The undead creature from European folklore known for drinking blood and sleeping in a coffin is a vampire.
A vampire is traditionally an undead being that feeds on the vital essence of the living, usually blood. European folklore often imagined vampires returning from the grave to visit homes, harm neighbors, or cause illness and death. The coffin became a familiar part of the legend because the creature was believed to rise from its burial place at night and retreat before daylight.
Historical vampire beliefs were especially prominent in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Reports and investigations during the 17th and 18th centuries helped spread the idea through Western Europe, where writers later reshaped the creature into the elegant, pale, aristocratic figure familiar from modern fiction.
Folkloric vampires did not always have fangs or a gaunt appearance. Older accounts sometimes describe them as bloated and ruddy or dark in color, with blood around the mouth. Dracula helped popularize many modern conventions, but the literary character is not identical to every regional vampire tradition.