The Gothic History of Demonology: Does evil lurk within us?

Why have humans believed in demons - and what can they tell us about our deepest fears, desires and ideas about evil? Followed by Q&A.

For thousands of years, demons have haunted the human imagination. They have been blamed for illness and misfortune, accused of whispering forbidden desires into our minds, and feared as beings capable of entering the human body and taking control. But where did demons come from? And why have we found it so difficult to get rid of them? Join Dr Moretti in journeying through the dangerous spirits of the ancient world to the demons of Christianity; meet seductive incubi and succubi, possessed nuns, exorcists and witch-hunters; and discover why some of history's greatest thinkers took demons seriously.

Along the way, we will confront some surprisingly modern questions. If a demon makes you do something, are you still responsible? Is temptation an outside force - or does it reveal desires already lurking within us? Why did apparently ordinary people believe that their bodies had been invaded by supernatural beings? As medicine, psychology and psychiatry developed, evil increasingly became something to locate not in an invisible supernatural world, but within the human mind itself. From ancient spirits and medieval demonology to modern psychology and popular culture, this talk explores the strange and disturbing history of the beings that have haunted the human imagination for thousands of years.