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“As our spirits are one, so too shall be our flesh. You are mine.” -Count Orlock (Nosferatu, 2024)
It’s time to bring back the yearning. The horror. The unease of the supernatural and the fear of sexuality and lust.
The era of the vampire is back, all thanks to Nosferatu.
While many viewers were discontent with the complexity of the characters, wishing for deeper characterizations like Robert Egger’s other films The VVITCH and The Lighthouse, Nosferatu comes through with the perfected atmosphere and stunning visuals Egger’s is known for creating.
But this isn’t a movie review or critique. Whether you loved it or were disappointed by it, there is one thing everyone can seem to agree on: the gothic atmosphere was immaculate.
In keeping with the perfectly eerie and hauntingly grotesque spirit of Nosferatu and the stir it has created across social media, here are nine books to read that I feel capture a piece of the essence that made people so excited about Nosferatu in the first place. You’ll find three vampire classics, known to most but too iconic not to mention, three modern vampire books, and three books that have an ominous, gothic atmosphere similar to that of Nosferatu.
The O.G. Vampire Books
Three books that need no introduction, but will get one nonetheless.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The story that started it all.
Jonathan Harker is sent to Transylvania to help the mysterious Count Dracula sell his ancient castle and purchase property in London. Soon after, a ship arrives in London and a man raves of the imminent arrival of “the master.” A new danger stalks the streets of London and a series of bizarre incidents follow, all tracing back to the horrors discovered by Jonathan deep in a castle in Transylvania.
Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Pre-dating the publication of Dracula by twenty-six years, perhaps this is, in fact, the story that started it all.
Laura lives a solitary life deep in the forest of Austria, completely isolated from the rest of the world. That is, until Carmilla shows up. Appearing in the middle of the night by a horse-drawn carriage, Carmilla appears. Laura grows weaker and Carmilla stranger by the day and their friendship more volatile the more Carmilla reveals her nocturnal tendencies.
The Vampyre by John William Polidori
Or maybe this is the one. Published in 1819, The Vampyre was published seventy-eight years before Dracula.
Aubrey is fascinated by Lord Ruthven, the mysterious new arrival among the English elite. But as Aubrey and Ruthven grow closer, Aubrey realizes that there are darker things lurking beneath his friend’s friendly facade, things that come to light after he dies, an event Aubrey himself witnessed, and re-enters society a year later. Things between them aren’t as friendly this time around, not when Ruthven begins to pursue Aubrey’s sister, leaving Aubrey no choice but to stop him.
New (Or Newish) Vampire Books
While most people are probably familiar with classic titles like Dracula and Carmilla, here are three more vampire books, all published in the twenty-first century, to give your vampire TBR more variety and flare.
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
Published February 18, 2025
Lenore, loveless and childless, is straining under the pressure of trying to regain her husband’s affection. There are secrets between them, dark and terrible secrets that threaten to come out as they move to the remote countryside. Things take a turn, and not the turn Lenore was expecting, when a carriage accident brings Carmilla into her life. Carmilla, a strange woman who stirs up a deep hunger in Lenore, who’s sudden appearance is accompanied by a strange illness taking hold of the village girls. Now, Lenore is forced to choose between a relationship new or old while she fights the darkness growing within her own household.
A Carmilla retelling perfect for fans of S.T. Gibson’s A Dowry of Blood and Emilia Hart’s Weyward.
Thirst by Marina Yusztzuk
Two time periods. Two stories. Two women grappling with loneliness and mortality. A vampire in nineteenth century Buenos Aires, watching cities be ravaged by disease. A human watching her mother wither away from her terminal illness. When these two women meet, there is no denying the attraction between them and the yearning that threatens to consume them whole.
Marina Yusztzuk is a feminist gothic writer perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, and Carmen Maria Machado.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
A young woman finds letters from her father and starts on a quest to uncover the truth about Vlad the Impaler. Was he just the inspiration behind the myth of Dracula, or was Vlad himself a vampire? The daughter searches across time and borders for the answer, seeking to finish a quest that generations of scholars and historians have risked their reputations for and failed. Through a series of letters, Vlad’s truth will be revealed. If she can find the evidence.
Dark academia meets Dracula in this unique vampire novel.
Gothic Books
No vampires here. Just gothic vibes and horror, of both the real and existential kind.
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
Elsie believes she is destined for a life of luxury. After marrying the handsome young Rupert Bainbridge, all her hopes and desires are within reach. But only a short few weeks after her marriage, her husband dies and leaves her alone in a crumbling estate with no one but his odd cousin to keep her company throughout her pregnancy. His cousin, and the painted wooden figure that looks remarkably like Elsie herself.
A Victorian ghost story that preys on the fear of isolation and the mysteries of the paranormal.
Slewfoot by Brom
After being quickly widowed to her stranger of a husband, Abitha is all alone, fighting to retain what little freedom she has within the suffocatingly patriarchal belief system of the Puritan colony she is all but a stranger in. It isn’t until the arrival of Slewfoot, a newly awoken spirit trying to figure out his place in the world, that Abitha is not as entirely alone as she thinks. Both Slewfoot and Abitha must decide who they are as villagers start dying and people begin looking for a witch to hang.
Perfect for fans of The VVITCH, another movie directed by Robert Eggers.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Our heroine, an orphan working simply as a lady’s maid, cannot believe her luck when charming widower Maxim de Winter proposes. But when they arrive at Maxim’s country estate, it becomes evident that although his wife is dead, something still lurks in the shadows of the estate. Whatever it is, it lingers around every corner, within every painting and memory of this place, and threatens to destroy their chance at a happy marriage.
Reminiscent of classic novels like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but with a modern touch, Rebecca is perfect for all gothic romance fans.
Honorable Mentions
Keeping it short and sweet here with a few extra books that I think would be an excellent read, but don’t match the Nosferatu theme as well as my other recommendation.
The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
A historical fiction, horror novel with vampires. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Kostova and Laura Purcell.
The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
A historical fiction, gothic novel perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier. In the sane vein as Rebecca.
The Poisoner by I.V. Ophelia
A gothic romance novel between a botanist and the vampire she tries to poison and kill.
