Tarrasque
More than likely, one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of a monster is something big. Godzilla, King Kong, Frankenstein’s Monster, Cloverfield, and the list keeps going. At the very least you start thinking about human-sized creatures like vampires and zombies. We tend to over look the tiny monsters that have appeared to torment humans from time to time. Heck, ‘Gremlins’ gets remembered more as a Christmas movie than a scary movie. By the way, ‘Gremlins’ and ‘Die Hard’ make a fun Christmas movie double-feature.
Maybe it’s the fear of being stepped on or the idea of something huge grabbing us and tossing us into its mouth. Either way, there’s a genuine fear of something gigantic getting to us and that’s probably why the big guys keep turning up in some form. The human-sized ones are scary because they always manage to be quick, strong for their size, or they look just like us until they strike. Not sure where the ‘Blob’ comes into this. Fear of Jello? Anyway, the smaller creatures aren’t as menacing because you feel like you can kick them away or easily fend them off. Most of us are unknowingly raised to think that we can beat something that is smaller while losing to something that’s bigger. You actually need to train yourself to reverse this or be paid enough money to not care if you get hurt. So the little monsters already have a disadvantage. At least with adults because kids still see them on equal footing or taller.
So, what does a small monster tend to have? Let me show you the one that freaked me out of my mind as a child. I stumbled onto the movie with these bastards when I was a kid and thought they were going to be like Gremlins. I was soooo wrong:
Critters
Holy crap did I have trouble sleeping after getting a look at these things. I’d rather be locked in a room with a starving Godzilla than these things. You want to know why? I remember them being fast, striking out of nowhere, and being ravenous. For some reason, a lot of small monsters eat like they have bottomless stomachs and they attacks as swarms at times. Just look at the teeth on that Critter. Also, they can hide freaking everywhere! Under the car, in a drawer, in the toilet, in a shoe box, and anywhere they can squeeze into. With all this, you rarely see a small monster get any attention in a movie or even a book. They’re just fodder in books that are easily dispatched as a nuisance before a real threat arrives. I’ll admit to doing this, but I did try to make goblins and a few other tiny threats appear from time to time.
Seriously, just look at that thing. Still gives me shivers thinking it could be lurking under the bed. So, does anybody else have a favorite or memorable small monster?
