There's more to classic Gothic literature than monsters in the supernatural.

We think of the Gothic as to do with terror and fright, but it also helps us confront those

devils. It helps us look them in the face and then decide what we do with them.

Coming up, Madeline Potter helps us find what Europe's scariest stories can teach us about ourselves.

While Mexico's Day of the Dead festivities are becoming more popular across North America,

Louisa Navarro reminds us of its deep roots designed to help us face our mortality.

This is an authentic Mexican tradition that stems from pre-Hispanic times.

And hear what you might actually encounter on a ghost tour of Old New Orleans.

I had people burst into tears. I had people trying to run out of the room.

I had one girl swear that she had been slapped in the face.

Come along with us for the hour ahead, if you dare.

It's Travel with Rick Steves.

Why do you see so many marigold flowers on the altars people make for the Day of the Dead?

Coming up on today's Travel with Rick Steves,

we'll hear what's behind the Mexican traditions

that are growing in popularity

north of the Rio Grande. There are also many reasons New Orleans can feel haunted by its past.

A local tour guide tells us what happens on her ghost tours of the city. Let's start out today,

looking at the role Gothic literature plays in dealing with our mortality.

In Europe, scary stories can be set in shadowy castles, foggy moors, or eerie landmarks that inspired 19th century authors to write about monsters, vampires, and things that go bump in the night.

Our guide to Gothic literature is Madeline Potter.

She was raised in a Roma family in post-communist Romania

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