But the fame of Highgate Cemetery is not only due to literature. In the 1960s, a series of strange sightings, decapitated animals and satanic rituals occurred. Rumor has spread of a vampire living in the cemetery. The founder of the British Psychic and Occult Society, David Ferrant, and the British bishop Sèan Manchester were interested in the case. Later, a movement of fanatical vampire hunters appeared: they exhumed the corpses, pierced their hearts and decapitated them, until Ferrant was sentenced to five years in prison and Highgate Cemetery was closed to the public. Since 1975, the Friends of Highgate Cemetery association has managed the cemetery and guided tours. Highgate is still a favorite destination for occult enthusiasts and the curious in search of illustrious tombs, such as those of Karl Marx, George Eliot and Malcolm McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols).
