Thoughts about Monsters I

As a lot of my studio art revolves around this idea of monster and am I also am using old film in my more experimental films-I of course had to look at the original vampire movie-Nosferatu. After seeing what their vampire looked like, it just really made me lament the devolution of vampires and monsters in general in film. Look at the vampire in Nosferatu, then look at current pop culture vampires-they are no longer these creepy and gross but sparkly and "hot"(in some tweens and their moms eyes). I mean yes we still have the horror monster movies, but just in general, pop culture has turned monsters into celebrated creatures-no longer are they really all that dangerous or unapproachable. How it's now cool to like monsters because omg, they are just misunderstood souls and now my heart full of empathy just pours out onto these misunderstood beings as well as the rest of America. Maybe it's possible that monsters are like the new rebel/bad boy character-bad on the outside but pure and good at heart...no longer the BA guy with a leather jacket and a motorcycle or someone from the streets-now instead we have monsters to fill that role which is not at all what a monster is. I think as soon as you can understand or empathize with an unapproachable thing, it quickly begins to lose it's monster-essence so to speak, it's only under the guise of this greater idea of monster. I think a few directors can still pull off making you feel for the monster yet keeping it's monster essence, but those are far and few between.
Another thing too with monsters being popular, at least in horror films (and I am no expert in this-so here's probably a huge blanket statement I'm throwing) is that monsters are glorified which I get, it sells money and people love them monsters. Problem is, these monsters are a lot of the time flat and true monsters are anything but flat. I guess maybe what I'm getting at is that maybe once story is introduced to monster-it somehow kills a monster, either by flattening it or understanding it. I don't think monsters in the end are meant to or can be understood, maybe.

Eh, that's all I have for now, but this will probs come up again. It's an ongoing thought, still trying to wrap my mind around it. Anyways, here me wishing vampires like Nosferatu can bring the true sexy monster essence back into the conversation.

~Lauren