Author Archives: Sam George

About Sam George

Associate Professor of Research, School of Humanities, University of Hertfordshire Co-convenor OGOM Project

Hallowe’en Greetings From OGOM

Hello OGOMERS, Wishing you a spooktacular Hallowe’en evening!!! We are just back from our Supernatural St Albans Halloween Tour which went down a real treat. Around 40 people engaged in our wonderfully weird history of witches, tortured martyrs, vampire graves, dragons, … Continue reading

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Something to Howl About: OGOM Gothic Studies Special Issue, ‘Werewolves and Wildness’

We’re excited to announce that we have submitted our special issue of Gothic Studies on ‘Werewolves, Wild Children and Wilderness‘ to Edinburgh University Press for publication in May, 2019.  This is the first of two publications that have developed from … Continue reading

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Deviant Burial of ‘Vampire’ Child in C15th Italy

I am mapping ‘deviant’ burials for a piece I am writing on Wharram Percy, the medieval English village that mutilated its own dead, including many women and children. Whatever these people believed eventually took hold completely and led to them … Continue reading

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OGOM: Spectral St Albans Hallowe’en Tour – booking now

OGOM is proud to announce a special Supernatural St Albans Hallowe’en Tour. We will be exploring the magical and spectral history of Hertfordshire’s finest gothic city. The event is informed by the research we carried out for our ‘Urban Weird‘ … Continue reading

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CFP: Reading Group on Animals and Mythical Creatures

The Myth Reading Group at the University of Essex Centre for Myth Studies have announced a CFP on Animals and Mythical Creatures for the Autumn Term 2018. They invite proposals from anyone who is interested in any aspect of mythological … Continue reading

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Vampire Myths and Vampire Lore

Vampires – a guide to the undead. Click on the image to enter

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Why Are Witches So Popular?

The Guardian Newspaper has just featured an article entitled Coven Ready: from Instagram to TV:Why are Witches so Popular? It appears that there is a spate of new occult dramas about witches. A Discovery of Witches, an adaptation of Deborah Harkness’s novel about a … Continue reading

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Frankenstein Vs Dracula: Battle of the Books

Thanks to all those who attended the Monsters We Deserve: Dracula Vs Frankenstein events with myself and Marcus Sedgwick at Edinburgh International Book Festival  and at Conway Hall in London. Frankenstein won both rounds but Marcus and I drew 1-1 in … Continue reading

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Yōkai & Me: Introducing #YōkaiFriday

The world of yōkai has been fascinating me of late. These creatures are currently popular in anime, manga, film and computer games, but they originated in local legends in Japan, folktales and regional ghost stories. I was excited to attend the … Continue reading

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Marionettes: The Monsters We Need?

It is no secret that I am obsessed with marionettes. This dates back to a magical Czech production of ‘Peter and the Wolf’ I saw aged about 8. I can still visualise all the puppets and it helped shape my … Continue reading

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