Medievalism, terror, and the ubiquitous haunted castle are staples of the Gothic horror genre. But the man who unwittingly inspired the likes of ´Frankenstein´, ´Dracula´, Hammer horror movies and even the Goth subculture was blissfully unaware of his impact.Horace Walpole's ´The Castle of Otranto´ started a trend that has endured. The book features Manfred, lord of the castle, and includes sickness, weddings, doom-laden prophesies, a bizarre death, imprisonment, religion, a heroic peasant, and much more.There is a hint of ´Harry Potter´ and plenty to grip those who love shows like ´The Haunting of Hill House´ and ´Penny Dreadful´.-