Horror Monster Research Paper

Hey, I'm new... in fact I'm mostly here on official... well not really official... more like non-official if anything business. ;)
I'm doing a research paper for my English 102 course on the evolution of the horror monster/creature in film & possibly comics... but mostly film. I noticed that in spite of changes in Western culture over the past 100 years, the things that frighten us haven't changed much at all.

What I'm looking for is possibly observations on such a topic by hardcore fans such as yourselves or better yet, a response from amateur film makers as far as what they base their horror creatures on.

Is it because the groundwork was laid out so many years ago and it just seems more natural to borrow from it? Or is there a deeper psychological reasoning behind it. I have my theories, now I want to know what the experts think.

<3 Mel

PS. Would I get a response faster if I noted that I am a 20 yr old femme in pigtails... or that my paper is due tomorrow? ;)

[FangoFan]

I think monster ideas come from many places.
Some are from mythology. An adapted idea from fables.

Like with vampires for instance. Some are fascinated buy thought of immortality. A creature that lives at night. A creature that feeds on blood. It has strengths and weaknesses just like any other living thing.

I think the construction of a monster is from a gathering of fascinations that are placed together. It's the birth of a new image, and a new thought, but from already existing ideas.

A unicorn is a horse with a solitary, spiraling ivory horn

A dragon is, I think, an exaggerated idea from a dinosaur or from the reptile species

We already have amazingly odd and bizarre creatures on Earth,
it's not so difficult to imagine our own

[meetthecreeper]

Personally I think that its psychological in many ways, from the chainsaw wielding maniac, to the silent stalker who chases you, always walks and is always one step behind no matter how fast you run, to the person that looks normal that is a complete psychotic Aka Hannibal Lechter. The villians have the power people want that, villians are far more interesting and the people that watch the films always root for the villian because in the movies they can do things that we cant. Some of us would love to live forever, like a vampire or change into a werewolf or be that intellegent maniac who eludes the police. Of course in the movies they all have their ways that they must suffer to be the way they are. Also I think that in a way horror films make us more comfortable with our own mortality, you know its like hey at least I know I wont have my soul swallowed by demons like that guy did in the film. Hope this kind of helps.

[mudsliptones]

most horror movies are aside from the effects and acting, timeless
the zombies from night og the living dead to the ones in resident evil change, but the concept "zombie" stays the same
it's just, people still hold on to those monsters (zombies, demons, ghost, vampires)
why you ask?
I wouldn't know, long ago there were people who "invented" the zombie, vampire, demon, ....
lack of originality nowadays?
maybe
the only thing that does change is the looks of certain creatures, like demons
the possibilitys on better FX and the fact that more is allowed these days gives you a different look then lets say in 1975
example, earlyer just a dude with some make up was a demon, wooden horns on the head and a rubber tail maybe

now: we see a young girl, half naked, bleeding cuts in her face, that stuff

I guess that people are getting tired of the old looks of monsters and are not scared of them anymore
If you look at night of the living dead it's not scary, but back then it was
also...hollywood, they want new stuff, but instead of inventing new creatures they just build on the classics (dracula, zombie)
and just make them bigger in looks, scaryer

that's about it