10 Things: The best fictional creatures and monsters
Every year, numerous creatures and monsters are created to terrify audiences. Des Moines Zombie Walk creator Dallas J. Moore picks out 10 of the greatest and most creative beings that have scared us.
—Anthony Capps
1. The Gill Man from “Creature from The Black Lagoon”
He was so different from anything else ever seen in film. He was in the water, which made him unique and different, and there’s something about being attacked from under you that’s very scary.
2. The Wolf Man
Another classic, because of how a human can be infected by an animal and take on its shape, form and hunger for blood in the night. One of my all-time favorites.
3. Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
A man focused on causing pain and discomfort. A man so crazed, he’s really not a man at all, but broken in his mind. With the strength and anger of a man, but the mind of a child, only focused on himself.
4. Pin head from “Hellraiser”
He comes from a place where pain is pleasure. I think that dark fantasy is something a lot of people explore, privately. He lives in another dimension, place and time, but can cross into our world and cause pain to the living.
5. Zombies
The ever-classic living dead. What was once a human, only now focuses on a hunger. Mindless and walking, looking for its next meal. Creepy, and I think they force us to look at our lives.
6. It from “It”
I was never afraid of clowns, but alien clowns from outer space are scary! I just always felt that his concept for a bad guy was insane. A clown, how simple and scary. I think even today, that’s why a lot of people don’t like clowns, because of “It.”
7. The Fly from “The Fly” and “The Fly II”
I always thought The Fly was just gross. Flies lay eggs in dead things, they become maggots which have always grossed me out, and in the film, it’s this six foot tall half man half fly mix that just looks so weird and is gross. I can’t think of any other word than that. Gross.
8. The Hand EyeBall man from “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Like The Fly, I found this charactor to be very creepy and weird to look at: How it moved, the details. It had eyes, but only on its hands; its fingers were stained red with blood; and it had this small mouth full of sharp teeth.
9. The Demon who lived in the basement on “American Horror Story”
He has a name, but I can’t find it. He was creepy with his black eyes and rows of sharp gagged teeth. He always attacked low, so seeing him coming was never easy. He just had this very intense way about him, his look, his movement. It always makes me want to slide back in my chair.
10. Dr. Satan from “House of 1,000 Corpses”
I loved that movie. They made Dr. Satan look just weird, with all his equipment and medical stuff. A guy you wouldn’t want to wake up next to, working on you in the ER, etc. He freaked me out, in a great way.
Dallas J. Moore is a Des Moines resident and Ames native. He has been a fan of scary movies since he was a child, especially zombie films. In 2009, Moore started the annual Des Moines Zombie Walk. This year’s event is Thursday.