More than a century after its first publication, Dracula remains the ultimate horror story, with countless film adaptations and literary spin-offs. This fall, the Rosenbach Museum & Library plumbed the depths of its collections and brought you another chilling installation of Release the Bats, a month-long series of cultural events inspired by Bram Stoker's classic novel and iconic figure, Dracula. In its third year, the festival took on a global theme, exploring the influence of Stoker's powerful vampire mythology on popular culture throughout the world, and extending to interpretations of vampire and monster legends in various cultures worldwide. This year's festival culminated with the annual Dracula Parade, on October 30, presented in conjunction with Spiral Q Puppet Theater.

Release the Bats: A Dracula Film & Cultural Festival was made possible by major grants from the Independence Foundation and the Hirsig Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, with additional support from the Philadelphia Citypaper.

The 2004 Dracula Parade