STUDENTS sunk their teeth into all things Gothic as part of their studies.

Pupils at West Lakes Academy in Egremont took part in a Gothic Day to celebrate how it influenced literature and film.

From classics such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Gothic literature even influenced today’s artists such as filmmaker Tim Burton and novelist Stephen King.

The Year 9 students have recently been exploring texts including The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dracula and have been working on their own writing. The academy’s English department was transformed into a Gothic novel with teachers and classrooms dressed for the occasion.

Students were given the opportunity to discuss the Gothic elements in short clips from film and literature before working on story boarding their own Gothic trailer using the typical conventions.

English teacher, Chaneen Bragg said: “Gothic Day went down a storm with the Year 9 students.

“They were so enthusiastic and engaged with everything, it was lovely to see.”

The pupils were also given a chance to enter a short-story Gothic writing competition to accompany their trailer.

Quotations were displayed across the academy from famous texts and students were encouraged to find them and match them with the correct author to win a prize.

English teacher Katie Bell added: “It was great to see the kids being so creative, they all had a good understanding of the Gothic conventions and all students incorporated these into their gothic trailers successfully.”