Monsters

Part of the Blogging from A to Z challenge 2012 for the letter M

I love monsters vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, big foot, loch ness monster. Anything creepy or frightening I’m so there. Why? I blame my dad for this fascination. Yes, it’s all his fault.

Dad loved the monsters too. His favorite film was Bug (1975), about roaches that ate flesh, made fire, and flew. *shivers* I’m cool with the rest but flying roaches creep me out. Anyone who has encountered Florida’s famous palmetto bugs gets that one.

We would stay up late at night with a half gallon of ice cream and two spoons propped between us and watch Elvira Mistress of the Dark and whatever horrific flick she had for us. Yes it could considered a form of child endangerment in allowing such gore filled and fright filled scenes to play over Rocky Road. Yet it was also very influential. 

I was introduced to some literary greats through these freak fests such as Edgar Allen Poe and HP Lovecraft. It wasn’t all blood bath some were classics. I remember my heart racing the first time I watched Boris Karloff come to life in The Mummy (1932).

Thanks to these monstrous marathons, I developed a fascination of paranormal and abnormal. Those factors touch a lot of my writing the mystery, the tingling down the spine, the search into the unknown.

Some of my favorites are the House on Haunted Hill, Séance, House, Wolfen, Ghost Ship, High Spirits (not really horror but a fun ghostie romp), Poltergeist and Stir of Echoes, The Gravedancers, The legend of Hell House, The Shining, The Ring, Cujo.

You know this list could go on and on I better stop there! :D

How do some of your favorite films influence you?