Joseph Sheridan LeFanu was one of the major figures of 19th centrury supernaturalism. He helped move supernaturalist fiction away from the Gothic's emphasis on external sources of terror and toward a focus on the effects of terror, thus helping to create the psychological basis for supernaturalist and horror lit that continues today.

"Carmilla" is LeFanu's famous vampire story. It is, according to E. F. Bleiler, "probably the best vampire story of all." (Guide to Supernatural Fiction).

"Green Tea" is another chilling example of a classic horror story. Dickens himself was fascinated by the work of Le Fanu and printed Le Fanu's "Green Tea" in his periodical, All the Year Round (1869).