Before Bella and Edward there were The Lost Boys and the gang in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Before True Blood came Dark Shadows and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Before them all there was the most famous vampire of all time: Count Dracula, immortalized by Bram Stoker in 1897. Whether characterized as urbane aristocrats, animalistic monsters or brooding teenagers, as creatures of the day or of the night, it seems vampires have captured the popular imagination for centuries. Today they are a worldwide phenomenon, featuring in everything from Jamaican reggae songs to Japanese and Korean horror films. Why have vampires gone viral? In The Rise of the Vampire, Erik Butler explains our fascination with the undead by examining folklore, literature, film, television, journalism and music.