Sheridan Fanu

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic mystery tales, who was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. Author of 'The House by the Churchyard' (1863) and 'Uncle Silas' (1864), it is Le Fanu’s 'Carmilla' that remains his best-known Gothic tale. The story of a female vampire’s advances towards a young girl greatly influenced Bram Stoker’s 'Dracula' (1897) as well as twentieth century films.