This week: Sympathy for Monsters Edited by: Lornda  
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Not all monsters are created equal. Some elicit sympathy but how’s it accomplished? |
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When we watch a horror movie, it’s meant to scare us to some extent. The unexpected part is shedding a tear or two because we feel sorry for a monster and their plight. The addition of sympathy is a strange combination with horror.
Throughout history, many examples of sympathy for a monster are a common theme. With the classic monster movies from way back, they paved the way for us to feel sorry for a creature right up until today’s horror movies.
Back in 1931, the movie Frankenstein was released, and by the end, there’s no doubt we shed a tear for the way he was treated. After all, he was a childlike monster and only lashed out when provoked.
A few years later, King Kong (1933) entertained audiences with his cuddly appearance as a huge gorilla. He was tossed into a situation where he panicked, climbed the Empire State Building, and airplanes shot at him until he fell to his death.
Fast forward a few years to both versions of The Fly. (1958 & 1986) A human, Seth Brundle, slowly transforms into a hideous monster. A result of a teleporter experiment gone wrong because a fly entered the chamber. Watching him transform into this insect was horror at it’s best, and by the end, you wished for the same demise he begged for with a tear in your eye.
As a writer, it’s difficult to show the emotion of a monster. After all, the people behind a horror movie have a huge advantage over writers. They have all the right tools to bring a monster alive. The costumes, the CGI, the detailed make-up, and the scriptwriters. How does a writer take advantage to help a reader have sympathy for a creature?
Keep these few tips in mind when plotting out your monster story:
 A lot of monsters have anger. Give them other emotions so the reader can have deeper insight how they feel.
To heighten the sympathy, compare them to humans.
How do they organize, and what it their intelligence level?
Make it think different than humans
Another way to add sympathy is to make the monster innocent.
Outline why the monster is dangerous.
Sympathy for monsters can be a complex topic. It’s a theme that’s been explored in many movies and books. Even though writers do not have fancy tools like the moviemakers, we have the power of storytelling. To show the emotions of the monster so the reader reacts, paint a picture of the creature with descriptive words and a tear or two will be guaranteed.
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Horror poem. Probably not for everyone. Dropnote explains the style. 180 words/4 stanzas.
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 Have you ever felt sympathy for a monster? Which one(s)?
 Feedback from my last newsletter, "Observe Alfred Hitchcock Movies" . I asked the question : What’s your opinion on Alfred Hitchcock’s movies? Did they succeed in scaring you, and do you have a favorite?
dragonwoman : "The Birds, still scares me!"
Beholden  : "Thank you very much for including my short story, "Brad's Inheritance," among your Editor's Picks."
 Thanks for the comments from the Newsfeed.
Kymela Tejasi  : "Hitchcock movies have never really ever caught my interest, but Korean and Japanese horror has."
oldgreywolf scribbles : "I preferred The Outer Limits."
Nobody’s Home  : "Rear Window is my absolute favorite; The Trouble With Harry, Shirley McClaine's first movie in 1955, is not scary but quite absurdly entertaining  "
s : "Scaring is the wrong word. But they do succeed in making me feel uneasy and making me feel uncomfortable, and filling me with a sense of dread and terror. Vertigo is probably my favourite, but I like so very many. Going through with my son recently, I found 4 films made in the 21st century that have scared me, and so I would say Hitchcock is above 90% of modern film-makers in eliciting genuine emotion from a viewer."
elephantsealer : "I can only remember one or two movies by Alfred Hitchcock; however, what I remember is that he did present his moving quite well. I hope I can do the same if and when I decide to write a horror fiction..."
N.A Miller : "North by Northwest. Can't go wrong with a Cary Grant movie... and rear window. two favorites..."
Kell Willsen : "Got to give Rope a mention here. Not "jump scare" scary, but seriously terrifying. Monsters are real."
Odessa Molinari : "Not so scary by today's standards."
TheBusmanPoet : "I know it's not real horror but enjoyed watching it just the same. No it didn't frighten me. I'm into Hitchcock and any other horror movies. My favorite was with Rod Taylor and Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren in her screen debut, alongside Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright in The Birds. There's only one movie that came close to spooking me and that was by Stephen King's book and movie called "IT." Featuring Pennywise the evil clown. I also enjoyed "Rear View Window" with Jimmy Stewart."
graybabe : "I used to watch Hitchcock's movies as a young girl. These movies were on TV so the horror effect was diluted. Nevertheless, he employed attractive young stars who were eye catching, and I thought that was fine. I watched North by Northwest, and Rear Window, and Vertigo among others."
BoB_618 : "They were successful in the 1950's to 1970's. Once we got beyond that though, Americans wanted more than just a stabbing in the shower or Verdigo. My hat goes off to Alfred Hitchcock though, he was an great innovator with most of his movies."
Mary Tarin : "I have not seen his movies in some years, but to me they are more suspenseful for using psychological drama and leaving it to your imagination to fill in the blanks rather than blood. And guts."
Elphee : "Well back in the day when these movies were brought forth and made into movies. There weren't very many scary things being shown at the time. I personally wasn't scared. I would sit with my grandfather and watch them. But I would be more along the lines of, where do they think they are going? What is wrong with those people? Why do they think this is ok? Don't they know they are gonna get caught and go to jail? And let's not forget. How do they think they are gonna get away with this? My grandfather would say SHHHH, watch the show. And we will talk about this afterward.
But like scooby doo, the real monsters are always human."
Thodin Thorsson : "I'm a product of the eighties and grew up watching movie series like The Howling, Friday the 13th, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien and Aliens, etc... To date there's not a single "horror" movie that can scare me, but when I was a little kid the movie Birds terrified me. His movies helped to pioneer the way for the suspense and horror genres and we should all be eternally grateful for that, I know I am."
keyisfake : "Yes, and There are so many but I'll say Stranger on a Train. I love trains."
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Horror/Scary: November 29, 2023 Issue [#12296]
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