Reviews from

A Creatcha Wansta Meetcha

the evolution of monsters, and society

26 total reviews 
Comment from Carol Hillebrenner
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This is a really interesting article. I would have given you a six, but you have some proofreading errors. I think there were two more besides these; . . . distant (wailing) of wolves. . . . revelation of the (atom) bomb. . . . and (creatures) in the most . . . for (years) . . . which (has) one pondering.

 Comment Written 20-Aug-2024

Comment from Debbie D'Arcy
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What an epic piece of research, Jim, linking in those screen monsters with the evolution in society and people's changing tastes. It's always interesting to discover how massive events like the war can create a more self-confident, feel good response but also a fear, with the atom bomb, that science is becoming increasingly out of control. In short, we don't know whether to laugh or cry but always need movies to evoke the right emotion and essentially be quite cathartic. Thank you so much for sharing this excellent and illuminating post, Jim. Take care Debbie

Imagine for (a) moment...
The picture(s) took seven days to make which h(a)s one wondering...

 Comment Written 20-Aug-2024

Comment from Father Flaps
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Hi Jim,
Bottom line, we enjoy being scared to death, don't we? It's what popcorn and soda were made for!
I used to work at the Grand Bay Drive-In. It was my first job, in fact. I started working there before I finished Grade 11. And most of the time, I worked at the Box Office, taking money and giving back tickets to prove they were paying customers. (There were many people who snuck in, under the cover of darkness!) We used to have a horror night, dusk to dawn horror movies! And believe me... cars were lined up all the way back to the United Church! It was a busy evening!
I remember Abbott & Costello meeting Frankenstein and Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Invisible Man. I also remember "The Exorcist" that scared me to death. I never did see the end of the movie because I headed for home after the girl started rising out of her bed! As much as I hate vampire movies, I thought the 1994 "Interview With A Vampire", starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, was well done.
I never cared for those Japanese King Kong and Godzilla movies.
I don't think you mentioned the "Alien" movies, starring Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley. Now there's a monster! Well done!
I never cared for the Jurassic Park movies. Maybe it's because that asteroid killed those beasts many years ago. Otherwise, we'd be still living in Hell if they were around the corner.
Today, we should be afraid of germs, like Covid or Monkey Pox. Or perhaps a race of aliens out to conquer, or eat us! Or the killer of planets... a large asteroid crashing into our world, taking any survivors back to the days of the Cave Man! Dear God, help us all! We couldn't live without running water from the tap or shower, electricity, or cars and trucks! Talk about horror!
A few things to look at, Jim...

"It is dark, remember you have no electricity, and you hear the distant (wiling) of wolves." ... (wailing)

"Lon Chaney's never-over-the top performance as Larry Talbot, showed a decent man, pure of heart, can be transformed into a monster through circumstances beyond his control." ... ( I suggest,
Lon Chaney's over-the-top performance as Larry Talbot, showed how a decent man, pure of heart, can be transformed into a monster through circumstances beyond his control.)

"1954 also saw the debut of the first creatures born from lingering radiation of the (tom) Bomb, the spectacular Them, from Warner Bros., which became a template for many of the atom-born beasts to come." ... ( did you mean to write "Atomic" or "Atom"? )

"The stop-motion effects by Willis O' Brien depicted dinosaurs and (cretures) in the most effective way for (yeras) of movies to come." ... (creatures/years)

"The pictured took seven days to make, which (hs) one pondering what did they do in six of the days?" ... (has)

"Bert became a legend for his initials-BIG, and he (mde) scores of big (cretures), even ( ) giant chicken for Dobie Gillis." ... (made/creatures/a)

"Very few monsters and of the iguana variety, with a forgettable plotline and which ended before the glorious finale of the silent version." -needs revision!

Cheers,
Kimbob

 Comment Written 19-Aug-2024

Comment from Rachelle Allen
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Annnnnd now we understand why children have nightmares!! YIIIIIKES!! (Or are these the CREATIONS from their nightmares? Maybe this is a "which came first" kind of subject!)

At any rate, all I know is that I do NOT watch this genre because, as a delicate flower - not to mention 'overly imaginative' - kind of person, watching even one, regardless of how ridiculously antiquated it seems by today's standards, would still guarantee I would never sleep again...even WITH the lights on! So, no. thank. you!!!

A couple little spags to fix:

1.) It is dark, remember you have no electricity, and you hear the distant wiling of wolves

I bet you meant "WAILING" of wolves.

2.) 1954 also saw the debut of the first creatures born from lingering radiation of the tom (ATOM) Bomb, the spectacular...

3.) The pictured took seven days to make, which hs (HAS) one pondering what did they do in six of the days?

Anyway, very interesting (and comprehensive) listing of horror films of then and now! You better hope this post doesn't keep me up tonight, Mister!!! xoxox




 Comment Written 19-Aug-2024

Comment from nomi338
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

Despite some misspelled words, this was such an excellent discourse on movie history, I feel like I just read a scholarly dissertation on the history of movie making from the beginning of movie making. You obviously did some research and your presentation was not only enlightening, it was also every entertaining. Good job. I thank you for posting this.

 Comment Written 19-Aug-2024

Comment from Bill Schott
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This essay, A Creatcha Wansta Meetcha, is a wide-ranging exploration of the monster genre as we have experienced it here in the U.S. and around the world. It starts out chronologically and then after half through, jumps back to the beginning to gather films into closer genres.

 Comment Written 19-Aug-2024

Comment from Jacob1395
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I love a good monster movie, and I find it fascinating finding out about monster myths and legends, my favourite being The Loch Ness Monster. I think the Godzilla movies are some of my favourites, but the earlier versions, not the newer ones. I thought you did a great job of telling these facts in an entertaining way. I enjoyed reading it.

 Comment Written 19-Aug-2024

Comment from zanya
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Now that's an achievement to convey the evolution of monsters and society in a short write - very interesting and especially the latter comments re 'People have forgotten morals. Many have no God.' Amazing how this can be tracked via the rise and rise of Monster movie genre. 'peasant in a small home in Bavaria' comment is enlightening.

 Comment Written 19-Aug-2024

Comment from Michele Harber
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Wow! Tremendous job in researching this, and putting it together in a chronological description of the evolution of the monster genre. I'm not a tremendous fan of monster movies, but I was surprised at how many of the movies you listed I'd actually seen. I grew up watching movies like "King Kong" (and the incredibly size-changing "Mighty Joe Young"), "Godzilla," "Mothra," "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (where you could practically see the costume's zipper), and the movie that still scares me to this day, "The Blob." The joy you obviously felt in watching such movies, and writing about them, is infectious, and made your essay that much more fun to read.

 Comment Written 19-Aug-2024

Comment from Dolly'sPoems
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Thank you for giving us a little bit of history here Jim about monsters and how they were created to tease our imagination and also scare us, these programs have entertained over the years as we have a fascination for monsters, a fine post, love Dolly x x x x

 Comment Written 18-Aug-2024