Do you feel an affinity with the supernatural in literature? Is your spiritual home a cobwebby, half-ruined castle somewhere in eastern Europe? Do you curl up at night with a collection of vampire stories, or a volume by Poe, or Le Fanu? If you do, then why not join The Dracula Society?

The Society was founded in October 1973 by actors Bernard Davies and Bruce Wightman. We cater for lovers of "the vampire and his kind" - werewolves, reanimated mummies, mad scientists and their creations, and all the other monsters spawned by the Gothic genre. The Society was originally founded specifically to enable its members to travel to regions such as Transylvania, which had scarcely been touched by western tourism at the time of the Society's formation.

More than thirty-five years on, the Society's main emphasis is on its London-based meetings, which include guest speakers, talks, quizzes, film and video screenings, and auctions. We also still regularly organise group trips to places with Gothic/supernatural associations, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Since it is named after the most evocative title in the whole genre - the most enduring and influential novel in macabre literature - the Society naturally devotes a good deal of its attention to Dracula, the novel, and its author, Bram Stoker. However, the Society's field of interest embraces the entire Gothic literary genre, and incorporates, too, all stage and screen adaptations, and the sources of their inspiration in myth and folklore.

Please note that the Society is not concerned with psychic research or occult ceremony of any kind.

In a way, the Society's crest illustrates our broad approach. The insignia is that of the Voivodes of Wallachia, the family of the real historical Vlad Dracula. The Society's motto is from the writings of Tertullian, and it translates loosely from the Latin as "I believe because it is impossible". It expresses the spirit of open-minded enquiry.

The Society maintains a small Dracula/Gothic related archive to preserve materials associated with these themes. It includes the complete papers of actor-manager Hamilton Deane, who first made Dracula famous on the stage, and a cloak once worn by Sir Christopher Lee in his screen portrayal of the role.

Every year, the Society invites the membership to nominate for its two awards: The Hamilton Deane Award for the most outstanding contribution to the genre in the performing arts; and The Children of the Night Award - its literary counterpart - for the most outstanding book in the field. The awards are presented at our Annual Dinner, held in London at the beginning of November to honour the birthday of Bram Stoker.

The Society produces a quarterly magazine for its members, Voices from the Vaults. Read more about the benefits of membership here.

To join us, please print out and fill in an application form, and send it with your remittance. The form details the cost of joining and how to pay.