On the eve of Halloween, people can delve into the dark legends and demonic folklore that gave rise to literature's most iconic vampire at a special talk at The Hive.
Dracula and the Devil will be presented by Professor Darren Oldridge, University of Worcester Professor of Early Modern History.
In this free talk, Professor Oldridge will reflect on the demonic origins of Bram Stoker's vampire and suggest that it is these attributes that help to explain his strange appeal.
The talk will explore the links between Dracula and demonism, the East European superstitions that influenced Bram Stoker, and the traditions that associated the returning dead with the Devil. Professor Oldridge will also examine how Dracula differs from other famous gothic novels and monsters of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Drawing on his expertise in religious history, witchcraft, the Devil and the supernatural, Professor Oldridge will explore why Count Dracula remains an enduringly popular and thoroughly diabolical monster.