Film “Hardly the basis of a healthy relationship”: A brief history of the vampire The myth emerged at a time when Eastern European folklore seemed particularly exotic to Western Europeans. By Rebecca Rideal
Culture “We need to hear these stories”: Hallie Rubenhold on why Jack the Ripper matters less than his victims By Rebecca Rideal
“A witch and a bitch”: Pop culture has embraced the witch, but not without issues From Shakespeare’s Three Witches to Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the way witches are represented reveals a lot about the society in… By Rebecca Rideal
Don’t forget all the historical women who held up oppression When we seek only those who inspire, when we shape historical lives into a “hero’s journey”, we miss the… By Rebecca Rideal
The Crown isn’t “lying“. It’s time we accepted that historical drama is fiction This is not about fake history and truth, this is about good fiction and bad fiction. By Rebecca Rideal
It’s easy to be cynical, but a big budget Lord of the Rings TV show could be great Surely there is room for a TV adaption of JRR Tolkien’s untapped work? By Rebecca Rideal
The Gunpowder Plot’s influence on Britain goes far beyond BBC TV series or fireworks Kit Harington's performance may capture the drama, but not the significance, of arguably the UK's first terror attack. By Rebecca Rideal
Sylvia Plath had depression and a brain – she’s still allowed to smile The cover shows a young woman who appears confident in herself and captured in a moment of joy. By Rebecca Rideal
Don’t give Rio Ferdinand a hard time, we should be more accepting of career changes It takes guts and a thick skin to try something new. By Rebecca Rideal
Forget the big historical names, it’s historic fear of disease that Game of Thrones nails From Greyscale to the White Walkers, the othering of the sick is spot on. By Rebecca Rideal