The Perfect Monster

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. Monsters have been portrayed in many different ways in many different works of fiction. The inhumane, evil, dark, and scary attributes they are given bring out a sense of wonder and fear into the readers and watchers. The best monsters, however are the ones that make the world think about themselves or the world around them just a bit differently. Leaving them wondering who or what the real monsters are in their world.
The physical attributes of a perfect monster are extremely important to the success of that monster. The monster

should be part or mostly human or appearing as a human. This allows the reader to relate and maybe even picture themselves as the beast or staring at down. Another positive of being human-like is that the monster then makes the reader question whether this could actually happen or if it has actually happened in a more literal sense. Another vital part of the perfect part of a monster are the non-human aspects such as: very large stature, superior strength, ragged or messy clothes, the eyes of a psychotic or crazy man, a face that is deformed or mutilated, and a limp or slow walk. These non-human features are vital due to the fact that these are what makes the audience distinguish themselves from the beast. Human beings when thinking about a monster wants to draw a line of what makes a monster truly a monster as opposed to just another human doing wrong or evil.
The monster's actions are another excessively important part in being the perfect monster.

The inhumane actions or atrocities that the monster commits truly distinguishes them from just a being making a bad decision. The perfect monster should be homicidal and spare no life. This act of taking a life is one the most famous and notable action of a monster. This is because we as humans see this as wrong and as a heinous crime. However the monster shouldn’t just kill one class or group of people because that will allow the audience that is not in this class or group to disconnect from the story due to the fact that they would be safe from this monster. Another crucial attribute of a perfect beast is to be slow or deliberate in their actions. This builds up the suspense and the scare from the audience because they are just waiting for the monster to act and waiting gives more time for images and ideas to plant themselves into the head of the audience driving them insane and making them anxious. Maybe the most important action of a monster is that it should always be right around the corner or right in the place where the characters think they are safest. Taking away the idea of a safe place like in a bed under the covers makes the monster completely in control and on a psychological level above the characters. Also this will forever implant a picture of the monster in the head of the audience when they go to this place. On top of always being there the monster should only

appear at the moments when the character thinks they are completely safe such as: the middle of the day, with a guardian, or after a long gap of not appearing.
The truly perfect monster may only be the one that lies dormant in the backs of the head. It may only exist in, the darkest thoughts, the most suppressed corner of the brain, the worst of nightmares, and the darkest of nights. The perfect monster is the one that keeps the us up at night and that makes us think about the artificial line we draw between beast and man. The perfect monster can’t be described by any author, but, must be created in the mind's eye by the audience. The perfect monster is inside every person and that may just be the scariest part of all.