Why Monsters?
At times, I like to think of drawing monsters and writing about monsters as a bit of monster-slaying, creating diabolic beasts on paper to vanquish the demons in my past. And there are plenty of real-life monsters in my past. At other times, it's just a bit of monstrous fun.
I've always been fascinated by monsters, often times much to my mother's chagrin. She thought it was rather disturbing, my obsession with terrifying creatures, especially when I would scare myself silly. I recall being a wee lad and watching the opening of Chiller Theatre from behind the sofa. The creepy hand that would come up out of the quicksand and devour the scary-looking letters spelling out "Chiller" frightened me more than the movies themselves. And yet, I looked forward to seeing that hand, and the movies it helped introduce, every weekend. It was often the highlight of my week!
I guess I just loved the thrill of being scared by something that I knew, deep down in my heart, couldn't really hurt me. I've been more seriously frightened by the real monsters in my past, abusive drunks and dangerous psychos, than I have ever been by something on television, in the movies, or on the printed page. The fear of real monsters, ones all-too-human, is a fear I could live without. It wrinkles this troubled brow and causes grey hairs to sprout on this harried head. However, the fear of make-believe is something I don't really want to give up, and never have.
And why should I? I see nothing abnormal in that thrill, anymore than it's abnormal to be thrilled by a roller-coaster ride or a sky-diving jump. As a matter of fact, my own style of thrill-seeking may be a bit safer than many other thrill-seeking activities. Plus, we all have certain things that stir the blood, that capture the heart. For some, it's sports. For me, it's monsters (and ghosties, and ghoulies, and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night).
Why monsters? Why not?
Happy Halloween!
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