Whenever i hear the word “king”, i think about my baby monster King Kong. He is the original king of the jungle who can beat a bevy of Tyrannosaurus Rex with one hand, smash fighter jets by the gentlest touch. The image of King Kong atop the Empire State Building has not only permeated the public in popular culture, but also craved in millions of kids’ hearts. Kong was killed by a squadron of military biplanes simply because humans deem him as monster.   

A Legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination, as a centaur,griffin, or sphinx is the definition of monster in dictionary. To most people, monsters are demons, freaks who represent dangerous, darkness, psycho and frightening (at least that is what my new college classmate thinks). However, the word “monster” is loaded with misunderstood and loneliness to me. 

As my baby monster Kong, ripped from his home, taken across the world, and forced to life a life in a captivity and as a curiosity, he has no choice but to react to the circumstances trust upon him. Indeed, he is gigantic, extraterrestrial and very different from us, but has anyone questioned themselves what motivated Kong to appear in the city or tried to understand what was this “monster” thinking? If you call a creature who sacrifices its life to rescue the ones he loves a monster, then I’d rather be a monster.  

Accompanied with King Kong, E.T, The hunchback of Notre Dame, Frankenstein, wolf-man are often defined monsters. Stories about these abnormal creatures(oh well, The hunchback is a actually a human being) have me questioning myself what monsters really are? Spare a thought for these poor guys who may look scary and ugly, but whom are merely just misunderstood. What if their views of the world and how to behave are skewed by their interaction with it? Should we empathize with these misunderstood beings? 

Thinking  about and discussing monsters and horror films often makes people anxious and uncomfortable. More often than not, people get sick stomachs from discussing bloody and diseased beings, but I tend to have a very different reaction. A few years ago, I had an art teacher, Jess Clark, who forever changed my views on blood and gore. After watching her turn me from a boy with blond hair and blue eyes into a mangled corpse using only some face paint and fake blood, Ms. Clark had shown me the fundamentals I needed to know about special effects make-up. From then on, whenever I saw a horror film or had the chance to dress up for a costume party, I immediately would think of “monsters” from an artistic point of view rather than  as if they were something to be afraid of. When I see Dracula, I think of ways to re-create hollow cheeks and bloody teeth instead of how far away I would run if I ever saw him in real life. When I see Frankenstein, I imagine different ways to make scars and sunken-in eyes on myself rather than how scary it would be to see an 8-foot-tall man with bolts in his neck. 

Zombie make-up I did for Halloween a few years ago.

A closeup of the same night

On any normal day, seeing someone dressed like this would probably make you run screaming, but for some reason there is a time of year when dressing like this is the norm. On Halloween, people are able to make themselves look as scary as possible and no one even thinks twice about it. Why is it that we find ourselves so obsessed with turning ourselves into something so horrific? More importantly, why do I find turing myself into these horrific creatures so interesting? Truth of the matter is, I find doing this to be very relaxing and enjoy testing my abilities to see what sort of creature I can turn myself into next. Re-creating monsters is something which seems to be contradicting of our every-day repulsion of these creatures and is definitely something worth examining more closely. 

This was a make-up trial I did on myself for a character in a school play.

For anyone interested in special effects make-up, here’s a video that shows you how easily you can achieve a zombie look. You don’t need to use any expensive make-ups ether, just whatever face paints you can get ahold of. 

The Salem Witch Trials marked an era of hysteric fear and paranoia among members of Colonial Massachusetts in the late 1600’s. Members of the Puritan community adhered strongly to their religion as they followed the strict rules of religious codes and lived to fulfill moral expectations. With the widespread outbreak of smallpox and the presence of hostile Indian tribes in the surrounding areas, the Puritans were under the impression that God was punishing them. Furthermore, women were starting to branch away from living in accordance to Puritan values as they began to gain their own sense of independence. Coming off as threatening, these women were naturally targeted as the Puritans saw the need to attack the “devil” within them.

When a group of eight young girls were reported to have muscle spasms, delusions, seizures and contortions, they were pressured to reveal who was responsible for casting spells on them. Although once united under a tightly knit community, the Puritans began pointing fingers and condemning neighbors they knew all their lives as they ruthlessly shattered walls of loyalty and trust. Many were brought into the courts where they underwent intense interrogation by officials. Over the course of the Salem Witch Trials, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and 19 individuals were convicted and hung.

One may typically imagine a monster to be an abnormally large, unaesthetic creature with sharp fangs and an unyielding desire to consume human flesh. However, if it were up to the Puritans, these innocent human beings whom they labeled as witches were surely considered “monsters” since they opposed social norms and allegedly had the ability to use powers that belonged to God. This brings me to the question – Do monsters actually exist or is the fear we have for them all made up in our heads (paranoia)? Can’t anything/anyone be considered a monster based on our perceptions?

Also, as a side note, many of the accusations made by the Puritans during the Salem Witch Trials stemmed from feelings of resentment, hate, jealousy, greed, and their urge to find sources for their misfortunes. Since these are all forms of evil, is it plausible to say that we all have monsters living within us?

As far as I can remember I have always found the supernatural very entertaining. The idea of  being something other than a human such as monster always seemed fascinating. Many monsters have superhuman abilities that can sometimes be useful for humans such as superhuman strength or speed or even walking through walls (always wanted to walk through walls).

Even though there were many movies and shows that came out during my childhood that including all of these monsters, they never caught my attention like the show “Supernatural.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_(U.S._TV_series)) The show follows two brothers that hunt the supernatural after their mother gets killed by one of the creatures. What’s great about the show is that it includes a lot of historical and biblical background information on each of the creatures. This allows the viewer to forget that this is a fictional show and believe in the supernatural.

The show includes a variety of monsters and creatures including demons, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and even angels. Now you might be wondering why angels are on the list, but if you watch the show you’ll be able to see how even the most innocent and highly praised immortals are monsters as well. They too kill and harm humans in the show, which makes them no different from the other monsters. The monsters also take human bodies as vessels in order to fit in with all the humans because their natural form is gruesome and horrific. They will be immediately identified as outcasts and be shunned or killed. The show also gives each monster a story which is basically the “justification” for their actions. Despite the fact that these creatures are not humans, they all have the same problems that humans do which allows us to relate to them. And when they go about getting revenge, it makes us wonder whether we would react the same way and if that would make us monsters as well. The brothers might feel sympathetic towards some of the monsters but know that they still have to kill each and every one of them because they are still dangerous to the community. This makes me wonder sometimes, if we act like monsters once or twice in our lives and we can obviously do it again without being able to control it, and we are sometimes forgiven, shouldn’t we have some pity on the monsters? After all, most of these monsters become monsters because of role of societal values and morals and if we see something ugly and grotesque we simply turn it away; but if we simply accept these monsters and love them, and maybe they won’t be so cruel and will actually be able to coexist with us.

Clowns, a comedic entertainer usually found in circuses, parties, and other celebrations. To many people clowns bring joy and laughter to their faces. Clowns do not seem harmless due to their big red smile, and their colorful outfits. However, to me they are something to be feared. Since I was a little kid I have always been afraid of clowns. I was traumatized because of the 1990 film, It, where the villain was a clown named Pennywise. This clown was unlike other clowns because only children can see it, where it would feed off them after drawing them close. This film contributed to my fear of clowns, as I once thought that all clowns eat children. Ever since my fear for clowns grew I have never approached a clown again, even if they offered me balloons, and other goodies.

Recently I have read a news article about a clown spotted in the borough of Staten Island, holding balloons and snooping around. This brought fear to the residents of Staten Island where he would be seen at night. Pictures of the clown have flooded social media networks. He was finally unmasked, and assured to the community that it was just a publicity stunt for a movie. Even though I don’t live in Staten Island if I saw the clown I would have turned and ran for my life.

(Staten Island Clown)

The topic of Clowns being a monster brings up many questions. Can human in costumes be considered a monster? Can a monster be real or is it something you make up in your imagination? Is a monster something you fear or is it just a thought? Does it have to be big ugly and scary to be considered a monster? Can a monster have good characteristics? Do monsters have to give off a sense of fear? What is the definition of a monster?

Personally, I think that every book is didactic by nature, so after I read Frankenstein, I thought, “What is Mary Shelley trying to teach me?”. After much thought, I came up with this: be wary of blind ambition and be prepared to take responsibility for your actions. While I learned this through reading the novel, Victor Frankenstein had to learn it the hard way. Victor devoted several years of his life to the creation of his own worst nightmare. He spent months assembling the organs and appendages of various corpses and never seemed to realize what he was actually doing. Blinded by his own ambition, he was unable to see the gruesome being he was creating; he never chose to ask himself, “Why am I doing this?” or even, “What am I going to do when I give this thing life?”. His chance to consider these questions was dashed with the surge of electricity that brought the creature to life.

That electric surge served as a sense-restoring slap in the face to Victor. His creation, although wracked with hideous features, had the mindset of a newly-rescued puppy. It simply wanted some sense of belonging to the world it was so abruptly thrust into. In his terror, Victor abandoned his creation failing to realize that it had a beautiful capacity to feel and empathize. Alone, the creature quickly realized that no matter how benevolent its intentions, it would always be abhorred. It grew increasingly bitter towards human beings, but especially bitter toward its creator. Victor inadvertently became the sole recipient of his creation’s vengeance. His neglect transformed an otherwise peaceful being into a merciless serial killer.

Although Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a fictional work, there is nothing fictional or furtive about the link between parental neglect and serial killers. In fact, in a study conducted of thirty-six murderers, all possessed a history of parental neglect and abuse (https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=182592). This begs the questions: “Does a lack of responsibility create monsters?” and, “Are we, in fact, the creators of our own monsters?”.

Freddy Krueger is the typical monster that provokes a feeling of disgust and rejection. He is, after all, meant to be a creation that unites detestable qualities. Not only is he physically repulsive, with his severely burnt skin, but is also regarded as sadistic serial killer. These characteristics, I believe were the reasons why I, as a little girl, was traumatized after watching A Nightmare on Elm Street. I was unable to regain my sleep for weeks . Every night, right after closing my eyes, I would have a vivid image of him wearing his green and red stripped sweater while holding his razor glove. At that moment I would instantly open my eyes. I couldn’t bear the idea that once asleep I would be dragged into a dream where there was the possibility of never waking up just as seen with the movie victims. However, as much as I resisted falling asleep I would inevitably do so after a few hours to soon be awaken by another nightmare. My fear, as a little girl, was specially a result of my feeling of vulnerability against his ability of only living in dreams making him unavoidable. The torture seemed to be eternal and it took me a long time to overcome the fear.

Evidently Krueger has characteristics of a typical monster, such as coming out during the night and having unnatural powers of deforming his own body. This, however, makes me wonder if just the mere fact he was a serial killer makes him a monster, can all serial killers be considered monsters or are they meant to have a form of physical defect? If so, are also supernatural powers such as the ones Freddy possessed of turning dreams into reality and immortality unnecessary to categorize someone as a monster? Moreover, it seems that most monsters, such as Freddy, become who they are as a result of a traumatizing experiences of their childhood. This drives me to my next concern of whether monsters are born or made, are they unfairly judged?

E.T. (obviously coming to devour me)

When I was a kid, everyone was obsessed with E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. Well, everyone but me. The movie, by Steven Spielberg, had come out the year I was born, but it was still popular years later, spawning stuffed animals, coloring books, cartoons, and action figures. E.T. delighted all of my friends, but he completely terrified me. E.T.—a short, rounded alien with expressive eyes—seems cute enough to me now, but, when I was three or four, he would come to me in nightmares: towering above me in my back yard and threatening to gobble me up. I distinctly remember asking him if, when he ate me, he would also eat my bones or spit them out. (This was, I thought for some reason, a very important question.) But E.T. never gave me an answer. My bad dreams ended each time with E.T. picking me up, hurling me into his mouth, and then . . . that’s it. I would wake up sweating, panting, but relieved.

I was basically like this.

This memory raises a few questions for me that I think are worth thinking about further. First, does an alien even count as a monster? And, if so, why? Is a monster just a creature that doesn’t fit in or does it have to be something from earth (that is, from that place where it doesn’t fit in)? Does E.T. help us think about what, exactly, counts as a monster? Second, why did I find E.T. so terrifying when he was clearly intended to be cute? (The movie is, after all, a kids’ movie.) Maybe it has something to do with the phenomenon called the “uncanny valley” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley), which considers how creatures that start to look like humans but don’t quite look like humans can provoke a reaction of disgust. Finally, I’m curious about my fear of being eaten. One of our readings for next week calls this fear an “infantile fear” (and I was a little kid), but I’m not sure what that means (Carroll, 43). Is this a common fear in children? Do psychologists have thoughts about why that is?

[Your monster journal entry should look something like this. Share what you think is most promising, most interesting to you, from your journal. It can be a personal reflection, like this one is, or something more detached. Either way, it should end with some possible questions to pursue, and it should be the best prose you can write: detailed, proofread, and thought-provoking. Feel free to play around with links and images, and ask me if you have any trouble doing this. Your entries should be about 300-350 words; this one is right around 350. Finally, tag your entry with “monster journal” so that we can easily find them in one place.]