Monsters are fascinating. The idea of monsters has been around since the beginning of mankind and we continue to think up new and more terrifying monsters. But where did they come from? Who thought up these beings made to scare us? Well, some creatures are based on folklore, some to explain the unexplainable, and some purposely made just to scare us.

Frankenstein is one such monster.

First, please be aware (if you have not read the gothic novel by Mary Shelley, first published in 1818) that the name Frankenstein refers to the mad scientist who created the re-animated monster. In the book, the creature is never given a name. But today most of us refer to the creature as Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley grew up surrounded by literature and books: her father owned a bookstore where authors and intellectuals converged and Mary was able to meet many of the writers of her day. Plus, both her parents were writers as well. When she was 16, she fell in love and ran off with a writer, Percy Shelley. They traveled much and Mary even wrote her first work based upon her travels.

One cold evening, while they were with friends Lord Bryon, John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont near Geneva, Switzerland telling ghost stories, the idea came about for each of them to write a scary story to frighten the others. That night Mary had trouble thinking of what to write but then the idea came to her, probably inspired by recent scientific and medical breakthroughs of the time, the Industrial Revolution, and the contemporary interest in alchemy.

She began writing the story and when her husband read it, he encouraged her to write a full novel. She did. And it was an instant success. She was 19 years old at the time.

If you have not yet read Frankenstein, you should. The story is compelling and poses some interesting comparisons between conflicts in the story and in real life. It’s not just a good story that spawned an entire genre of horror stories, but a piece of literature that deserves a deeper analysis.

Regardless of the background of how Frankenstein came to be, he continues to be a central horror figure in our culture - and rightfully so.

Why is it that we humans have such a fascination with monsters? All over the world and throughout the ages, people love believing in and telling stories about monsters.

And it starts with the very young.

In our own culture, even toddlers are introduced to the idea of monsters by society. Just think about it. In children’s literature the monster character is prevalent: Where the Wild Things Are, “The Hairy-Nosed Preposterous,” many of Mercer Mayer’s books are monster-based, and the list goes on and on. This obsession with monsters for young children spreads to television and movies as well; most Sesame Street characters are monsters, and a little looking will reveal that other children’s shows and movies aimed at small children also feature monster characters.

Introducing even the smallest children to the concept of a monster is part of being human, it seems.

One possible explanation for this, according to John Hubinette, is that “children (as well as grown-ups) like being a little scared as long as it happens under controlled circumstances. Children tend to be very fascinated with the unknown and abnormality. I think that monsters in a way embody the abnormal, making it possible to experience this abstract notion in terms of something concrete.

Monsters in children’s literature might also pose a challenge to children to learn how to conquer fear and learn to cope better with their own feelings.”

So maybe exposing very young children is our way of preparing them to be brave and survive in a grown-up and sometimes scary world.

Horror characters come and go, just as horror movies do. But there are some monsters so intriguing that they manage to keep re-appearing year after year. These are the classics- the monsters that capture our darkest imaginations and will continue to terrify us generation after generation.

1. The Vampire. Why is the idea of the vampire so captivating? Some people are so fascinated by Vampires that they claim to be one, even drinking blood and sleeping in coffins. So what is the allure of the vampire? The answer is simple: Vampires are sexy. They come out at night. They never get old or die. They prey upon beautiful women scantily clad in nightgowns. Many live in castles. Sometimes they fly. And they dress well. Powerful and dominating, the mysterious Vampire tops the list.
2. The Werewolf, or lycanthrope. All around the globe in many cultures, the belief in werewolves or other shape-shifters pervades, making the werewolf one of the oldest and most popular monsters. Maybe this is a way mankind explains how another human can be so evil, or it maybe it’s just due to plain hyper superstition. Whatever the reason, this monster is particularly frightening because it’s really a person who can change into a hideous and murderous creature.
3. The Undead- as in they died but came back to life. This includes mummies, zombies, and Frankenstein. Ah, the idea of life after death can be so comforting, unless referring to those who come back to kill! Practically unbeatable, because how do you kill something that is already dead?! Is there anything more terrifying than a person who just won’t die and who is intent on killing off the whole village???
4. Evil Aliens. There are those who believe there is life in outer space that is far more advanced than the human race. So what if that life-source decided to do away with humans and maybe even the whole planet earth? Thus is born the idea of evil aliens who are capable of annihilating all of humanity. Some classic movies were based on this horrific monster: Alien, Predator, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the Blob, the Thing, etc. One of the scariest monsters simply because they could be real.
5. Psycho Killers. Some of the most notable horror characters are humans. Maybe not mere humans since some seem to fit into other categories, such as coming back to life, or seem to possess inhuman capabilities. There’s Jason, and Michael Meyers, and Norman Bates- just to name a few. The crazed human killer is a popular and frightening monster that will doubtlessly continue to scare the be-jeesus out of people throughout the rest of history. And worst of all is that there really are crazy killers out there, so lock your doors!

These 5 horror characters top my list for the Top 5 Monsters of all Time. Which is your favorite and why???

Halloween and much of what is associated with it involves some pretty scary ideas and characters: witches, ghouls, horror movies, the devil, blood, death, evil, vampires, or someone wearing your same costume (and looking better). So why do so many people love Halloween and all those scary notions? Why do we like to be scared?

One night close to Halloween, when I was in high school, I remember driving out to a deserted bayou road with my boyfriend, a friend, and her date. We were telling stories of the Loup Garou, a New Orleans-area legend. It was dark and foggy in the swamps and there was not another car in site. It was eerie. We drove to an old graveyard and parked. It was like the scene from a horror movie: the foggy mist all around, the old abandoned graveyard with a certain lone, majestic grave that beckoned to us. We dared our friend and her date to go out to that grave- to prove he wasn’t scared. No one got out the car, though. It was pretty creepy. On the way back, our headlights lighted upon something up ahead in middle of the road. It was a huge owl that turned and looked at us ominously. And it peered at us with those eyes and did not move for what seemed like a whole minute. Given the mood and the circumstances, plus seeing the biggest owl ever (hey, owls aren’t cute and cuddly creatures), we all were startled, to say the least. But it was FUN.

Yes, being scared like that was fun. Why?

According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, fear is an emotion that brings about the reaction called “fight or flight,” which guaranteed our survival in more primitive times. At the moment we are threatened, we have increased strength, power, heightened senses and intuition. This increase in mental and physical capacity is commonly referred as an “adrenaline rush.” It is named after the primary hormone involved.

Adrenaline rush. Heightened senses. Heart pumping harder, faster. Clearer thinking. Exhilarating.

No wonder people seem to be drawn to this feeling. Halloween, it’s predecessors and distant relatives, have been around for hundreds of years because people want this adrenaline rush, this invigorating reaction.

Being scared can be fun and stimulating.

New Terror in the Creepy Tradition? Either they mean the time-honored tradition of just “being creepy“, or they mean “like the magazine Creepy” (yeah, it ruled). Or maybe both…

No, I’m not talking (in some sick way) about “making babies” - even though some parents obviously have made monsters and the rest of us have to deal with the little hellspawns running through the aisle at Target when we’re trying to make our way to the checkout with our basket of cheaply-made Chinese lead-coated merchandise. But I digress.

I am speaking here of the act of horror makeup/costume-making/dressing up. As a monster.

Or, an alien. One of the very best costumes I ever fabricated (at least, in my memory) was that of a classic 1950’s-style space alien. The costume consisted of the following items: a pair of thick silver-spray-painted rubber boots (the kind fishermen and serial killers typically wear), a gray sweatshirt and gray sweatpants (like your Diet-Coke-guzzling eternally-on-a-futile-diet co-worker wears), a genuine vintage fifities tin toy ray gun, a space helmet with antennae (fashioned out of Reynolds™ Wrap - only the best!), and green food coloring.

Yes, the super-realistic touch to my costume was the fact that I dyed my skin a rich, dark hue of green. My mom either didn’t mind or wasn’t aware of this ahead of time, but I certainly did it. And it worked well. (DId you know? Food coloring is semi-permanent!) It was a great costume though. And what did I get for my efforts? The accolades of my peers? Scream of terror from unprepared trick-or-treaters? Actual space aliens contacting me, thinking I was one of their kind? No.

All I got was a bunch of Tootsie Rolls. Damn.

But if you yourself want to learn how to dress up in cool costumes (sans food coloring), I found a spiffy website devoted to this craft: Max and Courtney Make Monsters. (Again: Max and Courtney are making costumes.) It appears that they aren’t in the monster-making business these days (last post is from 2006), but they have left a fine collection of costumes with full instructions, pictures, and even vids. Go there! And make some monsters!