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What’s even more badass than a vampire? A female vampire! Blood-sucking vampiresses have permeated pop culture since at least 1816, when the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote the suspensefully unfinished Christabel. The poem was written ninety-one years before Bram Stoker’s Dracula and visited themes that would quickly be fleshed out in Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, and a whole host of movies, shows, comics, novels, and more over the decades.
Nowadays, a full 150 years later, there are a plethora of badass undead ladies in vampire fiction that Carmilla would be proud of. Some are over 1000 years old, while others are newborns trying to find their way. But they all dominate on the small screen.
Nadja Of Antipaxos - 'What We Do In The Shadows' (2019-2022)
Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou) grew up in a poor Greek village where she was turned by a vampire masquerading as a snake. After being driven out by the townspeople, she fled to England where she flew through the window of a nobleman named Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry). Nadja seduced him, drank his blood, turned him then married him.
Three hundred or so years later, Nadja is still a hustler who knows precisely what she wants. She keeps Laszlo and their housemate Nandor (Kayvan Novak) in line, she holds a senior role on the vampiric council, and she is the owner of Staten Island’s hottest vampire nightclub, “Nadja’s.”
Caroline Forbes - 'The Vampire Diaries' (2009-2017)
Before she was turned, Caroline Forbes (Candice King) was quite the overachiever. She was Miss Mystic Falls, head of the cheerleading team and valedictorian. Despite this, her human insecurities plagued her. But when Caroline died at the hands of Katherine (Nina Dobrev) with Damon's (Ian Somerhalder) blood in her system, that all changed.
With her sheer will and excellent self-control, Caroline mastered the art of vampirism, becoming a strong, fearless, ageless beauty. She is one of the few people who can bring the ruthless Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan) to his knees, she is an excellent mother to Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant) and a devoted friend to Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Elena (Nina Dobrev).
Pamela Swynford de Beaufort - 'True Blood' (2008-2014)
Pamela Swynford de Beaufort (Kristen Bauer van Straten), better known as Pam, was an early 20th-century brothel madam. She forced her then-client Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) to make her a vampire, and the pair spent the next 100 or so years together traveling the world. When Eric and Pam were confined to Shreveport, Louisiana, they made the best of a bad situation and opened a video store which would later become "Fangtasia," their wildly successful vampire nightclub.
Pam is witty, cunning, and fiercely loyal to her maker. She knows what she wants, who she wants, and how to get it. Pam has killer style, even if sometimes she feels she might "wear too much pink." She becomes fiercely protective over her own prodigy, Tara (Rutina Wesley), and refuses to leave Eric's side when he is infected with Hep-V.
Ysabeau de Clermont - 'A Discovery Of Witches' (2018-2022)
Ysabeau de Clermont (Lindsay Duncan) is mother to Matthew de Clermont (Matthew Goode), widow to Phillipe de Clermont (James Purefoy), and fierce matriarch of the de Clermont clan. Ysabeau saved a young Matthew by turning him into a vampire after he fell from the roof of a church. Her husband Phillipe was tortured by witches before his death, leading to Ysabeau's intense hatred for witches.
Ysabeau always conducts herself with grace and dignity. She is extremely intelligent, harboring a wealth of knowledge about the creature world. Despite her feelings toward witches, Ysabeau embraces Diana (Teresa Palmer) into her family, whom she is determined to protect at all costs.
Rebekah Mikaelson - 'The Originals' (2013-2018)
Original vampire Rebekah Mikaelson (Claire Holt) is sister to Niklaus Mikaelson, whom she stuck by for over 1000 years despite being locked in a coffin by Klaus for some of that time. While Rebekah is a strong and powerful vampire, she has always longed to be human. She gets the opportunity when Klaus arranges for her to collect "The Cure" in Mystic Falls.
Rebekah finally steps out from under her brother's shadow and leaves New Orleans with the love of her life, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis). Even though Rebekah has taken the power back over her own life, she remains devoted to the Mikaelson family and especially to her niece Hope (Danielle Rose Russell). Always and forever.
Jessica Hamby - 'True Blood' (2008-2014)
Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll) was forcibly turned when she was 17 years old by Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), in punishment for killing a vampire. While Jess initially struggled to control her vampiric instincts, she embraced her new form to become a caring, loyal, fierce vampiress. After growing up in a strict Christian family, becoming a vampire opened her world up and allowed her to explore different feelings and experiences.
Jess enjoyed a loving relationship with Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack) but ultimately decided to leave him to embrace her true vampiric self. She tries harder than most vampires to hold onto her humanity, a lesson likely learned from her father Bill.
Drusilla - 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003)
Drusilla (Juliet Landau) had a hard start as a vampire. She was sired by Angel (David Boreanaz) after he slaughtered her entire family in front of her, which drove her to insanity. Despite this, she remains loyal to her "Whirlwind" family, consisting of her sire Angel, his sire Darla (Julie Benz), and Spike (James Marsters), who Drusilla sired after desiring a companion of her own.
Drusilla was a seer during her human life and retained these psychic abilities after she was turned. She is one of the few antagonists in the Buffy universe to have faced Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and lived.
The Countess - 'American Horror Story: Hotel' (2015-2016)
Elizabeth Johnson, better known as The Countess (Lady Gaga), is the enigmatic, bloodsucking owner of Hotel Cortez. She lives in the penthouse of the hotel with her companion Donovan (Matt Bomer), presiding over all manner of murderous debauchery.
As a human, The Countess relished the spotlight. Becoming a vampire allowed her to bask in the decadence of each new age, with the 1970s disco era being her favorite. She has no fangs but prefers to drink her blood by slicing into necks with her silver finger blade. She's also a veritable fashionista.
Katherine Pierce - 'The Vampire Diaries' (2009-2017)
Born Katerina Petrova, Katherine (Nina Dobrev) was forced to give up her baby daughter at 17 due to the baby being born out of wedlock. She was then exiled to England, where she met Klaus Mikaelson, who she fell in love with but was forced to flee after discovering his intentions to sacrifice her. She then tricked Rose (Lauren Cohan) into turning her, making her vampiric blood useless to Klaus.
Katherine was on the run from Klaus for over 500 years before she met the Salvatore brothers. She turned them both before fleeing again. Katherine eventually died and went to Hell, but ever the hustler, she quickly became Queen of Hell. Katherine is extremely smart and has unparalleled survival instincts.