Every Halloween, it’s interesting to see what pieces of pop culture from the year have inspired new trends. For instance, in the past few years, there have been costumes fromSquid Game,Marvel, and evenTiger King. However, several classic monsters’ images continue to be used in outfits, decorations, and of course, media.
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From theearly days of scary moviesto modern horror films and TV, these Halloween creatures have often been adapted on-screen. Whether it’s as main characters, villains, or mindless mobs, the number keeps growing. Of course, they aren’t always well done, and some iterations are better than others.
Skeletons: Jack, The Pumpkin King!
What Santa Claus is to Christmas, Jack Skellington is to Halloween. InThe Nightmare Before Christmas, the realm of Halloween Town celebrates the holiday every year under the leadership of Jack. Yet, when he becomes tired of Halloween, he tries to take it in a more festive direction.
There seems to be a surprisingly small amount of good, interesting skeleton characters in cinema. Even if there was a surplus, there’s no doubt that Jack Skellington would be at the top. For proof, look no further than the classic Halloween song, “Spooky Scary Skeletons.” The lyrics describe skeletons as terrifying and friendly, misunderstood and detached, all of which are personified by the Pumpkin King.
Creepy Clowns: Pennywise The Dancing Clown
In the town of Derry, Maine, there lives an ancient, supernatural creature who rises every twenty-seven years or so to feast on people’s fears. It possesses several abilities, such as mind control, creating illusions, and shape-shifting. Preferring to target children as their fears are easier to manipulate, it often takes the form of a clown named Pennywise.
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When it comes to seeing clowns as horrific figures, there aren’t many others that match the Dancing Clown fromIt. While most creepy clowns in cinema lean heavily on the scary side, Pennywise’s horror is perfectly blended with its comedy. This creates an eerie, false sense of ease that mirrors what it’s like to be afraid of clowns.
Grim Reapers: Oh, Death
Being the oldest and most powerful ofSupernatural’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death is usually sealed in his coffin until he is needed for some great calamity. However, after being released and summoned by a certain fallen angel, he becomes free to roam the world as he pleases.
Death is no stranger inSupernatural; in fact, he is played byJulian Richings, who portrays the character as an old, elegant, and terrifying force of nature. As opposed to other more horrific versions of Death like inFinal Destination, or the more kind one like inAmerican Horror Story: Asylum,this Death takes on a neutral and unbiased approach, as the only thing he serves is the natural order of things.
Ghosts: Woe Is Me!
In life, he was Ebenezer Scrooge’s business partner, Jacob Marley. The two of them were very successful but cared little for anyone else, especially the less fortunate. As a result, since his death, Marley’s spirit is forced to wander the Earth and carry the chains forged by his greed and indifference.
Jacob Marley fromA Christmas Carolmay not be thescariest ghost you can think of, but he certainly is an apt pick. He truly epitomizes the concept of a miserable, restless spirit who regrets his life choices and longs to save his friend from the same fate.
Werewolves: “Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?”
Professor R.J. Lupin (David Thewlis) joins the Hogwarts teaching staff inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. While he quickly becomes one of Harry’s favorite teachers, there’s no denying that he harbors a secret. Then, all is revealed under the light of a full moonas Lupin shows how dangerous he is.
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On the one hand, werewolves tend to represent the struggle of humans against their more animalistic natures. Additionally, as in the movieWerewolves Within, they can illustrate the dangers of turning on each other in the face of fear. As Professor Lupin struggles with his condition and the discrimination of others, he symbolizes both of these issues brilliantly.
Mummies: Imhotep! Imhotep!
When he was alive, Imhotep (Boris Karloff) was a high priest who sought to resurrect the woman he loved. As punishment, he is condemned by the Pharaoh to be mummified and buried, all while still alive. Being cursed with undeath, he is later awoken by a group of archeologists and is intent on finishing what he started.
As a concept, mummies tend to be an allegory for the dangers of disrupting things beyond our comprehension. Often this comes in the form of an anti-colonialist message and focuses on the hubris of careless academics. However, inThe Mummy, Imhotep also characterizes this theme as he is punished for trying to undo the natural course of death.
Witches: VVhich VVitch Is VVhich?
In the early 17th century, a New England family is forced to leave their settlement by the church leaders and set up a new home on the edge of, unbeknownst to them, a witch’s forest. While misfortune continues to follow them, the Witch causes the family to crumble as they turn on each other.
Despite being the main antagonist ofThe Witch, the Witch herself has very little screen time. This is what’s great about her depiction, though, as you still feel her presence and influence throughout the movie. Beyond that, the story showcases the consequences of a community relying on the judgments of the self-righteous, much like the historical witch trials.
Zombies: What Is Humanity?
As a result of a deadly virus, swarms of undead start to spread throughout Seoul, South Korea. As the outbreak begins, the train passengers bound for Busan must try to survive the zombies and each other until they reach their destination.
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Zombies have been used to get various themes across in cinema. For example, they provide an analogy for how people can turn on each other in a crisis, especially concerning a virus. They also are frequent metaphors for a loss of humanity and the destructive mob mentality. Despite the use ofcommon zombie tropes, no piece of media portrays each of these themes quite as well asTrain to Busan, which manages to be both terrifying and ultimately tragic.
Frankenstein’s Monsters: It’s alive! But, Why?
Created from the dismembered parts of various corpses and given life via electricity, the Creature is immediately abandoned by its creator, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. As it is cursed with new-found sentience and no answers, the Creature seeks revenge against the only man he can call father.
Rather than depict the Creature as silent and childlike like in the originalFrankenstein, the version of the Creature inMary Shelley’s Frankensteinis more faithful to the novel.Robert De Niro’s performance andKenneth Branagh’s direction perfectly express the Creature’s struggle as it searches for the answer to its existence and why humanity will not accept it.
Count Dracula: Centuries Of Bloodlust
After living for hundreds of years, the vampire, Count Dracula, brings a lawyer named Jonathan Harker to his castle. Dracula does this to settle his affairs and relocate to a new piece of land in London. Secretly though, the Count has much more devilish plans in mind.
Count Dracula has been portrayed so many times and in so many ways.Christopher Lee’s performancefocuses on the more bloody side, and of course, the originalBela Lugosidepiction created how we see the blood-sucker today. Although when it comes to the best version,Claes BangofDraculacombinesall the beloved Dracula performancesbefore him. Not only that, but he amplifies the character, making him more suave, monstrous, and real than any other.
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