A Classic Monster, by my definition, is any kind of monster, creature, archetype or even phenomenon that is an iconic and recognizable figure in the horror genre and monster-focused pieces of pop culture such as Goosebumps or Pokémon. We’re talking things like vampires, zombies, ghosts, werewolves, Frankenstein’s monster, just to name a few.
I created a page that goes deeper into detail on this subject and lists (so far) every single monster page that can be considered classic icons, which you can see right HERE.
While thinking about this subject, I was thinking of some really great monsters that would make for great tropes in horror and pop culture if they just got some more recognition and I’d like to explore some of these creatures and their untapped potential. Some of these have enough credence to be considered classics already, such as appearing in media enough times but I’d like to hear some feedback on these before potentially adding them.
If you have any kind of monster in mind that should get more attention I’d love to hear about it, I’m this wiki’s designated monster expert (nerd).
Blemmyes
Spawned from Roman colonizers confusing the full body shields painted with menacing faces used by the Blemmyes, a race of aboriginal people from northern Egypt, for their actual bodies. The mythological versions of the Blemmyes are headless, humanoid monsters possessing facial features on their chests and abnormally long arms and legs. Although fairly obscure, The Blemmyes have actually appeared a couple of times in pop culture, such as with Hitmonlee from Pokémon, the Headless Horror from Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated (pictured) and appearing as monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, the Blemmyes really need some kind of big appearance to make them recognizable enough to be considered “classics”, I think the Blemmyes are an interesting enough design with enough potential to where they’d make a cool threat in a horror movie or a neat Halloween costume at the very least!
Echinoderm Monsters
Honestly, monsters designed after starfish, sea urchins and other echinoderm are plentiful enough in monster fiction already to the point that they can probably be considered classic monsters, which you can argue is entirely thanks to Japan as monstrous starfish are very popular in their pop culture bubble, having appeared in everything from Ultraman to every monster collecting RPG you can think of, but is that enough? Can a monster be considered a classic if it’s considered one in a particular part of the world rather than “in general”? I think so but what do you all think? Interestingly enough, the most common method of turning an echinoderm into a monster is making it into an alien, such as with Starro of DC Comics and the aliens from Warning From Space (pictured).
Trick or Treaters
Whether taking the form of supernatural entities embodying the concept of trick or treating or as really evil little children who will torture and kill you for your Snickers bar, the idea of turning trick or treaters, one of the cornerstone traditions of the Halloween season into a horror monster has been done a fair amount of times to be considered a trope at this point but is it strong enough to be a page on this site, let alone a category of classic monster? This site has shot done my attempts in adding the Hunchback, an undeniable horror trope at this point popularized by characters like Igor and Quasimodo as an archetype page so what chances does an Archetype:Trick or Treater page have exactly? Especially considering how comparatively specific it is.
Tatzelwurm
Chimeras are a tried and true form of monster, slapping some animal parts together to create a mish-mashed beast more often than not results in an iconic creature and the Tatzelwurm is a highly underrated example that needs more exposure. These quasi-dragons from Alpine folklore take the form of having the front half of a feline and a serpentine bottom half and is said to have highly fatal venom, equally toxic breath and even a deadly scream. Can’t you see this thing being the star of a Scyfy channel schlockbuster and as a wide assortment of different Halloween decorations that range from scary to adorable? Aside from appearing occasionally in scarce amounts of media such as in God of War and Dungeons & Dragons, how the hell does the chimeric mix of a murder floof and a danger noodle go unnoticed for so long!?
Penanggalans
These vampiric ghosts from Malaysian folklore are soooooo freaking awesome that it’s a genuine crime that they aren’t iconic monsters in pop culture yet, someone needs to come in and do what The Ring did for the Onryō, maybe a remake of Mystics of Bali by Guillermo Del Toro or something. Penanggalans having the ability to detach from their bodies as floating, disembodied heads with all of their guts and organs attached is instantly iconic, can’t you just see a “hanger” based on the Penanggalan or their Filipino cousins, the Manananggal hanging from someone’s porch on Halloween? The Penanggalan has been a personal favorite creature of mine for years and I would kill to see it get more worldwide recognition!
Wizards
Nowadays, wizards are typically seen as being either comedic, cooky old men or “good” counterparts to witches but I would love to see wizards be depicted as dark, creepy and threatening practitioners of magic the same way witches are, it’s high time that wizards have been registered as Halloween mascots like their cackling, green-skinned sisters are, maybe a “Halloween Wizard” could be known for having blue skin that matches their blue cloaks and hats adorned with black skulls and bats, other reoccurring features being a scarred face with one blind eye, long claw-like nails and ridiculously long beard that acts like a prehensile limb, perhaps even having a life of it’s own. The closest we have to wizards being registered as a kind of monster are the Lich, a sort’ve undead counterpart which is great but I want to see a dark fantasy horror film where an old-fashioned, bearded wizard is the main antagonist, when are we going to see wizards be given the Wishmaster treatment?
Pukwudgies
We’re at the point where fairies, goblins, trolls and other fae folk are being depicted as being legitimately threatening monsters more and more like they actually are in folklore instead of hokey, non-threatening, “good guy” creatures that media has painted them as being for far too long so what perfect time to make one of the most revolting, bloodthirsty and skeevy trolls in existence an iconic horror creature? Pukwudgies are said to possess backs full of poisonous, porcupine-like spines that they can launch like arrows at will, possess pyrokinesis and orchestrate the deaths of people just for fun. The closest we have to Pukwudgies making any mainstream appearance so far is when they appeared in Disney’s Malificent but we need more, these guys feel more like classic Creepypasta monsters than Tolkien-tier fantasy characters, and you better believe I mean that as a compliment!
Bahamut
Chances are you probably recognize the name “Bahamut” while having no idea what the ding dong diddly heck the Bahamut actually is, which is the perfect summarization of this monster’s place in pop culture unfortunately. The divine, fish-like dragon from Iranian cosmology, said to be one of three beasts that holds up the Earth on it’s back much like Atlas of Greek mythology, has appeared many times in pop culture, most notably in the Final Fantasy series as a reoccurring boss and is typically seen as a generic dragon which adds to the beasts questionable status as a classic in the world of monsterdom. I feel like if the Bahamut was consistently portrayed with a design that helps it stand out from typical draconic entities, it could be more immediately recognizable maybe by giving it fish-like qualities like it’s traditionally portrayed as like our friend Bahamut Shark from Yu-Gi-Oh! here.
Musical Monsters
Monsters and horror villains based around music is such a tried and true concept that it dates back to the golden age of horror alongside the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein with Universal’s rendition of Phantom of the Opera, hell even further back than that with creatures of folklore such as Sirens, who’s beautiful yet haunting singing is said to lead people to their doom. This subcategory of monster can take a wide range of forms, whether they be primordial embodiments of music and sound to a ghost or monster of some kind who uses music as a terrifying weapon, giving this form of monster a lot of potential by default. I might just make this into an actual page if someone doesn’t beat me to the punch ;)
Cults/Covens
Much like with Witches, Mad Scientists and Executioners, cults, covens and other spooky gatherings of seemingly normal human beings have become an entire trope of “Human Monster”, humans or what were humans that have become their own category of monster, sometimes even transformed so in the case of undead or otherwise supernatural twists on these archetypes. The subject of cults are already equally eerie as they are fascinating but they became much more terrifying and dangerous when the eldritch being or cosmic horror they worship turns out to be real. It’s also common for cults in the horror genre to be treated as a hive mind of sorts, united by their deity or cause mentally and spiritually. We already have Archetype:Cult Leader and Archetype:Devil Worshipper pages so a catch-all, Archetype:Cultist page is fairly within bounds.
Monstrous Mascots
Thanks to the advent of Mascot Horror, turning a beloved mascot of a brand or company into a scary, malicious force is such a common form of monster at this point that it definitely classifies as a classic form of creature but I want to spotlight this trope for people who just haven’t noticed yet, from the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to the cast of malevolent fast food mascots from Happy’s Humble Burger Farm, hell, one of the most iconic slasher villains of all time, Chucky could fit in this category, being a supernaturally possessed pastiche of toy franchises like Cabbage Patch Kids and My Buddy. I would love to see more of this concept become more plentiful in the future outside of the mascot horror sub-genre of indie horror games, maybe a horror movie or manga series about a race of outer dimensional beings that disguise themselves as fast food mascots to lure in their human prey.
