Lots of things on my mind, hopefully I get to them all, undoubtedly it won't be in any logical, coherent order.
So, obviously I've given up on the whole 'blog everyday in September' thing. Along with the keeping track of what I had been watching on TV. As with so many other things in my life, it can be summed up with the following 4 words: Nice idea, horrible execution. Truly, if I were a better writer, blogging about what I watch on telelvision could be riveting stuff. Or at least, more entertaining than...television. [side note... no, never mind. I've got too much to cover to get distracted this early on. Besides, if posts are too long, they cause people to not leave as many comments as they would if the post were shorter. maybe.]
That being said, I watched a movie at work today that warrants being talked about! It was "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978 version). I had somehow managed to go 32 years of my life [okay, 29, since it hasn't been out for 32 years] without having seen this. And even though I knew the ending (again, just how long is the shelf-life on spoilers?) but the movie itself (and the ending) was still really quite good. You know, in that 70s cheesey type of way. Also - does Jeff Goldblum always play the same character in every movie or what??
But. This brings me to the main point of this blog post:
Monsters.
Obviously (unless it's not, but we'll get there) the top 3 monsters are:
1. Vampires
2. Werewolves
3. Zombies
Now, I'm not really comfortable putting them in that particular order. I picked alphabetical order, really. Because, really, you could call it a three way tie with that trio. There are many times when the idea of freakin' living dead hordes totally trumps the idea of immortal bloodsuckers. And of course, we all know about my obsession a few months back with werewolves.
My question is - what is #4?
Possible contenders:
Robots. - Namely, Terminators. Killer robots that are from the future that have the ability to blend in with normal humans, but will totally kill you if you interfere with the mission.
Pod people body snatchers. - Yeah, this is due to seeing the movie today, but the fact that a version of this story is made about once a decade or so proves that the alien invaders who steal our bodies is a powerful monster meme.
Frankenstein's Monster. - I think the Monster has fallen out of popular favor lately, and that's mostly due to a) that he's just one guy and b) he's pretty much just a reanimated corpse, which is more or less just a zombie.
Ghosts - Sure, they're popular, but really, are ghosts frightening enough to be labeled as monsters? I tend to think that ghosts fall more into the angsty category myself. They just need to get some therapy and move on.
CHUDs - That's really just a catchall for mutated humans that live underground. Plus, are they well-known enough to make it to the coveted #4 position??
Republicans - Dude.
So, my question(s) to anyone that wants to comment, and feel free to interpret them however you see fit:
What are the top four monsters? Do my top three even fit into your list? And if so (or not) what order?
8 comments:
Hmm, I was going to say aliens (including pod people/body snatchers) but you make a persuasive argument for, well, everything else. Damn it.
Of course, if it's aliens it ties into your previous post. AND I should say that I agree with your top three.
I also think aliens. I hadn't even thought of them!
I also agree with robots, but I don't know if I think of them as monsters. They're too sterile. Of course, monsters don't have to be gripping in gore necessarily, but robots are more psychological monsters. (?)
Also, Invasion of the Body Snatchers still scares the crap out of me. I watched it when I was young, and after it was over my sister told me that I was too worked up and that I ought to go to sleep. I burst into hysterical tears.
I am declaring jihad on your comment form. And on Amy's.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of my favorite movies ever. I've probably seen it ten times. Now you've seen this one, you can skip the other versions (though the first one is v. good).
#4 would be aliens. As I tried to say earlier but your Taliban comment form thwarted me.
-Kirk
After having given it some more thought, here's my top four (along with why!):
1. Vampires
2. Werewolves
3. Zombies
4. Bodysnatching aliens
The thing with all of these (and robots like the Cylons and Terminators [and somewhat the Borg]) that makes them scary is the fact that they can convert you into one of them. A bite from a vampire, werewolf, or zombie means that your days as a normal human are numbered. Or minuted, even.
And with the body snatchers, they look like anyone else, but totally aren't. And the only thing they seem to care about - turning more people into podfolk.
So, yeah. Body Snatchers is the only logical choice for #4. (With Killer Cyborgs being a close #5.)
Of course, if you use different criteria for your monster 'greatness'...say, the destruction factor, for example, then I think the winner, hands down, would have to be Godzilla. (Go, go Godzilla!!)
So, dude. If zombies (or werewolves or vampires or pod-people) ever got Godzilla... just kiss your ass goodbye at that point.
Dude. This comment could've been it's own entry. [doh]
Also, Republicans are the same thing as pod people.
Amy, you've provided me with a hilarious (and yet all too disturbingly plausible) visual:
George Bush on tv, approaches a podium: "My fellow Amuricans, I come to you today to EEEEEEEEEEIIIIIII!!!!"
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