When it comes to movie monsters, most people think of the classic scary bloodsuckers or the flesh-ripping werewolf, maybe even the brain-hungry zombies. All of these monsters have one thing in common: they are designed to scare audiences and get the adrenaline pumping during a horror film.
Monsters can be anything from the neighbor next door to a slimy space alien, but monsters can sometimes turn out good. From the monster hiding under a child's bed to a pond-scum encrusted eco-activist, sometimes it turns out that horror movie monsters aren't so bad after all. Here are a few that defy their tropes.
Eugene – Housebound
When repeat offender Kylie is sentenced to house arrest, she is remanded to the custody of her mother and forced to stay in her home — a home that is also inhabited by a malevolent spirit. Initially, Kylie is convinced there is an intruder in the house after she is grabbed in the basement; however, she soon starts to think that there is in fact a spirit haunting her family's house.
The truth of the story is a lot stranger when it turns out that Kylie's clinical psychologist is actually a murderer and the "ghost" is a harmless, if somewhat strange, man named Eugene who lives within the walls of the house. It turns out Eugene has lived in the house since before a set of horrific murders happened and is simply extremely shy.
Edward – Edward Scissorhands
By all definitions, Edward Scissorhands, the main character in the movie of the same name, is a monster. Created in a spooky castle-like mansion cloaked in darkness high on a hill in a colorful suburban neighborhood, Edward was never finished. Living alone for years after the death of his "father" (Vincent Price), Edward is discovered and pseudo-adopted by cosmetics saleswoman Peg, finally descending from his hill and meeting the people of the suburb.
With his scissors for hands, pale appearance, and questionable wardrobe, the town is initially scared of Edward but ultimately won over by his gentle nature — especially Peg's daughter Kim. However, that all changes when a misunderstanding and a jealous boyfriend leave Edward looking like the bad guy. The true moral of the story is that the people of the town were the monsters, and Edward was just a misunderstood man who liked ice sculptures.
Scott Howard – Teen Wolf
In the 1985 puberty allegory Teen Wolf, average teen Scott Howard tires of his boring humdrum life. He plays on his school's less-than-stellar basketball team, has a crush on a girl that doesn't notice him, and has a best friend called Boof, who does notice him, but he doesn't notice her. It's all very typical teen drama fare until Scott suddenly finds himself turning into a werewolf. After an episode of wolf rage where he transforms during a game, Scott becomes the star of the school, and people are only mildly concerned that he is a werewolf.
Scott falls foul of the trappings of fame and initially ditches his friends in favor of the school's cooler kids, but after he attacks another student, he sees the error of his ways. He learns that he doesn't need the wolf to be happy.
Alec Holland – Swamp Thing
Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, the 1982 film Swamp Thing, its subsequent sequel, and the 2019 television re-imagining all focus on scientist Alec Holland, who becomes a swamp-dwelling monster after his laboratory is sabotaged by Anton Arcane. The mixture of rapid plant growth chemicals leads Alec's body to fuse with swamp matter, and from then on he is Swamp Thing.
While ecological espionage and a bad guy's quest for immortality are the main plots of the movies, the underlying message is very clear: looks can be deceiving. The Swamp Thing is a terrifying creature to behold, huge and lumbering, covered in vines and lichen. Howerver, is an incredibly gentle and nurturing soul who only wants to protect his scientific discoveries and the swamp.
Maurice – Little Monsters
Somehow combining every child's dreams and nightmares in one movie, Little Monsters tells the story of a young boy who befriends the monster under his bed. Initially, Brian is terrorized nightly by the thing living in his bedroom. The creature causes havoc in Brian's house during the night, leaving him to take the blame. Eventually, Brian captures the monster by setting booby traps throughout his bedroom and then proceeds to befriend the monster, who introduces himself as Maurice.
From there, Brian spends more and more time with Maurice and less time sleeping. Brian even ventures into the world of the monsters by following Maurice under his bed. Little does he know that by venturing into the monster world, he is slowly becoming one of them. When Brian discovers this and renounces Maurice, his younger brother is kidnaped, and he once again has to venture into the monster world to save him. Ultimately, Maurice truly cares for Brian, and helps him and his friends escape the true monster known as Boy.