How To Create Monsters That Are Actually Scary (Fiction Writing Advice)

Learn how to write scary and memorable monsters for horror stories.
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[@David_Fellner]

Regarding "You have to scare the characters before you scare the audience," this is why I think "Shelob's Lair" from _The Lord of the Rings_ is such an effective horror scene. Frodo and Sam go into this tunnel together because they've been told it's the only way to advance their current goals. It's pitch black in the tunnel, so they hold onto each other's arms to avoid becoming separated. They proceed by groping their way along the tunnel walls, but after a while, the "darkness" starts to suppress their other senses besides vision. Their hearing becomes muffled to the point where they have to shout to hear each other, despite being only an arm's length apart. If I remember right, even their sense of touch becomes numbed so they can barely even feel the walls on their hands or the ground on their feet. Nothing actively dangerous is taking place, but if you are following along and viewing things through the characters' perspectives, this sensory deprivation is deeply disturbing. The fact that they know they are in a dangerous place that is hostile to their very presence, and have no ability to defend themselves, makes it a truly unsettling scene before the "real" monster even appears. Conveniently, finding a source of light is exactly what reveals the monster and ups the pace of the action.

[@4shotpastas]

Had a story I wrote based on a nightmare I had. No one would look me in the eyes, and it was unnerving. So I made sure that in the story, that was the main thing. I avoided bringing too much attention to it, but it was mentioned when the character was talking to people. And apparently it creeped some people out. So even something simple can be made unsettling, creepy, or even scary if done well. I'm sure a better writer than me could've made the story more unsettling, but I mean, proof of concept to some extent.

[@cheekguardian1378]

Tell me the name please

[@4shotpastas]

@@cheekguardian1378 No One Will Look me in the Eyes. I ended up doing a sequel that fell more into cosmic territory "Within Reality." Iirc the narration of it on youtube is called "A cohesive guide to leaving reality."

[@DwayneF]

The Xenomorph is a classic "gives me the creeps" monster. I also appreciate Pennywise for the "it's whatever you fear most" aspect. Monsters/villains that read your mind work best for me in horror. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is just a pod that grows into a human shape. But they could be anyone. Once we know this, it adds tension to the scenes. Especially if the characters don't fully know the secret yet.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yep, "It could be anybody" monsters are terrifying and make me paranoid. The Thing (1982) is my favorite horror movie for that reason.

[@Chaosthehedgehog790]

Same bro

[@annihilation_88]

@@CalebBermanI ain’t reading all that

[@johndoe-sx5pv]

This example may not be from the books themselves, but Metro 2033, Metro Last Light and Metro Exodus all feature these super creepy black shadow silhouettes of humans from the past who are now ghosts and if you get near or make contact with them you die! Plus you can hear them whispering amongst one another which only adds to the overall eerie feeling of an already hostile world full of radiation mutated creatures and a surface that's un-breathable without gas masks and filters. Metro (books and games) have a very interesting take on the nuclear apocalypse blending with horror. Who knew the two fit hand in hand so well?

[@Lilas.Duveteux]

I think with monsters, sometimes conceptual horror can feel scary. Like, zombies are done to death, but the idea of a loved one used as a weapon against you, the idea of complete loss of agency is terrifying. Another aspect is the uncanny valley and the fake wholesomeness to be bone chilling.

[@claudiamanta1943]

Could not agree more. There is a movie in which the protagonist is brought back to life in order to be experimented on.

[@CLAYMORESTUDIO572]

THE THING from THE THING, formless but bound to flesh is my favorite

[@shrinkingviolet1953]

It’s a miniseries and not a movie, but the Beast from Over the Garden Wall is terrifying to me. If I was in the woods at night I’d be checking over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t there.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haven't seen it. I'll have to add it to my list

[@mithogui]

one of the best mini series there is, hands down. And what a soundtrack.

[@Furball39]

Otgw is the absolute best!

[@BodyTrust]

Alien, Erin from The Exorcist, and all the old monsters from the 1930s and 1950s. Yep, scared the crap out of me, even knowing that I was just watching fictional events.

[@JayDay04]

I'm trying to write a book about a village where people turn into carnivorous monsters at a specific day of the year. It follows an orphan girl who starts living there with three more people. So my plan is not letting the character, and audience, know that the villagers turn into monsters until that day, so I think that if I just leave some signals that the protagonist slowly discovers, it can add mystery like you said. Like finding rusty shackles in one of the rooms, scratch marks and red stains in the walls, people from the village without some of their limbs, things like that.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Sounds like a good plan! Best of luck with your book!

[@GreekMarble133]

That's a good plot. Hope it would be successful😊

[@tornadobrick6217]

I see your Junji Ito books. Absolutely incredible horror!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Love Junji. I've read almost all of his books published in the US. Uzumaki and No Longer Human are my faves

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

It is a horror story based on spirals that is a classic. And is not the only time he does that.

[@connorcoltrane1777]

Probably my favorite monster from a movie is The Thing. The effects for it are beautiful and awesome and visceral, but what really makes it scary isn't the violence or body horror, but the paranoia it evokes. Anyone could be the thing, and the way that this creature insidiously plants seeds of doubt in the characters and the audience is far more horrifying than the monstrous transformations.

[@patricksleep9787]

Favorite monster from a movie was really a hard choice for me but I’ll go towards the pale man from pans labyrinth. My mom would always use the scare tactic of me not going to bed early by telling me about the boogie man. So to me the pale man simply represents that childhood trams of mine as it was portrayed like it in the films with the paintings of him eating children is just disturbing and horrific.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yeah, while I don't consider Pan's Labyrinth a horror movie, it DEFINITELY has some terrifying moments (and creatures)

[@kimlarson3969]

Oh I forgot Pan's Labyrinth! I watched it as a kid so the plot went over my head, but that monster gave me nightmares for years!

[@karoshi2]

Btw: scaring kids to do what you want can easily be traumatising. So from a parent to other parents: don't. I get the urge to find some point convincing them, but don't. Use. That. One.

[@dominicbutters766]

Werewolves are among my favourite fictional creatures, mainly because it's a normal human that is afflicted with a feral curse and transforms into a ferocious, bloodhungry beast, usually under a full moon. But my favourite werewolf, as well as my favourite movie monster, is the Kessler Wolf from An American Werewolf in London. Everything about it just screams "YES" to me. The permanent angry expression, the oversized canines, the blazing, soul-piercing golden eyes, the subtle human features, and most of all, the absolutely horrifying howls and snarls it makes.

[@GreekMarble133]

One of my most well known monster in my childhood was the werewolf.

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

Plus, that he keeps seeing the previous victims of himself, and the werewolve that infected him was something never done in a werewolf story added a lot to the movie.

[@Iso20227]

My favorite monster from fantasy is Liam Vicker’s Absolute Solver from Murder Drones. It’s mysterious, powerful, cosmic, motivated, and it’s very cool to see what it’s capable of doing.

[@KutWrite]

My favorite movie monsters are from my childhood. My dad took me to see "Thief of Bagdad" when I was about six. I remember the chills I got when the little thief, played by Sabu, was walking through the Castle of the Goddess of the All-Seeing Eye. All kinds of shadowy creatures skulked about. Eventually, the thief had to fight a giant spider, while below waited what I know recognize as an octopus in a pool. Back then, I just knew it was dark and scary. I love that movie, and get chills at that scene to this day.

[@neoselket562]

The reavers from firefly are terrifying. The fact that they have no fear or sense of self-preservation and if they catch you, you're in for a slow and excruciating death makes them probably the best monsters I've ever seen in fiction. Some people think that finally showing them on camera in serenity made them less scary, but for me it just showed their brutality and how inhuman they were, which actually made them scarier. Honorable mention goes to steel inquisitors from mistborn. They're powerful and sadistic, and while they don't show up often, when they do, they're practically unstoppable.

[@fnubbl7792]

I have created several monsters for a story I'm currently working on and want to share some of them for recieving more advice: 1. The shadow eater: It's a humanoid monster that looks like an insect mixed with a human. Although it only has four limbs, they are really thin and have exoskeletons. It's arms are built like these of a praying mantis, while it's feet have claws and look more human. It's head compares to that of a fly by shape and color. It has huge insect eyes that have a corrupted, purple tone, while the rest of the face and most of the other body parts of the shadow eater have a rotten, black tone. Just like a fly, the shadow eater has a trunk, which also has an exoskeleton and makes up a lot of it's facial features. The body of the creature lookes crooked, with spikes towering from the creature's back and neck. The shadow eater doesn't actually use it's trunk to eat. For that, it uses an almost hidden mouth under it's trunk, where it's only visible features are two bigger teeth on both sides next to the trunk, from most perspectives. The shadow eater uses it's trunk for reproduction. At the end of it's trunk, there is a small, jawlike structure with small, sharp teeth facing to the outside, it's function being ripping their prey open in a small area for several, extremely thin and flexible tounges to enter their body. Those tounges, when looked at under a microscope, have holes at the end of it and possess over a suction mechanic. Inside the tounges, there are a lot of enzymes used to pulverise and classify the collected materials to dna and waste. The dna of the prey is stored in a baglike bodystructure, while the waste is mixed with the creatures feces. At it's hive, they bring the collected dna to their queen, which she then uses to recreate more shadow eaters, explaining why they mainly look humanoid. 2. The shadow queen: This creature's appearance is easy to describe: it's a giant pile of black, rotten flesh with several mouths, holes, tentacles and spikes spread over it. The shadow queen is the core of the shadow infection and is the one responsible for the reproduction of the shadow eaters, being the other half of their dna. She creates puddles of mucus inside and near their hive for new shadow eaters to develop inside. These puddles are up to three meters deep and act like quicksand when interacted with. The mucus is relatively transparent, allowing you to see shadow eaters grow inside it. The queen herself is fairly tough, but has it difficuilt to defend herself. For that purpose, she has the shadow guardians. 3. The shadow guardians: They are stronger and larger versions of the traditional shadow eaters. They have giant insect wings, allowing them to fly, and actually have no trunk, but a giant mouth replacing both the trunk and the feasting hole. Istead of praying mantis-ish spikes, they have hands with three long, solid fingers to defend themselves better. While they can't fight for reproduction as well, it still can do a similar dna collection process. By turning it's throat inside out, it creates a hanging, fleshy trunk to fulfill the same purpose. However, the dna is just stored in their stomach insted of it's own organ, which makes seperating more difficuilt to archieve. These were three creatures, all sharing an obvious connection to one another. I have more monsters having to do with the shadow infection, however, they don't spread it like the shadow creatures, but morely are victims of it. I'm too lazy to list them, although I like their ideas too. One of them also really concentrates on the misterious aspect in the video. But what do you think about my ideas?

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Awesome stuff, and you’ve thought things out pretty well. Best of luck with your story!

[@fnubbl7792]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Thank you!

[@ProjectCreativityGuy96]

Candyman is such a cool and unique villain!!!

[@SpiritWarubou]

Your comment on taking 'stupid' fears had me expanding into the concept of making comforts into fears, as well. Taking things that would normally comfort both characters and readers and turning it into something terrifying. I think Stephen King does this really well with pet cemetery and Cujo( I personally loved that type of dog up until that movie😅) the idea of things we would normally protect or be protected by becoming hostile towards us feels like an extra emotional gut punch to me.

[@johnbearjunkyard]

This isn't my favorite monster, but it's a "stupid fear" monster. In The Grudge, one of the characters runs and jumps in her bed and covers up with a blanket and immediately gets attacked by the ghost under her blanket. Everyone in the theater laughed when she jumped in bed but then immediately getting attacked was such a mood shift whiplash.

[@moonie9000]

Pennywise is my favourite monster, but only from the books, because only the books delve into the cosmic horror aspect of him, and that's where he's truly scary.

[@aydenjosepheturralde6188]

Davy Jones is my favorite monster. Someone so wretched that even the fearless Captain Jack Sparrow avoids the sea to escape him. The whole first half of Dead Man’s Chest we hear about this diabolical character, and his reveal is brutal, just like the expectations born from the hints from earlier in the movie.

[@aydenjosepheturralde6188]

I have a team of five “monsters,” who are just people with genetically modified abilities working under the main antagonist as assassins. Each of them has a different style and specialty, their team name often referred to as The Macabre. The Puppeteer is usually the member in a leadership position, often very meticulous in his planning. He does heavy psychological damage, possessing the ability to manipulate people’s minds. He can’t completely take them over, but he can implant emotions and desires into heroes, and influence them to do things. He has eerie qualities like wearing a plain mask with no eye holes (he is blind), which gives him a faceless and enigmatic look, and he moves in an uncanny way, with unsettling fluidity, almost inhuman. He also is obsessed with control, becoming enraged when something doesn’t go according to his meticulous planning, making him unstable. The second member is The Chameleon. This character is centered around the unnerving idea of not being able to see something highly elusive. He can hide in plain sight, and is extremely agile, making his capture seemingly hopeless. His appearance is the least human of the team, his skin scaly and reptilian, and his fingers and toes shaped like those of a chameleon. He enjoys purposely making the protagonist uncomfortable, revealing to her that she has interacted with him at least 12 times while he was disguised as someone else, and that he’s been in the same room as her while having been undetectable. This disturbs the protagonist, now never knowing if she’s alone. The next member is called Mars. His appearance is themed off of a Roman soldier only he is massive and burly. His strong appearance is already intimidating, as he possesses genetically engineered strength. However, he possesses a horrid propensity for violence and bloodshed, lacking moral restraint almost entirely. The fourth member is called Bloodhound. This character is supposed to create an unsettling fear of being watched. The Bloodhound is themed off of a classic 1920s noir detective, making him seem shadowy. He has enhanced tracking abilities, able to follow his targets with even the slightest clue. He also has deadly aim, carrying twin revolvers he slings when ready to eliminate a target. He evokes an unnerving game of cat and mouse with the protagonist, causing her to become increasingly paranoid. The final member is a young woman called Lodestar. She possesses the ability to absorb electricity and turn that into controlling polarity, allowing her to manipulate magnetic things. The protagonists special abilities are electric based, and this makes Lodestar a terrifying opponent as the protagonist can’t use any special attacks on Lodestar. Each of these members are designed to disturb and break the protagonist.

[@SquareMahogany]

One of my favorites is Moder from The Ritual, pretty obvious choice I think. This thing is unnerving because it looks like a monstrous deer but with a decapitated human torso for a face. It is completely unexpected yet it works so well as a horrific figure

[@slyuq]

I had an idea for a story called Salmon Smowlands, and this video helped a lot with the monster I wanted to make for it. The video is really well done, thanks a lot!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks--best of luck with your story!

[@slyuq]

Thanks a lot!

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

Have been watching all your videos in order and at last saw this one. Needed this for my novel since my characters travels and keep finding monsters.

[@Avery_is_aesthetic]

Something I’d like to add abt the spider thing is that if u rlly want a spider monster then don’t make it a little spider that strangles ppl with its web or smth make it like this huge scary monster with fangs also great video and my favorite monster is probably the murderer from scream

[@Shadow_Builds]

So what about creature that you can only see it’s eyes specifically in the dark, but when it comes into view it creeps away almost disappearing

[@tolkiensunknowngrandchild3767]

I'd say the scariest movie monster I've encountered is probably the mutated bear from Anihilation. That thing was one of the few monsters that actually gave me nightmares, it was horrifying.

[@arious1644]

i absolutely love monster movies, more than any other form of horror. The monster from Cloverfield was so cool, the whole movie was incredibly done. Xenomorphs are also incredible, a great classic.

[@spencer7323]

Clover field just felt so incredibly raw and realistic, it was really an amazing movie

[@alxade6698]

The smiling mushroom monster from Mom and Dad save the World. The movie was so stupid, but I will never forget it because of that monster.

[@animatedangel2447]

Unrelated, that intro sent me back to 2012 for a second. Good times for youtube.

[@jorts_master69]

One of my monsters accidentally falls under the "unusual/dumb fear" lmao. He's basically a demonic looking hound that behaves more like a raccoon, just eating garbage and wanting to not be bothered by people. Sure, not shit your pants terrifying but you certainly wouldn't want him rummaging around outside your home

[@Sandstorm-TheTraveller]

Been watching a bunch of different videos lately to improve my writing for my own rpg’s story.. So I wanted to share a monster from my ideas! It can change its form, often switching and stuff- along with being made with the impression of fighting, and being greater. Some characters have some similarities to this beast, like an amalgamation (who has now softened up, and basically acts like a giant protective dog), and the “perfect version”, which it hints to. The monster first shows up resembling a character, or someone they care about. Secluded area, luring them in. Only then when everyone is close enough, it’ll strike, and attack. I’m done Rah

[@alrightlistenup8855]

Was expecting some generic tips but ended up coming across the best guide to outline my lil monster Thanks truly

[@taylortimeless]

This is brilliant advice. Thank you so much. I was worried about how I could describe the monster but I realize leaving it the character’s imagination is more of my style.

[@WeirdoProducer]

I really like the book version of Frankenstein, because of the articulate morals and character that was put into the monster and Doctor, it’s just amazing. (I also really like the Martians from War of the worlds by HG Wells) Sidenote: I’m not sure if this counts as a monster but the father of Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was a really unique character, who’s persona makes sense when contextualised with Kafkas life

[@LordBaktor]

The thing from The Thing. Not because of the body horror but because of the paranoia of not knowing if your best friend is about to assimilate you.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yep, amazing monster and amazing movie

[@Elythia]

I completely agree, it’s also my favorite monster, because of the paranoia. However I think especially the paranoia works much better in the book by Alan Dean Foster based on the movie. And I also prefer the ending of the book over the ending of the movie. It’s one of my favorite endings of all time. :)

[@cosmicmcmoon5773]

Frankenstein's Monster as portrayed by Boris Karloff. Not because I find him scary but because I sympathize with him. And he still has (to me anyway) prbly the coolest / most iconic monster movie design

[@coreyc1685]

Although the franchise lost its way pretty quickly I think the first two paranormal activity films are terrifying and the main reason is you rarely see anything of the monster. It’s left up to your immigration to fill in the blanks.

[@henrikbaum]

I really like the monster from kane pixels backrooms video. The build-up is so well done

[@brianedwards7142]

My favourite monster isn't very big, it's only about 14 inches tall. The Zuni Warrior Doll from Trilogy of Terror 1975.

[@yashsharmaauthor]

I love the demon from Insidious! Great video! Thanks!

[@SpeakWilful]

My monster is a doll girl that does ballet, she wears a white dress, her gown is covered in blood, her hair is pure white, and she's pretty like a normal girl with distorted face and she's actually a wind up toy, so when you twist the key on her back she dances like ballerina, but she's actually a living doll, and she's not small, she's the same as the human size

[@marthawilley5512]

Another helpful video. Thanks so much.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks again for watching!

[@dakotasisk4060]

For my opinion, a good example of stupid fears is Killer Clowns from outer space. They turn people into cotton candy, they can make killer shadow puppets, etc. It's stupid scary but it works.

[@evagarcia865]

I’m writing a book with a spider demon not to scare the audience, but cuz it looks cool as hell

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yeah, sometimes fantasy stories contain monsters that are there for a WOW factor rather than a scare factor. Best of luck with the writing!

[@josephpotts8208]

I always thought that the scariest of monsters look like us but there is something slightly different or off about them. They look human but you know that they aren't.

[@c.kiousis3663]

My favourite movie monster is the one that scares itself along with those around it, it's the Fly from the Cronenberg film

[@simerostudios]

I’m not writing a book, but this is still great advice for the story and design for my game. 10/10

[@Thechaoseditz2.0]

Even though it’s a newer and really popular use of human psychology, I find the mimic from vita carnis terrifying, same with the harvester. The use of the uncanny valley in the mimic is really effective and it preys of primal fears of humanity and species anomaly report with the harevetser has one of the scariest visuals and audios I’ve ever seen

[@Yatukih_001]

I guess my favourite monster is my own creation. Not telling right now what kind of a monster this is. Thanks for your video!! Kind regards from Ásgeir in Iceland.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for watching. Stay warm up there!

[@samaelkrieg]

I am writing a story in which the main character is himself the monster. After being trapped in a snowstorm and forced to eat human flesh, he turns into a Wendeego. And the story centers around him struggling with that hunger, which he cannot control. Walking in human shape, only transforming when his hunger overtakes him. He is, naturally, terrified of this, as he is a good, kind person. Yet as a monster, he is driven by it's instincts, and loves to kill and eat people. But when he turns back to his human form, he is horrified at his own action, and terrified of it happening again. But it is tricky to write a monster, when the monster is the main character himself --albeit in a transformative state. (Not dissimilar from a Werewolf. But unlike a werewolf, he cannot know -when- he will change. And he has to find ways to sate his hunger or find a cure.) Do you have any advice on how to make the monster more terrifying to, well, yourself. When you are the monster. How can you show a man whom fears himself more than anything else? (I am sure that would be a useful lesson for people who write characters that are alcoholics or addicts in general as well, those who have lost control over themselves and is a danger to those they love, and they know it.)

[@volosguidetomonsters3440]

The "monster" in my story, a guy named Gauthe, checks most of these boxes so I'm happy. My character is terrified of losing his right hand (And then he does, and it becomes the left hand), so obviously my villain collects hands Easy

[@eleusis3456]

not technically a monster but in the taking of debra logan (spoilers) she gets possessed and becomes very violent. my favorite scene, that still haunts me many years later, is the one towards the end where she kills this young girl she lured into a cave. it’s a very quiet scene with no music and just darkness then they round the corner to see this lady with her mouth unhinged like a snake and is eating this girls whole ass head. it’s amazing and absolutely horrifying. pretty good movie over all but that scene in particular was just insane.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haven’t seen it. I’ll have to check it out

[@crustaceanking4376]

Ok so this ones a bit obscure but the fish creature from Beneath (2013). I grew up in the inland northwest so anytime I've gone swimming its been in a pool or more often, a lake. Most lakes around here are too cold to swim in, and when they are warm enough the often have a lot of algae and whatnot, very VERY murky. That fish just triggers some memory from my childhood of feeling something brush against my leg, looking down, and only seeing more silty green water lol

[@gavasiarobinssson5108]

Dont remember the name but there was a sf movie where the monsters were in shape of little kids.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I hope you remember the title. Would love to watch that one because a shapeshifter can do tons of damage while posing as a little kid

[@12yearmindmovies]

I'm writing a movie idea called "The Light And The Wendigo". The monster is of course a Wendigo (if anyone doesn't know what that is, it's an ancient cryptid myth in Canada. The "accurate" design is in my opinion is generic, but there's a different form that looks like a werewolf but replace the wolf with a stag and the head is a stag/deer skull). It takes place in the 1980's, and there is a national park near a village-like area where people have been going missing in. It's been boarded off and protected by the ranger. It's been an unpopular rumour that a dark creature is the cause for the disappearances that lurks in the national park. The main protagonists little brother goes missing in the park, and she is determined to find out what happened to him, and finds evidence that the Wendigo theory is true and realises that it has to be the cause of her brother's disappearance. Her evidence was when she walked close to the border of the national park and an imitation of a relative's voice called out to her to come into the forest. (She's almost 16 and the brother is about 10) She starts assembling a team of other teenagers with closer encounters with the Wendigo. When the park ranger hears of the expedition he gives her advice to "Don't listen to your mind, listen to your ears". It's unknown for now why he doesn't stop her from going in. The team enters the park and has wild encounters with the Wendigo, more questions emerging than answers, and finally they defeat the Wendigo in the end. I'm hoping that all the talk about what the Wendigo is before they enter the forest is what you meant in your first tip to scare the characters first before the audience, talking about the main character's encounter with the Wendigo, as well as the deadlier encounters with the other team members. Even the ranger would have a similar effect. I'd love to hear some more tips before I finish the story!

[@sashabeckett5861]

I favourite monster isn't a physical being. It's the essence of death itself, like in Final Destination franchise. That impending doom of your only and precious life can be ripped from you any moment. What really gets me is the series of potential accident scenarios to make you squeeze your butthole and whimper helplessly. Basically just desensitizing you to the prolonged cringe. And suddenly. SPLAT! Your dead. I can't wait to see the new Final Destination 6.

[@torytellstales]

One of my "monsters" for one of my novels is going to be based off of creepypasta antagonists, but I'm trying to not make the monster predictable and actually have a clear goal, since I find the problem with a lot of creepypasta monsters is that they kill for the sake of killing and usually don't have a distinct personality. They are just known for tormenting and killing people, and that's all. While some people may think that makes them scary becuz they're unpredictable, I think it makes the monster seem like it doesn't have any motivation.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Great point. If a monster kills for the sake of killing, it's usually dull. However, if they kill for the sake of reproduction, like the Xenomorph from Alien, that's where things get interesting.

[@torytellstales]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Glad you agree haha. I love your channel and you give great advice!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

@@torytellstales Thanks!

[@Thagomizer]

Wow asking me my favorite movie monster is like asking my favorite dinosaur. There are so many awesome ones to choose from. One thing I am conflicted about is whether I should chose a monster than genuinely scared me, or a charismatic monster that I liked because it was awesome, like anything Ray Harryhausen animated. What about a somewhat sympathetic monster, like King Kong, Godzilla? Or a tragic monster, like Frankenstein's creation or Brundlefly? Or a sexy monster, like Sil from Species or the Amphibian Man from The Shape of Water? Or a truly disturbing monster, like the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth or the alien entity from Annihilation? And as much as I appreciate Giger's design for the Xenomorph from Alien, this monster has been copied far too extensively. One of my least favorite monster design cliches is the obvious Xenomorph rip-off; a gooey, slimy thing with sharp teeth and an eyeless face. 5:58

[@XxDemnxX]

My favourite monster from a movie has to be slappy from goosebumps hes a very interesting character

[@TheBluenyt09]

I root for monsters with a bit of humanity. 😎👍 In movies or not, may fave monster is always Fenrir but he wasn't given justice in Thor 3. I love the puppets in the puppets masters franchise, I also like the Sugarplum princess in the Cabin in the woods, Vampires with powers in twilight, the dementors, Fluffy(The Cerberus), of HP, The centaurs, Faun and Minotaurs of Narnia, The Elves, Dwarfs and Dragons in Lord of the rings. Many to Mention. Monster as I define it today is no longer as something ferocious and deadly. 😎👍

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

The likable monster is a completely different beast (ha, see what I did there?) from the classic terrorizing force that we've come to associate with horror movies. Btw you forgot to mention the Frankenstein Monster! Great example of a monster we can sympathize with.

[@markalliksaar1605]

One of the best monsters in fiction is the Gorn in Star trek TOS. It is scary because it has a unique formula. It is very powerful BUT it has severe weaknesses (extremely slow). As a result, the fight between Kirk and the Gorn takes the form of a chess match. You know that he will defeat the Gorn (Kirk is the star of the show after all) but you don't know how. This creates real tension. A mistake a lot of writers make is making their monster TOO POWERFUL. As a result, the write themselves into a corner. You know the hero will win, ut because the monster is too powerful, you know the hero will be saved by some completely implausible deus ex machina. Result: no tension.

[@TrevorDuran3390]

I'm petrified of static shock. I won't come within 6 feet of my children at the playground.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haha that's wild. I actually LIKE getting shocked by static electricity

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hey I got your sand comment on my Bad/Good dialogue video. For whatever reason KZbin auto-deleted it. Guess they're diehard Episode 2 fans haha

[@TrevorDuran3390]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty no lol. I deleted it after I saw your clip about the sand. I didn't want to be redundant. These last 2 videos of yours have been awesome though.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

@@TrevorDuran3390 Haha my bad--KZbin randomly deletes my viewers' comments, so I thought it was on them. And thanks man! They were a pain to put together, but I'm glad they helped

[@FavoriteClown]

My favorite monster from a movie has to be the vesps from The Silene! They are spooky lol

[@Bennett-wj9vg]

I thought of a rough idea of a monster where it involves a guy who gives balloons, and something weird will always happen to you, seemingly at random. At first glance, he's just a regular silly British dude who wears a fancy suit and ties in random pastel colours. His attitude always changes depending on his target 'audience' to lure them into a false sense of security to ensure they will accept their balloons. Of course, supernatural stuff happens. Things escalate to dangerous levels. However, the monster itself only starts the spark, and it's really up to the protagonists if it becomes a flame or a hell fire. Now, if you're wondering how it can be the victims fault, it mostly because of their preferred targets. People who always overthink and/or make excuses for their own actions in life or lack thereof. Indecisive, intelligent people. The monster doesn't go out of its way to harm his targets directly, only witnessing their torment that has such an easy and simple solution that these poor people can't fathom. Not necessarily the scariest, but it I find the idea of someone paradoxically losing because of both their own earned competence and hubris follies so intriguing.

[@mikelewis495]

Xenomorph is great. The Demagorgon from Stranger Things is also epic.

[@ryanmartin1377]

I like the idea of a monster so horrible and incomprehensible that even its writer is afraid of it and can't understand it. I've thought of a few monsters while brainstorming ideas for stories and whenever there's an aspect of the monster that i can't really decide on or I'm stumped on ideas for it, sometimes I'll just write it off as "unknown", which keeps the mystery of it since even I don't fully understand the abomination I've created

[@spencer7323]

I hope you've read some Lovecraft, if not it's probably right up your alley as he's the father of cosmic horror. He's also a good lesson that yo Ivan only call something "unknown" so many times before it loses effect

[@chimchimcutie1418]

The game Until Dawn's monster named “Wendigo”

[@J.P.Robles]

My favorite horror sub genre is body horror because at first there is no monster but then one of the characters becomes the monster The monster in my first book is one that amplifies the fear in the main character by causing him to have nightmares and then appearing and disappearing My monster shape shifts into other people to find away to gaslight the main character

[@thomasciarlariello]

Trying to get past censors is tough

[@SpruceCampbell]

The Thing can never be beaten, for me.

[@Nickname1978]

i am gonna try and write a book/short story, this really helped!! any ideas for a base of the monster? as i am sruggling with this

[@Nickname1978]

also what is your book about? haven read it YET.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

For base of the monster, pick something that scares/disgusts you and build from there. My book Bad Parts is a small-town horror novel about people trading away their sick/injured body parts in order to get healthy. Thanks for your interest! Here's the Amazon link if you need it: amzn.to/3esTFYC

[@Nickname1978]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty thanks, the book seems really intersting. love the advice

[@FTFSupremacyROBLOX]

Sounds: Screeching and roaring is overdone, to make it sound unearthly, for example clicking sounds, make it relatively quiet most of the time so when it does make a loud noise it has a better impact. Relentlessness: Make your heroes never safe from it, even if it's not actively attacking make it to where it's always watching in the shadows. Unpredictability: Give it peaceful moments, when it just acts like a normal animal, lull your audience into a false sense of security before it goes savage again. Terrible ways it kills people: Mutilation is overdone, make it kill it a slow horrible way, like slowly disemboweling a victim, or even worse assimilating a victim into it's hive mind, injecting some type of virus like venom that causes people to become like it or do its bidding, doing something beyond physical such as absorbing one's soul. HUMANOID: There's a primal fear of uncanny valley, basically something that's humanoid but not quite human. Mimicking: Mimicking voices, faces in the distance, dogs barking, etc.

[@ChucklingChester73]

MY favorite 'monsters' are the alien human hyrbids from X-files. The thought that anyone could be one and could kill you at any momeny is horrifyng.

[@NormanZachary-m8x]

I want a hunted kitsune that lets me scared

[@ingrida1121]

Scariest monster is always the human kind.

[@TomWeiSweden]

Two great books come to mind: Dracula by Bram Stoker and It by Stephen King. Not sure the movie adaptations are that good though...

[@santicorrea5155]

Joe Rogan with hair

[@mistyguy9997]

Death the Wolf liked this video

[@madnessb8305]

Can I write many monsters as I want?🤔 or is it depends on what I think the most that can harm the character.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Usually a monster represents something that a character is afraid of. If one monster (or one group of monsters like a bunch of vampires) scares multiple characters it'll likely have more impact and be easier for your audience to follow. That said, if you think you have a good idea for incorporating multiple monsters into a story, go for it. Take risks. Just make sure there's some kind of logical connection between the monsters.

[@anthonycosentino463]

The blind albino mutants in The Descent. Horrifying.

[@karmic3075]

Im thinking of a creature like cthulhu who is locked away and once the protaginasts go near the locked away chambers of this sea beast they get an existintal dread kind of like a 6th sense that there is danger and they have to run and it leads up to this whole exploration team to go out and when they get a few meters below where they think this thing happen they get an alert of a researcher who finds some ancient information on the creature (this is in the future) and they would find out (this is where the story gets kinda fuzzy in my head and i dont really know what im saying) they find out that this beast cant even be killed and its only locked away in some ancient chambers underwater and after this the exploration team feels fear like none other and immideatly escape and i dont really know what to do from here but im gonna keep thinking

[@karmic3075]

basically the book would play on mostly fear of this creature until its revealed at the very end and through research of the ancient humans who came before these humans they find out bits and pieces before someone decides to do something stupid possibly i dunno its still a wip

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Awesome, you can play around with suspense until that final reveal at the end--withhold info and keep the audience guessing

[@marlipin1973]

favourite? definitely the backrooms monster

[@DefeatedMelon]

Can a monster also be human character but their actions and desires speak it for them? I want my character to be this obsessive psychopath that wants to finish the protagonist because of his envy.

[@karoshi2]

Isn't it enough to have a character's fear be triggered? When the audience has some empathy, they'll be able to see it from the character's point of view. And it'll help them practise it. Honest question - I'm still learning empathy in my early forties due to Asperger's.

[@sarahmcdonald9624]

How do a make a Jolly Rancher monster?😂 I have an irrational fear of Jolly Ranchers

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

That's where creativity comes in! Work with the sense of taste. Maybe the monster can change the flavor of the air or something

[@sarahmcdonald9624]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty it would be out of place in the book I am into right now. However, maybe a fun little short story about a candy monster that really kills people? We may be onto something here lol.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

@@sarahmcdonald9624 Write it. I once wrote a silly little flash fiction piece that eventually became the concept for my debut novel. Sometimes you can find a big idea in a low-stakes short story

[@Kindlykaiju]

The thing.

[@SanjeevKumar-hn2ml]

Monster of attack on Titans!

[@timbuktu8069]

But is it rugose, squamous and generally unnamable?

[@Met9171]

Provide me that link of cheating a tension

[@charlieseesall5468]

I love u video I do not have one

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for watching!

[@rachelodom7519]

I don't get scared of crayons.

[@connergrandwizardmanforbes5930]

The Wendigo has been fear since I was 7 years old

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Where'd you first see/hear about it? Wendigos pop up in a lot of horror-themed TV shows

[@connergrandwizardmanforbes5930]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I heard a story about it on a school trip from one of my friends.

[@erikatlas4161]

I think I said "wow" three times here. Thanks for the amazing tips!

[@Yourmommasfavorite]

Currently working on a fantasy series inspired very loosely on Japanese mythology as well as feudal Japan and Norse mythology. My goal is to make my monsters unique in the way that I want them to be very rare and psychological horrors. Some will be simple strong brutes that look scary but I want what makes a monster to be its ability first not its appearance. I want the thought of these monsters to be shock inducing, and the appearance conformational dread. I want some to have powers that can manipulate the mind, but different ones for different manipulations, and yes this is only one example, although rare, I want them unique and for none to be too much alike or of the same species, I’m thinking unnerving horror rather than big intimidating scary stuff. Bird box is a great representation of the vibe I’m going for. Any recommendations would be very appreciated because I’m a political, economical, character driven writer and I have no idea where to go in the creation of these monsters. Also, when the presence of a monster threatens a settlement I don’t want the threat of a monster to be “kill villagers” I think the direction I’m going to go is these monsters are classified as such because they were created with an express enjoyment and craving for torture. The presence of a monster in a village wouldn’t result in death outright initially, but would lead to an utter collapse of society in that area through varying tactics for the monsters enjoyment. For example (this may or may not be actually used I’m literally just creating a scenario off the top of my head) if the monster DOES outright kill someone, they wouldn’t just kill them but display them in grotesque and unnatural ways to show everyone without a doubt that there is an evil amongst them they cannot stop without experts. The realization should be one of immediate death, and hopelessness. The only chance someone has of survival is the hope that the monster hunters I’ve established partially make it to them in time, and they almost definitely won’t

[@P-Star7511]

Have you seen the movie Monster House? The idea of a house being a living, breathing monster sounded so original!

[@patricksleep9787]

I have an idea ( for a current story I’ve been trying to come up with) for a cosmic like creature that uses its tentacles to morph into the protagonists death love relatives that lures them for it to consume . So Instead of Targeting in the fears of the main Characters ( such as penny wise) I thought it’ll be a more interesting exploration where we want to make correct or be at peace with people we loved and haven’t be able to talk to them or wish we do so one more time . Such as how the protagonist Relationships towards someone who’ve had a significant meaning in their life. I think that’ll make my characters more psychologically fragile. So it’s kind of how a anglerfish lures its prey with its light.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Nice--sound like the shapeshifter from The Thing, but it portrays itself as the people you love most. Might want to watch both versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers for inspiration

[@toyhaunter8260]

I remember a film about a blob-like creature who would melt you down and could partially shapeshift into you, mimicking your voice and manners to lure in prey. It was only partial so it had to hide itself. Turned out to be someone’s pet, judging by a flashback.

[@kylemeyer8015]

The shark from Jaws. Spielberg did that film so brilliantly.

[@kennethazor]

I love your tip of making the characters feel fear first. I realize now that, even if it’s a silly phobia like laughter, what really makes me feel uneasy is watching how the stimuli affects the character, since there is an empathy link

[@kennethazor]

Subscribed for more!

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

The movie Smile. 😳