It’s enough to wake the undead – Jane Eyre has been re-invented as a Buffy-style vampire slayer in a new horror version of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel.

In Jane Slayre, by American writer Sherri Browning Erwin, Jane is raised by vampires, her school is run by a voodoo headmaster who turns pupils into zombies, and Mr Rochester’s first wife is a werewolf.

The penultimate chapter, starting with “Reader, I buried him”, has Jane trying to prevent Rochester from turning into a werewolf by tethering him in silver chains and burying him in a shallow grave as a full moon rises.

Described as an ‘affectionate, witty, intelligent monster mash-up’, the book’s cover is a picture of Charlotte Bronte holding a bloody dagger. It is published by Simon & Schuster on Wednesday, April 21 – Charlotte’s birthday.

The latest in a genre of horror versions of literary classics, it follows the success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

In Jane Eyre, Bronte’s heroine is described as ‘poor, obscure, plain and little’. In Jane Slayre she embraces her destiny as a slayer of evil, after her uncle’s ghost reveals her parents’ history as vampire slayers.

She goes to Lowood, where pupils are trained for domestic service by being turned into the walking dead.

Ann Dinsdale, Bronte Parsonage Museum collections manager, hopes Jane Slayre will introduce a new readership to the original novel. “The Brontes’ association with the gothic tradition lends itself to such adaptations,” she said.

“Jane Eyre is a strong, independent character with moral integrity so I can see how they’ve used that aspect of her.

“If it inspires people to read the original, fine.”

She added: “It doesn’t surprise me that it’s being used in such a way; there are literally hundreds of adaptations of the Brontes’ novels, including comic books. It illustrates how much they are part of popular culture, and continue to inspire writers.”

Asked what Charlotte would think of her heroine as a vampire slayer, Miss Dinsdale said: “I think she would be non-plussed.”

WHAT YOU THINK

Adaptations like this are popular with young people. I think it’ll go down a storm with my kids. And anything that will draw young people to the classics and perhaps to read Jane Eyre later must be good. Teacher Sue Long, of Guiseley

I think it’s legitimate to adapt any novel. It’s such a famous and popular book, I don’t think people should be worried about this sort of treatment. Rita Verity, of Main Street, Haworth, a member of Haworth Fairtrade

I think it’s fine to turn a book on its head so it can be appreciated from a different perspective, even if it means putting vampires in there. It has been done successfully to other classics. Louise Langton of The Cheese Place in Haworth

The book should be left as it is – it’s a classic and shouldn’t be interfered with. I’m protective of the Bronte novels. Charlotte is not here to say whether she approves or not so people shouldn’t touch it.Bronte Society member, Kate Walker, of Rochester House Art Gallery