Varney the Vampire

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The cover image from one of the original Varney the Vampire publications.

Varney the Vampire or The Feast of Blood was a mid-Victorian era gothic horror story by James Malcolm Rymer (alternatively attributed to Thomas Preskett Prest), which first appeared 1845-47 in a series of pamphlets generally referred to as penny dreadfuls because of their inexpensive price and typically gruesome contents. It was published in book form in 1847. It is of epic length: the original edition runs to 868 double columned pages divided into 220 chapters. It has a distinctly suspenseful style, using vivid imagery to describe the horrifying exploits of Varney.

The story is set in the reign of King George II and concerns the persecution of the Bannerworth family by Sir Francis Varney, a vampire who develops a habit for entering the bedroom of the daughter of the house, named Flora, and sucking her blood:

One glance, one terrified glance, in which her whole soul was concentrated, sufficed to show her who and what the figure was. There was a tall, gaunt form - there was the faded ancient apparal - the lustrous metallic-looking eyes - its half-opened mouth, exhibiting tusk like teeth! It was - yes, it was - the vampyre! (Varney the Vampire Chap 9)

Varney is presented sympathetically, a victim of circumstances. He tries to save himself but is unable and ultimately commits suicide by throwing himself into Mount Vesuvius.

Varney's exploits were a great influence on later vampire fiction, most particularly Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.