The Penny Dreadfuls of Thomas Peckett Prest: Varney the Vampire, The String of Pearls, and The Demon of the Hartz

THE PENNY DREADFULS OF THOMAS PECKETT PREST includes three "penny dreadfuls" including VARNEY THE VAMPIRE, THE STRING OF PEARLS, and THE DEMON OF THE HARTZ.  

Set during the reign of King George II, the gruesome tale of VARNEY THE VAMPIRE concerns the persecution of the Bannerworth family by Sir Francis Varney, a vampire who has developed the habit of creeping into the Bannerworth home and sucking the blood of their daughter, Flora. Varney is presented sympathetically, a victim of circumstances as he tries to save himself, and his victims, from such dreadful acts.

THE STRING OF PEARLS, set in London in 1785, introduces the infamous "demon barber of Fleet Street," Sweeney Todd.  Todd, a barely successful barber, has found a new income--selling his clients to his neighbor, Mrs. Lovett, a purveyor of strangely good meat pies near St. Dunstan's Church.  However, when a young sailor disappears, the nefarious scheme begins to unravel.

In the short story, THE DEMON OF THE HARTZ, a young priest battles demon-worship in the remote Hartz Mountains of Germany.

Thomas Peckett Prest (AKA Thomas Preskett Prest) (c. 1810-1859) was an English musician and hack writer of gruesome "penny dreadfuls," highly popular and sensational works aimed at working-class audiences of 19th century Britain.  While little is known of his early life, Prest was successful as a composer and later co-author (with James Malcolm Rhymer) of a number of parodies and penny dreadfuls.  He is perhaps best known for creating the character of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street.