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Do you know what the greatest movies of all time are? No, I’m not talking about Marvel movies (let’s have some historical perspective for cryin’ out loud). No, not Star Wars. Not even movies by Pixar. That’s right, Disney, you may own everything, but you don’t own the greatest movies of all time-- MONSTER movies! Godzilla. It. Frankenstein. Dracula. The Mummy. The Creature from the Black Lagoon! Whether they’re depicted as misunderstood good guys are just pure evil, stories about monsters have been around forever-- and we can’t seem to get enough of them. But why?
One reason is that when we see monsters-- or anything scary really-- we can experience the well-documented “fight or flight” response (also called hyperarousal). See, when we’re threatened in some way, even if it’s just vicariously, then our body releases a stream of hormones and chemicals that heighten our awareness and allow us to move more quickly, either towards a threat to neutralize it (fight), or away from a threat, in order to avoid it (flight). This state of hyperarousal results in our breath becoming a bit faster, our hair on the back of our neck standing up, and an increase in our reaction times. While a real threat is no fun, an imagined threat can be-- because you get to feel the threat even though you know that threat isn’t real. Another reason we like monsters is probably because they can invoke what is known as our sympathy response. Some scientists believe this response is driven by the brain and in particular mirror neurons: that is, neurons that purposefully provide us with a similar feeling to the one we feel sympathy for-- in other words, if we see someone sad, we feel sad. This belief says that mirror neurons have been useful in helping us continue as a species, because if we feel sympathy for others we are more likely to help them in life threatening situations, a trait that helps us all, as a species, survive. We all experience this sympathy response, but it is not as well understood as hyperarousal-- some scientists believe it is more of a learned response than a true, naturally occuring human emotion. Whatever the scientific reason, it is still a very real part of being human. Reading a sad book or watching a sad movie where, say, a monster is misunderstood, helps us to understand its plight, and gives us a greater satisfaction in experiencing the story. Another reason we like monsters? They’re so different from us, and thus unusual and interesting due to this unfamiliarity. This is particularly true for exotic legendary creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster, or Bigfoot. These fascinate us, partly, because of the mystery surrounding them-- some people think these creatures actually exist, while science has yet to find any empirical proof. It’s also fun to read about these types of monsters because, whether you believe in them or (you’re a lame weirdo and) you don’t, it’s interesting to see how the researchers-- both the true believers and the non-believers-- come to their conclusions. So why do I like monsters so much? Because, even though they aren’t real (probably...), there’s something-- relatable about them. They’re different from us, sure-- but exploring the different ways fantasy creatures can differ from us-- and, perhaps more importantly, how they are like us-- gives us a fun and interesting way of examining who we are as humans, and what makes our condition so unique-- and, sometimes, allows us to see the dark depths to which we are capable. Remember, in my film, the monster wasn’t the monster-- the man was. |
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GLOSSARY
Empirical verifiable by observation or experience, not just theory or logic.
Exotic originating from a distant place or foreign country.
Hyperarousal the “flight or fight” response that occurs in the body in response to a perceived threat.
Mirror Neurons a neuron (or a cell in the brain that carries information through electrical impulses) that fires when an animal acts and when it observes the action of another, “mirroring” the other’s behavior.
Relatable ability of someone or something to make someone else identify with them; to feel like they are dealing with the same experiences or challenges.
Sympathy Response feeling sorry for something or someone, usually triggered involuntarily through your emotions.
Vicariously experiencing something through your imagination or through another persons actions.
Exotic originating from a distant place or foreign country.
Hyperarousal the “flight or fight” response that occurs in the body in response to a perceived threat.
Mirror Neurons a neuron (or a cell in the brain that carries information through electrical impulses) that fires when an animal acts and when it observes the action of another, “mirroring” the other’s behavior.
Relatable ability of someone or something to make someone else identify with them; to feel like they are dealing with the same experiences or challenges.
Sympathy Response feeling sorry for something or someone, usually triggered involuntarily through your emotions.
Vicariously experiencing something through your imagination or through another persons actions.
