Talking previously about the essential elements of horror, the topic of monsters – what they are and what they do – is not only a relevant but a potent extension of this topic.
Many authors will go straight to the horrific monsters of myth; creatures so far from humanity the terror is in their detachment, appearance, and unpredictable behavior. Paranormal monsters drag us from the light, and into the shadows; they exploit superstition, and fear of the unknown. But what about the known monsters? Human beings who seem, on the surface, to be the often misapplied definition of “normal” — like Norman Bates, ask them and they’d never hurt a fly. It’s this horror that inspires a different kind of reaction in people. Instead of hiding in the shadows to wait for safe-haven, they’re forced to examine their own lives.
Real monsters make us think, push us deep within the well of our own past and potential experience, and inspire us to change. It’s this that UNSPEAKABLE readers are interested in; if not when they first open the book, by the time they’re done, it’s these monsters who have kept them up at night, made them cry, made them think, and made them want to change. It’s the hope of every reader to become engaged in what they read, and it’s certainly the hope of every author to be engaging. And, finally, in theory, it’s the ideal of every monster to leave something lasting in its wake, after the initial terror has faded and real thought begins.
What’s a monster to you?
