THE UK's first vampire conference is being held at the University of Hertfordshire today.
Academics visiting the Hatfield campus will explore the representation of the fictional creatures in literature and other media, led by Dr Sam George, a lecturer in English Literature.
The conference, entitled Open Graves, Open Minds: Vampires and the Undead in Modern Culture, flies on the heels of the popular Twilight films, based on the books by Stephenie Meyer.
Dr George said she was “struck by the irony of creatures with no reflection becoming such a pervasive reflection of modern culture”.
She said: “Vampires have enacted a host of anxieties and desires, shifting shape as the culture they are brought to life in itself changes form. More recently, their less charismatic undead cousins, zombies, have been dug up in droves to represent various fears and crises in contemporary culture”.
An MA course on 'Reading the Vampire' will begin at the university in September.
The conference continues until tomorrow.
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