Chillichap's Review - A Quick A to Z of Monsters from Alien to Zombies - Horror Creatures that go Bump in the Night

Hello!

I thought it would be fun to try and create an a to z list of monsters from ancient legend to modern-day pop culture. It turned out to be a lot easier than I'd imagined. If you've read any of my horror film reviews, you'll know I'm a bit of a cowardly custard with this genre, whilst being utterly fascinated (I've actually written entire books of poetry on both vampires and zombies). I will at some point write a comprehensive a to z of each monster, fangs, and all.  I hope you enjoy my brief exploration of these rather scary creatures.





A - Alien: Ridley Scott's movie of a disastrous visit to an uncharted planetoid. The rest is spine-tingling history. My first horror movie at the cinema-scary stuff!

B - Banshee: A wailing, sometimes mischievous spirit from Irish folklore, believed to foretell death.

C - Cyclops: One-eyed giants from Greek mythology, known for their strength and size. Seen in Jason and the Argonauts (the 1963 film is a must).

D - Dragon: Mythical fire-breathing creatures, often portrayed as powerful and fearsome. Come on St George-we need you!

E - El Chupacabra: A creature from Latin American folklore said to drink the blood of livestock. Sounds a bit vampireish to me.

F - Frankenstein’s Monster: A man-made creature from Mary Shelley’s novel, often misunderstood and feared. Professor Frankenstein was the creator.

G - Ghoul: A demon-like being from Arabic mythology that eats human flesh.

H - Hydra: A multi-headed serpent from Greek mythology that regrows two heads for each one cut off.

I - Incubus: A male demon believed to lie upon sleeping women, from medieval folklore. Succubus is the female version-usually scantily clad

J - Jersey Devil: A legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Not really heard of this one.

K - Kraken: A legendary sea monster, often depicted as a giant octopus or squid, terrorizing sailors. A classic one features in Clash of the Titans. Also in Dead Man's Chest-Pirates of the Caribean. 

L - Lich: An undead sorcerer who has achieved immortality, often found in fantasy literature and games.

M - Mummy: Preserved bodies with ancient powers from ancient Egypt, often revived in horror stories. The 1999 Movie with Brendan Faser was dammed good and showed how powerful mummies could be.

N - Nessie (Loch Ness Monster): A cryptid said to inhabit the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland. Fingers crossed she actually exists eh?

O - Ogre: Large and hideous humanoid monsters from European folklore.

P - Phoenix: A mythical bird that is cyclically reborn from its own ashes, often a symbol of renewal. In Harry Potter.

Q - Qilin: A mythical hooved chimerical creature from Chinese mythology, a good omen. Not heard of this one.

R - Rakshasa: A demon or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. A new one for me.

S - Sasquatch (Bigfoot): A hairy, ape-like creature from North American folklore. Does he exist-is there proof?

T - Troll: Creatures from Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore, often depicted as ugly and slow-witted. Love the ones in The Hobbit that get turned to stone.

U - Unicorn: A legendary horse-like creature with a single, spiraling horn on its forehead. Not really a monster to be honest, but I wouldn't like to get on the wrong end of one of their horns!

V - Vampire: Mythical creatures from folklore that subsist by feeding on the vital essence (usually blood) of the living. My personal favourite-bloody scary.

W - Werewolf: A human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf, either purposely or after being placed under a curse. My second favourite. I loved the Underworld movies-best of both worlds.

X - Xing Tian: A headless giant from Chinese mythology who continues to fight even after being beheaded. Don't know this one, but sounds formidable-I'd probably just run away.

Y - Yeti: Also known as the Abominable Snowman, a mythical ape-like creature said to live in the Himalayas. Seems to be the Asian equivalent of Big Foot.

Z - Zombie: Reanimated corpses from Haitian folklore and popular culture, often depicted as mindless and cannibalistic. The scariest of them all in my opinion. I have a friend who has actually prepared for a zombie attack!

Short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed it.

Matt AKA Chillichap




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