An evening online course on a classic novel of British popular occult fiction, ‘The Devil Rides Out’ , published in 1934 and made into a film by Hammer Horror in 1968 at the height of the ‘60s occult revival; more recently it has become associated with the Folk Horror genre, which has resulted in bringing new readers to this rollicking story of magic, Satanism and psychic plotting. Often described both as fun, very silly nonsense and as a mix of nail-biting pulp terror and esotericism, we’ll explore the novel’s setting and what it reveals about the culture and society of the interwar years.

Dennis Wheatley knew Aleister Crowley and demonstrates familiarity with the occult milieu of the 1930s: readers are drawn in by the appearance of authenticity and authority as Wheatley weaves his tale. The main characters, the Duke de Richleau, Simon Aron, Rex Van Ran and Richard Eaton are a group of well-heeled friends who become involved in a thrilling chase across Europe and around Salisbury Plain in an attempt to defeat a group of Satanists, led by the sinister Mocata, who have ensnared a young woman called Tanith, whose very soul is in jeopardy…Dennis Wheatley had a stroke of genius in blending the thriller genre with literature of the occult and in ‘The Devil Rides Out’ we discover magic rituals, esoteric technology and techniques such as Kabbalah and numerology in a tense, exciting novel that compels us to keep turning the pages. Join me tonight as we ride out! BOOK HERE