Immortal, bloodthirsty creatures that feed on humans - they have sharp fangs and a hatred for sunlight and garlic. Vampires might not the hero you typically root for, but they have transfixed us for centuries. The first short story about the monster written in the English language was John Polidori's The Vampyre in 1819.
More followed, with Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1897 inspiring F.W. Murnau's silent film Nosferatu in 1922.
This is now being remade by Robert Eggers and is set to be released in the UK in 2025, starring Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult. But what's driving our hunger for vampire stories? For writer and actor Mark Gatiss, his fascination with vampires started early. The co-writer of BBC drama series Sherlock and Dracula has been a "horror obsessive" for as long as he can remember.
Gatiss went on from a childhood love of scary stories to star as Dracula in an audio production, made a documentary on the monster as well as a 2020 BBC series, which sees the Count (played by Claes Bang) venture to London. He says the opportunity to bring Stoker's iconic vampire to life felt "too good to be true". "Like Sherlock Holmes, it's an imperishable myth and, really, if anyone gives you the chance to have a go at it - you have to do it," he explains.
Rolin Jones is an executive producer and a writer on the TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire, based on Anne Rice's collection of novels. The series, available on BBC iPlayer , follows vampire Louis de Poi.
