UC Santa Cruz Festival of Monsters

The 2024 UC Santa Cruz Festival of Monsters begins 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at the Museum of Art and History (705 Front St., Santa Cruz) with a reading and Q&A with Kiersten White, the New York Times Bestselling author of Hide. White will be reading from her new book Lucy Undying, a dark romantic fantasy novel that explores what happens to Lucy Westenra once she escapes Dracula’s thrall. At 6:15 p.m., Chris Zephro of horror design company Trick or Treat Studios will talk about monster masks. Masks and memorabilia will be on display. At 7 p.m., local company Circus of the Moon will perform Pluto’s Labryinth, a twisted journey of shadows and demons featuring aerialists, acrobats, and ensemble dance.

The festival's free public events conclude Saturday with a free outdoor screening of 1922 horror classic Nosferatu at Oakes College.

Host or Publisher Center for Monster Studies at UC Santa Cruz