Category Archives: Critical thoughts

How long have we believed in vampires? (from The Conversation)

Posted on 28th October 2017 by Sam George

How long have we believed in vampires? EMVDS-photography/Shutterstock.com Sam George, University of Hertfordshire Vampires have a contested history. Some claim that the creatures are “as old as the world”. But more recent arguments suggest that our belief in vampires and … Continue reading →

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How long have we believed in vampires?

Posted on 27th October 2017 by William the Bloody

Sam has an article here, ‘How long have we believed in vampires?‘ for The Conversation on the long history of vampires.

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Female Werewolves and the Big, Bad Wolf

Posted on 19th October 2017 by William the Bloody

In anticipation of OGOM’s Being Human event, ‘Redeeming the Wolf: A Story of Persecution, Loss, and Rediscovery‘ (tickets for this free event still available here), here are three items which may instruct or amuse. Alexandra MoeHagen argues here that ‘Female … Continue reading →

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The Cuckoo in the Nest: Changelings in YA Literature

Posted on 9th October 2017 by firekrank

‘Changelings. The eagerness of FAIRIES to possess themselves of human children is one of the oldest parts of the fairy beliefs and is a specific form of FAIRY THEFT. Mentions of the thefts of babies are to be found in … Continue reading →

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My 10 must-read YA books …

Posted on 26th September 2017 by firekrank

This morning I awoke to a tweet from the YA Literature, Media and Culture Research Network which made me a little angry to say the least. It was a link to The Telegraph‘s list of ‘The 10 must-read YA books’. What … Continue reading →

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Blogging Buffy for the 20th Anniversary (with Werewolves)

Posted on 25th September 2017 by firekrank

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, the Sheffield Gothic Reading Group have dedicated a series of blogs to this timeless element of popular culture. (I wrote my own personal reflections of my childhood with Buffy … Continue reading →

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The Owl Service: 50 years

Posted on 21st August 2017 by William the Bloody

Around the time I was reading Brian Aldiss (who has just sadly died), I’d also discovered Alan Garner. The Owl Service, his fourth novel, is 50 years old today. The Owl Service is now what would be called Young Adult fiction and … Continue reading →

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RIP George Romero

Posted on 18th July 2017 by William the Bloody

The zombie as it has appeared in popular culture–the abject, shambling, carnivorous undead rather than the animated slaves of Caribbean folklore–was practically invented by the director George Romero, who has sadly died. Romero’s pioneering film Night of the Living Dead (1968) … Continue reading →

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Feminism and the Cinematic Vampire

Posted on 1st June 2017 by William the Bloody

An excellent article by Genevieve Valentine, ‘How the vampire became film’s most feminist monster‘ on the female vampire in cinema, tracing the figure through shifts in feminist perspectives. Valentine says, ‘Vampirism is a charmingly reliable metaphor for a particular brand … Continue reading →

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Tropical Vampires

Posted on 1st June 2017 by William the Bloody

There’s a special issue, Tropical Liminal: Urban Vampires and Other Blood-Sucking Monstrosities of the online journal eTropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics, 16.1 (2017), devoted to tropical monsters including werewolves and vampires. Some excellent articles here.

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