You want some pioneers of the genre? Here's a few, please forgive me for the many omissions:
1816 -
Lord Ruthven appears in
Glenarvon by Lady Caroline Lamb.
1819 -
The Vampyre by John Polidori, Lord Ruthven appears again. Ruthven enjoyed the same popularity then as Dracula does now. If a guy named Ruthven turned up in a play or book, the audience knew vampiric high jinks would ensue.
1845-47
Varney The Vampire James Malcolm Rhymer or Thomas Preskett Prest--maybe both! A sympathetic vampire. He didn't like being e-vul, but still chowed down.
1897-
Dracula by Bram Stoker. 'Nuff said.
1966 - The TV series
Dark Shadows, which introduced Barnabas Collins, the first sympathetic vampire since Varney.
1972 -
The Nightstalker First TV movie to garner a 54% share of the ratings, the highest known at that time. First to deal with a "serial" killer before agent Robert K. Ressler coined the term in the FBI's still-new Behavioral Sciences Unit, anticipated CSI shows with an unforgettable autopsy scene.
Introduced the world to
Carl Kolchak, hero to urban fantasy & vampire fans, a wonderfully corrupting influence on writers everywhere.
Followed up by
The Night Strangler and
Kolchak: The Nightstalker TV series.
Not bad for being based on an
unpublished book by
Jeff Rice.
1975 -
The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen is released. Nine more books follow.
1976 -
Interview With the Vampire by Ann Rice is released.
1978 -
Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is released. LOTS of books to folllow!
1987 -
Bloodhunt by Lee Killough with vampire cop Garreth Mikaelian is released. Tor books was clueless about how to market it and gave it a terrible cover.
1989 -
Burning Water by Mercedes Lackey introduces witch Diana Tregarde, two more books to follow.
1989 -
Forever Knight pilot with Rick Springfield as vampire cop Nick Knight
1990 -
The Vampire Files: Bloodlist by P.N. Elrod introduces Jack Fleming, vampire PI, hits the racks, eleven books follow.
1991 -
Blood Price by Tanya Huff introduces vampire Henry Fitzroy is released, 5 books to follow.
1991 -
The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith is released. in 2009 a TV series, same name airs.
1992- 1996 -
Forever Knight Canadian pilot with Shakespearian actors Geraint Wyn Davies and Nigel Bennett airs and catches on.
1992-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie
1993 -
Jonathan Barrett, Gentleman Vampire: Red Death by P.N Elrod is released, three more books follow.
1993 - Guilty Pleasures by LKH is released.
1997-2003
Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series
1999-2004
Angel (spinoff TV series from
Buffy)
2001 -
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris wins Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001.
2004 - Ann Rice puts on a crazy hat and rants against the fans who made her wealthy. Not terribly clever of her.
2005-2009 -
Twilight is released, becomes wildly popular with teen females. Hollywood, sensing ready cash, makes movies and T-shirts to sell to them.
2006 - LKH puts on Ann Rice's crazy hat and rants against the fans who pay her bills. Hardly pioneering or professional.
2007 -
Moonlight, about a vampire PI, airs on CBS.
2008 -
Blood Ties, based on Tanya Huff's series airs.
2008 -
True Blood, TV series airs on HBO
2008 -
Being Human, TV series airs in the UK
2009 - LKH claims to have "pioneered the genre".
2009 - Other writers on AW question that claim. Quite a lot!
Draw your own conclusions about there not being any sour grapes, ladies and gentlemen.
Entry updated to include a few I forgot!