monster lovers unite

Who likes monsters?

The short answer is: everyone. From the first humans scribbling on the walls of caves right up to us internet-addicted nerds dressing up at conventions, our species has been obsessed with the idea of monsters. 

Merriam Webster has this (simplified) definition for monster: an animal of strange or terrifying shape; abnormal form or structure; one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character; a threatening force; one that is highly successful.

We have been impressed for nearly as long as we’ve been terrified.

A still from Nosferatu, featuring the vampire crouched over a passed-out lady victim
Max Schreck as Count Orlok, the first vampire to have his own movie (Nosferatu, 1922).

Why make a website about them?

Even when Nosferatu was being shown in the first theaters, an entire publication about monsters would have had plenty to talk about. With the supernatural leaping off the pages of the pulp fiction racks, horror stories in the form of comics, as well as long-form fiction and campfire stories passed around as intimately as if they were a contagion, there has been a chance for bonding over shivers for well over a hundred years.

We noticed some of the more popular forums to gush about monsters we love are too focused on things that go ick in the night (human serial killers, snore) or simply disappeared when a mod had a bad day (the Teratophile Discord disappeared overnight). We wanted one that we could count on, one that would lean into what we find fun about monsters and that wasn’t about to go changing on us.

Lon Chaney Jr. portraying the titular wolf in The Wolf Man (1941).

What can I expect on this site?

A celebration of monster-flavored pop culture! From monsters as old in legend as vampires and ghosts to ones so new they were invented (or discovered, perhaps) in the 1990s or 2000s, like the chupacabra and Fresno Nightcrawler.

Reviews, quizzes, fantasy football-style monster match write-ups… in short, you can expect fun.

Godzilla using severely bad breath to level Tokyo
Godzilla after some idiot military testing woke him up before his alarm went off (1954).

Okay, but does monster lover mean… you know?

This is not an all ages site, because for one thing we’re looking to have more intellectual discourse than what you’d share with someone who’s wearing Bluey-branded shoes, but neither is the site a repository for anything you’ll get in trouble for reading at work. We’re certainly not about to discourage anyone from crushing on sea monsters or shapeshifters, but we’re also not about to release a celebrity sex tape from the cast of True Blood.

…We might review it, though. That’s definitely on the table, as long as they were in costume, haha!

a woman in a swimsuit freaking out while a rubbery fish man reaches out like he's going to muss up her hair
A lady who doesn’t know a good thing when she sees it, you know? That is one absolutely shredded Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954).

Who is writing all this?

Meet the staff!

Do you accept submissions?

Not yet. If the site grows, so does our budget. At the moment, we’re at capacity, but we’re looking forward to the day when we can solicit from writers we admire and random monster-loving wackazoids who impress us with their creativity.

Can I at least suggest topics?

You sure can. Email community @ the name of this website with stuff you’d like to see the staff writers discuss, review, or poke fun at. Yes, we could put a little form here, but fewer people will write “werewolf in a swimsuit lol” if you have to work for it.