 |
| The cast of Criminal Minds |
This month my co-bloggers will write about many different types of creatures. Most scary. And I have to say, I love me a good ghost, werewolf, vampire, bigfoot, or leprechaun story. Most of these critters are, or can be, evil. There is, however, one creature that pales in comparison to the rest. We see these creatures every day at work, school, shops, and restaurants. We see one every time we look in the mirror. As the Pogo quote goes, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
Obviously not all humans are evil. Homo sapiens are actually a pretty civilized lot. In spite of how it sometimes seems, most folks go about their business without the need to hurt, maim, or kill. Still, there are plenty of people out there who could give the worst werewolves, vampires, or soul sucking demons a run for their money. These are the two-legged creatures of true evil.
Some of these evil humans blur the line between human and mythology. For example the infamous Vlad Tepes, could possibly have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. His name Dracul or Dracula is translated by some sources as “dragon” and others as “devil” or “son of the devil”. Vlad impaled millions of people alive, and is rumored to have drunk blood. Still, even today, he is considered a hero to his country.
Today we don’t make serial killers official heroes, but there are those who worship these horrible examples of malevolence. There are collectors of serial killer memorabilia. Women want to marry them (serial killers are almost always male). Some of them, like Charles Manson, for instance, have fan clubs. The reason for this gruesome hobby may someday be explained. For now, most just think those involved are somehow mentally ill. Even those of us wouldn’t be caught dead with a lock of a serial killer’s hair, love watching movies like Silence of the Lambs, and TV shows like Criminal Minds.
What’s creepier in the dead of night? When the sound of creaking and moaning reaches for you? Are you more afraid of a vampire, werewolf, demon? Or is the real threat to our being, and our sanity, that the mythological creature might come to life, or that the neighborhood animal torturer just moved up the food chain?
Sleep well tonight, and don’t let the vampires, or whatever, bite.
Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com
2 comments:
Creepy. And scary.
I think it is more frightening when evil looks like the mild-mannered neighbor, or the quiet and maybe a little odd checker at the supermarket.
That's one of the things that is so surprising after a crime. Neighbors say, "He seemed so quiet. Kept mostly to himself. I would never have believed he could have done this."
I think vampires, werewolves and demons are our monsters of choice because their predatory nature is understandable and their condition is visible. With serial killers, most of the time, you never know when you're looking at one, and the stealth sociopath is what we fear most.
I would like to touch on a difference. When we watch shows like criminal minds, it's not to see the insane killer on a rampage. It's to see that such a creature can be stopped. We expect the heroes to win and to show us evil can be stopped. That's the entire other end of the spectrum from the Manson fan club where the perpetrator and the violence are the heroes.
Post a Comment