Fifty Horror Clichés That Need to Die in a Fire

#47: Lack of Complexity Inside Horror Monsters

One of the biggest flaws in the monsters presented in the horror genre is their tendency to be static characters. They are very simplistic with their only motivation in most stories being to slaughter innocent civilians or consume human flesh. While this static characterization can be excused in some monsters such as the werewolf due to their more animalistic natures, this excuse does not work when the creature in question has evidence of human level intelligence. Vampires for instance still retain their human memories in almost all interpretations of them in horror media, yet usually character wise just boil down to seeking out more humans to drain dry. It does not make sense for these characters to only be bloodthirsty killers if their memories, hence fragments of their personalities, still remains in tact. Monsters in horror fiction can be more than merely tools for the author to use as an antagonistic threat that main characters have to defeat.

A great example of creating complexity in the characterization of a horror monster lies in Mary Shelley's classic novel , Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein's monstrous creation upon being born acts much like a newborn child, slowly learning about the world through observation as he wanders alone throughout the land. Eventually through these observations, the monster comes to learn about human culture's structure and gains intellect on par with Victor Frankenstein through the vivid readings of multiple informative books. However, this knowledge comes at the price of the monster being strongly aware of humanity's disgust towards him, which fills the creature with hate for his mistreatment. He especially comes to hate Victor Frankenstein for bringing him into this cruel life, deciding to toy with his creator through the multiple murders of his loved ones and chase the doctor to the ends of the Earth due to a toxic reliance on his worst enemy in order to feel whole.

The monster in the novel as compared to his movie counterpart shows evidence of complex thought and intriguing motivations to antagonize Victor Frankenstein instead of just rampaging throughout the town due to his lack of human level intelligence. He does not merely get into a panic attack if he sees even the smallest spark of light. This version of the monster thinks about his actions throughly before committing to them, having a stronger level of humanism and a connection to the audience as a result. In Mary Shelley's novel, the monster is much more impactful to the audience and gives the novel a true douse of stakes the main character Victor Frankenstein has to overcome.

Like with any other character, monsters need more motivation towards their attacks on the human populace. By treating these horror genre creatures with similar treatment as the complex main characters, the audience will feel even more inclined to keep reading in order to find out what comes next in the narrative. This gives the novel in question a bigger kick, inviting a bigger audience to partake in its reading versus the typical man versus beast storyline. Audiences love connecting to complex characters, even the antagonistic beast in question, if enough characterization is expressed on their part to make them memorable. It is a trait in literature that gives writing an extra level of importance in popular culture.

The audience's connection to characters from complexity is the reason why so many horror icons have become as popular as they currently are. People love Dracula for his smart wit, combined together with his unending thirst for human blood and seemingly unending list of mysterious supernatural abilities. Samara Morgan from The Ring movie franchise gained her popularity from the mystery behind her sinister origin, and the fragility of the human mind that caused her to become the demonic creature she is today. Heck, even the interpretation of The Devil in some fictional universes is a compelling character that people can get behind, mostly due to the character's constant demonic charm that adds to his characterization. Complex characters have a strong appeal to them that if a fictional monster wishes to stand out must evidence some traits as well.

In the future when crafting a horror creature, be sure to give the character a level of complexity the audience can completely find themselves getting behind. Give these characters motivation towards their evil deeds that are not purely animalistic or the basic tragic backstory. These motivations do not have to be completely relatable to the audience, but they must at least be understandable due to the character's circumstances. By doing this, the audience will feel more of a connection to the monster when it is the cast's chance to confront it, making the victory from the heroes in the end much more deserved. After all, no hero is truly complete without its villain.