The Whitechapel Murderer has become for many the archetypal “lurker in the shadows” – bogeyman and arch supervillain, folklore filmstar and mainstay of the modern Halloween.

Ripper author and researcher John Bennett examines how a very real killer became a universal icon of fear, via mass hysteria, urban legend, psychogeography and conspiracy. John is the author of Jack the Ripper: The Making of the Myth.

Each LFS evening begins with the Fortmanteau, their monthly summary of strange news stories, this month their Fortmanteu is from special guest Jude Monteque Cowan.LFS meet the last Thursday of each month (usually) upstairs at The Bell.