The Monster Under the Bed...

...or hiding in the closet.

The monsters in todays post are the scary ones. The ones that have you pulling the blankets over your head and pretending you're invisible.

Now I guess some people might expect to find Daleks here, I know for a lot of people they would seem to be the ideal choice. A race of creatures that have eradicated their emotions and are only interested in destroying anything that isn't them. But for some reason I've always had a soft spot for the Daleks, maybe it has somthing to do with watching Dr. Who in the seventies as a kid?

For me, there is only one scary monster that fits the bill. It seems impossible to even think of another.



The creatures from the Alien quadrology are the monsters that you can't reason with and that's what makes them scary. (They also have this incredible ability to jump out of the one place that you're not expecting them to.) If you're backed into a corner, there's no way you're going to be able to talk your way out of it. I think that's quite a rare thing. Not necessarily something you'd want to read about or watch all the time. I think the reason it works with the aliens is that it's their nature. They are not inherently evil creatures, (though it's clear they have a cold intelligence), they are just going through their life cycle.

The thing I like about the aliens from Alien, is that they have an awful elegance to them. Even while they're stalking across the screen, you can't take your eyes off them. I think this is what's missing from a lot of the vampires that are currently about. (And I think it's what the writers of True Blood have got right).

Frankenstein's monster had a similar unstoppable quality, but there was also the tragedy of his lost humanity, which perhaps makes him fit more easily with tomorrows monsters.

So does anyone have any scary monsters that can compete with the alien? Or do you prefer your monsters to have some chink in their armour? Are there any scary monsters in fiction that you'd recommend?