Two 'Dracology' Events Celebrate Halloween

Fairmont State University's Department of Language and Literature will present two events with the theme "Dracology: A Celebration of Halloween Folklore and Popular Culture."

The first event is an all-day reading of "Dracula," Bram Stoker's classic 1897 account of the bloodthirsty count and the men and women who seek to stop him, which will take place on Halloween. The marathon reading of Stoker's novel will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. in the student lounge on the second floor of the Ruth Ann Musick Library.

"We would like to invite members of the community to drop in to listen or take a turn reading aloud," said Dr. Deborah Nestor, Associate Professor of English. "We will have a supply of books on hand so that attendees can follow along or take a turn reading if they choose. A chapter-by-chapter summary of the novel will also be available so that attendees will be able to see how the chapters they are reading fits into the larger context of Stoker's highly influential novel."

A film presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in Multi-media Room A of the Ruth Ann Musick Library will illustrate ways in which Stoker's version of vampire lore has entered into popular culture. The critically acclaimed 2000 film "Shadow of a Vampire," starring John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe, will be shown along with several scenes from the classic 1922 film "Nosferatu" on which it is based. The first film adaptation of Stoker's novel, "Nosferatu" was suppressed by Bram Stoker's widow who had refused to authorize it.

Described by critics as "Wickedly inventive" (Boston Globe) and "a shockingly funny spellbinder" (Rolling Stone), "Shadow of a Vampire" dramatizes the creation of the first "and arguably greatest" vampire movie ever made, the1922 silent classic "Nosferatu."