What do you look for in a Monster?

[Pencil Zombie]

Hello, everyone. Long time lurker and sometimes contributor to the site. I have a question for you well versed horror fans: What do you look for in a good Monster? They way they look, the way they dispatch their victims, their attitude, or their ‘powers?’ What would you put first? Also, what do you cite as a really good monster design? (Personally, I would have to go with the Frankenstein monster, the Alien, and the Predator. So much character and attitude/personality in just their physical presence. Movement and sound effects are just icing on the cake.)

And on the flip side, which monsters did you care for the least?

I’m studying to become a concept artist and would like to hear what other fans think. Perhaps this can give my drawings a wider appeal and deliver (in the future) what audiences want or miss.

Many thanks in advance.
:)

[Countess Anna loves Aussie Dracula]

Well, you all know with vamps, I like the ones that are incredibly good looking so they catch you off guard. (See Dracula in "Van Helsing", the band Malice Mizer, "Interview with the Vampyr", Howie BSB) THe attitiude I expect is that they are sex-crazed, but not obvious. I like the kind that go trolling for innocent peasant girls.

Werewolves I like to see a mixture of human with wolf touches: The uncontrolled hair with exaggerated bangs, the black rimmed eyes, pointy ears, the ridges on the nose (Sans the black part on the tip), the HUGE bottom teeth and long fingernails, sometimes with a tail wagging. :D (See Brian BSB, "Big Wolf on Campus", the manga "Crescent Moon") What I would like with werewolves is that they are stuck between human and wolf mannerisms most of the time. Walking on all fours, growling, sometimes behaving like a trained pet dog with the person they like. You can now see why I was unhappy that they had replaced Will Kemp's skills with a CGI graphic...it would've been a more believable performance with his background in dance.

What turns me off is the tired Bela Lugosi Dracula and the shaven Wookiee version of werewolves. I guess you can tell I hate when they tried to make them too kiddy back in the '60s.

[bunnymud wants tacos]

I like creatures that border on being human almost


a la The Mothman and the Jeepers Creepers thingie...and the mimic bugs


I also like creatures that defy imagination, like Clive Barkers creatures or the prince of darkness

[Wetbones]

Great topic!

All the mosters I like best (Alien, Cenobites, Tortured Souls, Nightbreed, Nemesis) combine monstrosity with a certain sensuality, an erotic appeal even. For me, monsters are the heroes. I root for them, I identify with them, and I enjoy them the most when they have a dignity to themselves both in attitude as in how they look. I'm not really a big fan of the "almost human" look, though, as evidenced by my examples above, it can work really well. But it can also go spectacularly wrong. Look at all those silly Star Trek extraterrestrials who are essentially humans but with some cheesy make up put on. That's not enough. There has to be something otherwordly, something that hasn't been done a million times before, about them. Another thing that will impress me if done right is the size of the monster. I would be the biggest giant (insert random animal here) movie fan if only the movies were done with any resemblance of competence. And they always go for the obvious: snakes, spiders, lizards. That's just boring! Give me a giant man-eating giraffe or a 100 feet tall octopus crawling out of the ocean and I'll be the happiest ghoul ever. Speaking of octupi, tentacles are always a plus in any monster. They don't have to penetrate female (and also male) orfices but that would be nice.

[bunnymud wants tacos]

Hentaiomg!!!!!!

[Eyebulb - Head of Obfuscation]

My favorite monsters are Pumpkinhead, Alien, and the Chuds. I like my monsters when they have human features, but don't act human. Ones that are primal, and act on instinct. And they have to have a great design like the ones mentioned above.

[thedudeabides]

Well, they HAVE to be zombies....


other than that, I look for physical intimidation, or dangerous features like sharp teeth or claws.

But, I find the more inhuman the monster, the more fear your brain processes it with.

But, the evil man-type creatures that are perversions of the human form get ya also.

...that, and big titties.

[Greg Hansen]

Lovecraftian. You can't go wrong with anything Lovecraftian.

[Gus Bjork]

Well, a good sense of humor is a definate plus. Also, they have to keep in shape. Maybe not a '10' but at least take some pride in their appearance. A good listener and a good talker. They should be able to make me feel special and not take me for granted. Flowers are always nice!

[Pencil Zombie]

Thanks for the reply guys! Some good observations here. A lot of information to digest. :)

A question to those who find the sensual aspects of monsters appealing; Do you like when a monster is blatantly sexy (i.e. lots o’ cleavage), mildly or conservatively dressed but good looking, or their design contains erotic imagery (lots of curves or subliminal sexual references)?

Personally, I think it’s becoming a tired cliché of having sexy monsters who are overtly erotic. Where’s the subtly? I laughed my ass off when the female vampires in Van Helsing trailer transformed into creatures but maintained their ample rack. Wouldn’t boobies wither and droop during a transformation?

Thanks again.

[bunnymud wants tacos]

That's like asking if zombies should be able to run

[Jack19]

Zombies are always awsome, but if you make a zombie movie don't pussy out and not show the gore. The problem with some otherwise cool zombie movies(28 days later, DoD remake) was no gore.

I like monsters that are original and don't fit into other catagories. Werewolves are ok, but I think there are way to many vampire movies. The only genre I will never get tired of is zombies.

A good example of a more original monster would be the beast in Relic. That was really cool looking, with big teeth and pinchers and such. Plus it killed in cool ways too, thats always a plus. The Mimic bugs were neat. I obviously like monsters that are less human, which is why I don't like vampires that much.

[Wetbones]

Hentaiomg!!!!!!

Partly, yes. But don't make the mistake to think that the Japanese invented the sex-crazed tentacle-demon. There are paintings of such creatures going back hundreds and even thousands of years. One I particularly like is from the 17th century and shows a knight fighting a tentacle monster that rapes a girl.

A question to those who find the sensual aspects of monsters appealing; Do you like when a monster is blatantly sexy (i.e. lots o’ cleavage), mildly or conservatively dressed but good looking, or their design contains erotic imagery (lots of curves or subliminal sexual references)?

Definitely the latter. H.R. Giger is a perfect example obviously. There's something phallic and feminine about the Alien creature, which is great. I'm not the biggest fan of his Sil (SPECIES) designs, though. They're too obvious, not subtle enough.

[HellSpawn]

Lovecraftian. You can't go wrong with anything Lovecraftian.

No truer words have been spoken!

[HellSpawn]

That's like asking if zombies should be able to run

or teleport, or jump down from great distances, or swim?

[Wetbones]

Lovecraftian. You can't go wrong with anything Lovecraftian.

But "Lovecraftian" is more about the mythology surrounding the monster and less about the look itself, right? After all good old HPL almost never gave full on descriptions of the beasties inhabiting his stories. Sure, there's your DUNWICH HORROR giant snails and such but most of the time it's just hinted at. Lots of unspeakable, unimaginable, unnameable forms and such. Which is great on paper because it makes you wonder, kick-starts your imagination, but it poses a serious challenge to filmmakers or illustrators. There is such a danger of banalizing his monsters by giving them a specific shape. Even DAGON, a film I adore, had that problem. That's why I end up enjoying films that are inspired by his work more than films actually based on any specific story of his. Carpenter's THE THING, Guillermo's HELLBOY and, yes, UROTSUKIDOJI* would be examples of that. As much as I long for film versions of MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS and CALL OF CTHULHU I also dread them because I don't want any filmmaker's or conceptual artist's specific view of something like Cthulhu forced down my throat. They should definitely try to find the filmic equivalent of the suggestiveness of Lovecraft's prose. You know, lot's of shadows and mist and half-glimpsed forms instead of full-on visible roaring CGI insults.

* Before you diss me for this choice remember that I'm talking about the creatures here and the mythology surrounding them and NOT the often dragged out and mind-numbing rape-o-rama in that series.

[Wetbones]

... or swim?

http://www.badmovieplanet.com/inferno/archives/infernocam/zomlake8.jpg

[Masoumi]

What do I look for in a monster?

Someone who waits for me to get home from work at night. Some one who cares. Someone who is there for me when things look grim. A nice lover, a life partner.

[Countess Anna loves Aussie Dracula]

Hee hee...

WIth the sexual, it doesn't really matter how he's dressed (Yes, this is coming from a girl)...even though I find the ruffly shirt/black tailcoat combo quite appealing.....I prefer my vamps to be more Camui Gackt than Bela Lugosi:
http://moonglow.nu/gardenia/images/gackt/gackt37.jpghttp://www.vanhelsingfan.com/gallery/albums/3/normal_cap-016.jpg
On an interesting note, the costume designer on that film said that she didn't want him to look too much like a pop star...Must've never heard of Malice Mizer, then...

Another example is if you've ever read "Zodiac P.I." Vol. 4, Zeus, the bad guy, even though he's not a Vampyr, is a prime example of what I'm talking about. He's charming and suave, but as Sirius says, "He'll achieve his goals by fair or foul means."...that includes trying to charm the young girl investigating him and locking her dad in an air-tight chamber in order to obtain her magic ring. (I tried to get scans from it to back my Shôjo manga comment, but I cant...you'll have to find the book yourself.)

[HellSpawn]

They could do so many nice horrific movies now a day with the Cthulhu mythos. It boggles the mind.

http://www.callofcthulhu.org/images/creatures/cthulhu1.jpg

[ChainsawXxX]

I agree with Hellspawn. I can't figure out why a giant Cthulhu coming out of the ocean hasn't been committed to celluloid yet.

I like my monsters either humanlike and flesh-eating, or able to drive me insane just by looking at it!

And VD-free.

[EOD]

Someone said it earlier, but I feel it demands reiteration. The demon PUMPKINHEAD is one of the all time best executed monsters in film. Everything about it, its' design, its' scale, its' movement, its' facial expressions, is impeccable. I've seen it many times and even on a huge screen and I can't find a flaw in it.

I was surprised when I recently watched ALIEN. I remember the monster as being so cool and threatening, but I saw it a couple weeks ago on cable and found it distracting how obvious were the efforts to shoot around it's motion. This is not true with ALIENS, but with Alien, the thing just doesn't move correctly, you see bits moving (ie the mouth opening, the inner teeth emerging, the arm popping out, etc.) but for full on motion the only time you really see it is when it's outside the airlock getting ready to be blasted, and it just doesn't move fluidly or threateningly. It looks like a guy in a very uncomfortable suit who's afraid to move lest something fall off the costume. Great design, just less than perfect execution.


I think the transformations in THE HOWLING and AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON were very good too.


EOD

[Showvillain]

I would be the biggest giant (insert random animal here) movie fan if only the movies were done with any resemblance of competence. And they always go for the obvious: snakes, spiders, lizards. That's just boring! How did you feel about that movie with the giant flesh eating rabbits?

I like my monsters either humanlike and flesh-eating, or able to drive me insane just by looking at it!

And VD-free.Why VD-free? If Cthulhu is scary, then Cthulhu with syphilis and crabs should be twice as bad.

[The Impure One]

Running Zombie robots with chainsaw hands! BZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

[HellSpawn]

Running Zombie robots with chainsaw hands! BZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

With laser cannon eyes and repulsor beams, right, you got to have those too.

And maybe, just maybe jet packs.

[The Impure One]

Obviously Hellspawn you have never seen Sealab 2021 on Adult Swim.

[HellSpawn]

No I have not, is it any good?

[Countess Anna loves Aussie Dracula]

That's a total understatement. Sunday's had a reference to "Muppet Babies" and 2 for the "Star Wars Trilogy" and the classic Carson eye-catches every few minutes. :D

[ChainsawXxX]

Why VD-free? If Cthulhu is scary, then Cthulhu with syphilis and crabs should be twice as bad.


That's just a demand I look for in anybody. Call me picky.

And where's my Adrienne Barbeau-bot?

[Lieut. Skinner]

cool thread.

what i look for in monsters are things that obviously haven't been seen before, duh. :)

i also like monsters that have "surprises". by surprises, i mean something like the creeper's face
unfolding, the reaper vampire's chin opening up in blade 2, stuff like that.

i think a successful monster is one that disturbs the viewer when it's shown/revealed. something that
actually *bothers* you when you look at it. the "norris" monster chest burst from carpenter's "the thing" is a good example. it's a crazy looking, nasty, grim looking creature and very effective in creeping the viewer out i.m.h.o.

i also think a successful monster is one that the filmmakers aren't afraid to show in all it's glory. not quick glimpses like craven's "they"(a film that had alot of potential but was ruined by the non-showing of the creatures for the most part). i can't stand films that never really show you the monster or give you the "payoff" shot. a well designed monster will withstand scrutiny onscreen. alien, predator anyone?

characteristics? lots of eyes. anything with more than 2 eyes is unnatural to humans for the most part. give me a multi eyed, six armed, fanged, tentacled alien creature and chances are i'll like it. :) multiple arms, legs, eyes. more than one mouth. stuff like that.

there was recent news about a supposed decent sized budgeted big studio monster movie called subterreanean or something that sounded like "the core" meets "aliens". that could be promising with some monster designs.

[Jack19]

[QUOTE=Lieut. Skinner}there was recent news about a supposed decent sized budgeted big studio monster movie called subterreanean or something that sounded like "the core" meets "aliens". that could be promising with some monster designs.[/QUOTE=Lieut. Skinner]

It's based on a book by someone who's name escapes me. It was pretty mediocre, but ,at least, it entertains. It could make a pretty good movie.