Monstrous Monsters

Big news! My friend Madeleine Dresden just got picked for #PitchWars!


YAY!

Okay, time to vent.

Last week, I talked about how the race/monster analogy makes me uncomfortable most of the time because it equates a human race to something that literally can harm people, and thus has a realistic basis in fear.

But I also hinted at one of my big pet peeves about monster movies that do this: the monster doesn't act like a freaking monster.

We have zombies that aren't dead and don't eat brains! Vampires who walk around in sunlight and give lip-service to cravings without it ever really being a problem! Come. The freak. On.



I understand why this happens in these race analogy movies: it's because the metaphor breaks down immediately if the creatures in question are scary.

Instead, of, you know, breaking down when you sit and think about it.


I also realize this isn't really a problem in writing, not like the metaphor can be. This is a matter of personal taste. I just really want monster stories where the monsters are monsters. Is that too much to ask?

Maybe this is a backlash against the angsty teen paranormal romance books where vampires are barely vampires. Maybe it's just Halloween and I want to be spooked. Maybe it's because I just read yet another Dracula retelling where Mina falls for the freaking rapey vampire!

 

(Stop doing that, please. Just...read the original book and see for yourself how not a gentleman, how not liberating Dracula actually is.)


So here I am, complaining. Whining, even. I'll admit that. But part of me wonders why bother using monsters as characters at all if they aren't going to be a threat. If they're not going to be other, and scary. That's the whole point, right? (See problematic race metaphor discussion.)

If you have zombies, but they don't eat people and aren't actually dead, why even have zombies? Why not just have people? If vampires don't drink blood, why not replace them with broody teenagers? It would be way less creepy that having century-old men lusting after teenage girls.

Besides, I like the pull of having creatures that may seem eloquent and charming (vampires, not zombies) but are actually serial killers. Evil can be quite beautiful, and as much as we need stories about accepting people who are different, I think we need stories about rejecting people who seem like us, but are cruel and sadistic and use people for pleasure.

I also like the idea of people having to chop down zombies who were once loved ones. How do you respond when the person hurting you is someone who was once loving to you, and who you still love back? There are stories here, with real human emotions, when the dark side of monsters is restored.

There's a place for the nice monsters. But please, let's not forget the dark side and the power that those stories have. The dark monsters: Frankenstein, Dracula, werewolves, witches, ghosts, etc. They came first, and they will be around long after the nice monsters' time has passed.

Maybe there's a reason for that.

In other news, yes, my YouTube channel seems abandoned. I have been very busy, and I wanted to make sure that I give it sufficient time and energy. So, yeah, it's coming back. Just give me some time to catch my breath.