilla was the prototype for lesbian vampires, with strong gothic elements that heavily influenced Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
#2. Akasha
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Queen Akasha is the fictional vampire antagonist of The Vampire Chronicles novel series by Anne Rice. She is an ancient, oppressive creature; behind her ethereal beauty was a darkness that held no morals or compassion.
She promotes the rape of two women for their “witchcraft” to punish them for defying her orders. But when the spirit, Amel, summoned by one of the witches sees this, he infuses her soul with his own to beget the vampire Akasha.
After a long trance, she is woken up in 1985 to kill most of her vampire progeny. She is finally killed by what she had banned during her rule as the Queen — cannibalism.
In 2002, a film adaptation of the novels called Queen of the Damned was released, starring Aaliyah.
#3. Drusilla
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From the hit show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Drusilla is a vampire sired by Angelus, who killed her family and trained her to be his masterpiece.
She possessed psychic powers as a human and has hypnotic powers as a vampire. She sires a young British poet, William Pratt who named himself Spike and became Drusilla’s lover.
Through a lot of betrayal and drama involving Angel and Spike, plus a massacre with Darla through Los Angeles, she has an on-off relationship with Spike that ultimately ends.
Drusilla’s femininity is elegant yet dark, and her madness is evident in her violent tendencies.
#4. Vampirella
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Created by Forrest J Ackerman and queer feminist comic artist Trina Robbins in 1969, Vampirella is a fictional vampire protagonist of the comic series of the same name.
She has abilities of telepathy, shapeshifting, flight, and immortality. She first lived on Drakulon, a planet that had blood rivers until the blood drought hit their planet. But when a spaceship from Earth crashes on her planet, she realizes that the pilots have blood in their veins and navigates her way to Earth.
After being found by members of the Cult of Chaos, she manages to foil their evil plans and turns to good. Finding the occult book Crimson Chronicles, she manages to end her blood diet.
Vampirella was a highly sexualized character, but the objectification was eliminated and she was rewritten — today she is depicted as a sex-positive pansexual vampire dating another woman.
Fans love Vampirella because of her sexy appearance and powerful superpowers. And they also collect her photos and upload them to customsticker.com. Making die-cut stickers and sticking them anywhere they can see. That shows what they like, which is awesome! Seeing her seems to have the same cool personality as her. You can also make stickers of any character you like the most.
#5. Miriam Blaylock
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Played by Catherine Deneuve in the 1983 film The Hunger directed by Tony Scott, Miriam Blaylock is an ancient vampire who often turned her paramours into immortals. She’s stylish, elegant, suave, and gets what she wants at the bat of her alluring eyes.
What’s interesting about this movie is how it shows the practical struggle of hunting victims and hiding their blood-drained bodies.
The story revolves around Miriam attempting to prolong the life of her beau John, whose blood transfusion that turned him into an immortal unfortunately fails, and he ages. She secretly keeps track of Dr. Sarah Roberts, an incredibly smart young physician whose research has the potential to ensure immortality.
However, John eventually becomes a lost cause and Miriam taps into her bisexual nature — finding love with Dr. Sarah.
#6. Santanico Pandemonium
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Part of the film series From Dusk Till Dawn directed by Robert Rodriguez, Santanico Pandemonium is an iconic female vampire played by the legendary Salma Hayek. Having grown up with an abusive father, when 19-year-old Esmeralda runs into her mother, she finds out she is a “dhampir” destined to be a vampire princess.
She successfully completes her transition and calls herself Santanico Pandemonium. Carnage ensues as she kills her grandmother by order of her mother, who is then killed by her father. She then becomes the cruel, twisted vampire queen of the Titty Twister, seducing the patrons and feeding on them.
Santanico had superhuman strength and can shapeshift. Her weaknesses included sunlight, decapitation, being staked, and heart extraction.
#7. Selene
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Born in 1383 AD, Selene is the fictional female vampire protagonist of the Underworld movie series.
Interestingly enough, Selene has a vampire family, including children. She is sired by the Vampire Elder Victor, eventually becoming the first Vampire–Corvinus strain hybrid. She has a daughter Eve, with her partner hybrid Michael Corvinus.
Her powers include enhanced speed, strength, endurance, accelerated healing, blood sorting, and resurrection.
She’s an expert combatant and practically a lean mean killing machine. An idealist with a stony demeanor, Selene would cut through armies to protect her family.
#8. Pamela Swynford De Beaufort
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Commonly referred to as Pam, Pamela Swynford De Beaufort is one of the main characters of the television series True Blood.
She is Eric’s loyal sidekick; unforgivably direct with an uncanny sense of humor and a sociopath toward non-vampires. She is bisexual as well.
She becomes a daywalker until the death of Mackyn Warlow and, interestingly, Hepatitis V is one of her weaknesses. She loathes children and only demonstrates her feelings when her loyalty comes into question. She shares an empathic bond with her progeny, Tara Thornton.
#9. Claudia
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A five-year-old vampire child from The Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice, Claudia looks like a perfect little china doll.
She is turned by Lestat de Lioncourt, who she begins to resent for stealing her life away. She tries to murder him and escapes his clutches, not knowing that Lestat was still alive. Louis helps burn Lestat alive, and they meet Armand, who gets embroiled in Claudia’s life and drama.
Claudia is wise beyond her years, aware of the darkness within mankind. Played by Kirsten Dunst in the film Interview With The Vampire, she details the horrors of domestic life.
#10. Eli
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A centuries-old vampire turned at a young age, Eli stars in Let The Right One In directed by Tomas Alfredson. This 2008 Swedish romantic-horror film was based on the novel by the same name written by John Ajvide Lindqvist.
The novel, however, depicts Eli as a boy with scarred genitals, while Eli’s gender remains ambiguous throughout the movie. The dark nature of their relationship with Oskar, Eli’s next-door neighbor who is bullied in school, is explored through the story.
Eli can only sustain on a blood diet and is immune to the cold. Sunlight is fatal for Eli; they also need verbal permission to enter a house, lest they bleed profusely. Eli can also fly and has superhuman strength.
A Few Parting Words
Vampirism isn’t just for the men; famous female vampires have been able to cement their worth and terror over decades of literature and film. Several of them are also queer feminist icons, and remain legendary to date.
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