The origins of our favourite Halloween monsters

As it’s the day for ghastly creatures, Caomhán Keane looks at what inspired the stories of werewolves, vampires and classic horror films

As the shrieks of black cat bangers fire the starting pistol on your Halloween festivities (and you lock up your pets to insure they’re not terrified by it all) did you ever stop to wonder just where the ghouls, goblins and revenants that come a trick or treating actually represent?

They’re largely a manifestation of the ignorance and angst our forefathers, affixed like trigger warnings to behaviours that put citizens in harms way, or used to scapegoat ‘the other’ in times gone by.