I’m working on several pitches right now and (surprise!) more than a few deal with “monsters” in one form or another. So, with Halloween fast approaching and monsters on my mind, I thought it was a good time to revive the “What Makes a Monster” essays. This post just serves as a recap of my personal “monster criteria,” and will be followed by soon by a look at the Bride of Frankenstein (who is 75 this year!), the Iron Giant, and reposts of some essays that were lost when I updated the site last year.
A Monster…
- Embodies Fear. A Monster is a manifestation of a primal or universal fear (and in many cases, multiple fears). This doesn’t mean that the Monster needs to be inherently evil, but the sum of all its parts digs deep into our psyches to draw out fears that can challenge, unsettle,warn, or inpsire us
- Hurts Us. More specifically, a Monster threatens, harms, or kills us in some way. Again, this doesn’t mean that the Monster is evil, or even aware of its impact on humans, but it nonetheless has the capacity and tendency to hurt us.
- Forces Heroics. A Monster initially seems to be beyond our ability to control or contain, and ultimately requires heroic measures to defeat, overcome, or escape.
- Is Uncanny. Even if a naturally-occuring creature, a Monster is generally unique in appearance or behavior, setting it apart from humans and/or others of its kind.
I love where you’re going with this. Alien was a masterpiece – as a kid I remember a comic similar to Alien but it was a six-legged creature – same concept. The unknown, the inability to quantify/classify (unlike Aliens, which I also love but didn’t have the same level of fear) – is what really gets people. Look forward to seeing what you are going for here as well.