The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street Essay

The horror genre, which evolved from folklore, Greek and Roman mythology, and religion, offers thrills and chills. It has proven to be a popular genre for those who love to experience the apprehension of horror and the fight between good and evil. The existence of evil in humanity, in fact, is a common theme of the genre as shown in classics such as the movie Psycho, the television series The Twilight Zone, and the short story Tell Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe. Throughout these films, texts, and television shows, the horror genre demonstrates that evil is not always evident; it hides among and within the human species. In fact, it is the evil that lurks within us that has the greatest impact on us. We distance ourselves from characters in

However, residents of Maple Street are soon faced with a situation that begins to reveal the evil side of human nature. The residents of Maple Street are, as usual, enjoying a pleasant morning when a shadow passes overhead. No one knows what caused the strange occurrence, and then they realize that all their power has gone out. One of the neighbors, Pete, decides to walk over to the next street to see if their power is out as well. Meanwhile, the neighbors gather to discuss the situation when a small boy, Tommy, states that he read a story with a similar scenario where a family of aliens invaded a neighborhood and caused comparable problems. This causes panic to arise amongst the residents and their true natures begin to show. Neighbours begin turning on each other one by one. Maple Street residents are quickly afraid and their paranoia begins to show. These events mirror the scenario of Tommy’s story. The group is all on edge, and when a strange figure emerges from the shadows one of the neighbors shoots the figure before realizing it is Pete returning from the next street over. As the day progresses to night and strange occurrences are still happening, the group becomes hysterical and the situation evolves into a riot. The screen pans out to reveal a spaceship on the hill where aliens are controlling the lights and power in the neighborhood. They make comment on how creating small complications cause the humans to be mistrustful of, and evil to each other. All that was required for the humans to reveal their true emotions and to unlock evil was a small obstacle. Again, the horror genre reveals how terrifyingly close to evil thoughts and actions we all are, and how easily the can