Category Archives: Critical thoughts

Roger Luckhurst, ‘From Dracula to The Strain: Where do vampires come from?’

Posted on 1st August 2015 by William the Bloody

A brilliant, concise overview of the origins of contemporary vampire narratives by Prof, Roger Luckhurst of Birkbeck College, London. He traces the vampire story from the Eats European accounts in the eighteenth-century through Polidori, Varney the Vampire, ‘Carmilla’ and (inevitably) … Continue reading →

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Grave Diggers Steal Vampire Director’s Skull: Is this why Bram Stoker has no Tomb ?

Posted on 15th July 2015 by Sam George

I was presenting on Nosferatu recently whilst in Romania and talking about what happened when the Dracula myth shifted to Germany in 1922. Today I was surprised to read that Murnau’s head had been stolen from his grave in Germany … Continue reading →

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Dracula’s Transylvania, the Land Beyond the Forest

Posted on 13th July 2015 by Sam George

‘We are in Transylvania; and Transylvania is not England, our ways are not your ways and there shall be to you many strange things’ (Bram Stoker) I was beyond excited to find myself in Transylvania recently, fully expecting a gothic … Continue reading →

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Why do humans love monsters?

Posted on 23rd June 2015 by firekrank

It seems apt that I am watching the episode of Buffy in which Angel becomes Angelus as I write this but I stumbled over an interesting article on the BBC website about why people are compelled by the creatures they fear. Whilst … Continue reading →

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Top 10 Vampire Films

Posted on 14th June 2015 by William the Bloody

A stimulating review of the ten best vampire films from the Gothic scholar Roger Luckhurst of Birkbech College. Some familiar ones, some new ones, and some rarely discussed choices.

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Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro

Posted on 14th June 2015 by William the Bloody

The YA Gothic and fantastic writer Neil Gaiman discusses the boundaries of genre with the writer of ‘literary fiction’ Kazuo Ishiguro, whose latest novel draws on epic fantasy.

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Xavier Aldana Reyes: Tribute to Christopher Lee

Posted on 13th June 2015 by William the Bloody

Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes, Lecturer in English at Manchester Metropolitan University and a contributor to the OGOM special issue of Gothic Studies, pays tribute to the late Christopher Lee here.

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Every Age Embraces the Vampire it Needs: RIP Christopher Lee

Posted on 11th June 2015 by Sam George

Sad news about the passing of Sir Christopher Lee. I had some lively discussions with Sir Chris Frayling at the BFI’s Gothic season about his portrayal of Dracula I remember. I took my PhD students Matt, Kaja and Jillian to … Continue reading →

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New trends in YA fiction

Posted on 30th May 2015 by William the Bloody

This article by Sue Corbett on the latest trends in YA fiction is very interesting, highlighting the genre of horror, narratives of mental illness and gender identity, and the continuing appeal of dystopias, including religious apocalypse.

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What do botany and vampirism have in common?

Posted on 19th April 2015 by Sam George

Literature and science is a field that has always interested me and Professor Martin Willis has just published Literature and Science: Reader’s Guide to Essential Criticism. This will be of interest to Company of Wolves delegates as it has a … Continue reading →

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