A world of Gods and Monsters

[AlwaysWitty]

I wasn't sure where else to put this, so forgive me if this is the wrong place.

Okay, so I had this dream that Dynamite Comics made an announcement that they were going to do comics based on the classic Universal Monsters, and place them all in an integrated world. Now, I'd love to talk more about this idea, but I was thinking about it, and led me to another idea: at some point, writers would have to create new characters, and new monsters. How would they do it? And then, that led me to this idea: why don't we all see what we can muster?

That's right, I'm challenging you guys to create your own classic Universal-styled monster. I suppose a source of literature could be used, such as one that hasn't been adapted to film yet, or would work well with the UM theme, but still, some creativity never hurt. Here are some things to think about:

Name
Backstory
Appearance
Film Title
Abilities
Inspiration

Feel free to get into as much detail as you want, even beyond those things above. Those of you who are artists, take a crack at it. Let out your inner Frankenstein. Make a monster.

[AlwaysWitty]

Alright. Since no one here seems to have any ideas, here's mine:

Name: The Fiend

Backstory: In a small, quiet little village, a beautiful, yet unfaithful woman was found dead inside the hollowed trunk of an enormous tree. The people of the village, including her husband, believe her lover to be the murderer. However, one night, after a long and violent pursuit, the people suspect that the man fell to his death over a waterfall. A year later, people begin to disappear, and each night, a figure is seen dragging their bodies to the tree up on the hill. According to the whispers of an old witch doctor, the Fiend rose from his grave, and is trying to bring his lover back, by feeding the bodies of his victims to the tree that serves as her tomb, burying them there so that the roots may feed on them.

Appearance: He has a tall, pilgrim-like hat, and a black cloak. The right side of his face is seemingly disfigured by black magic, and his right eye casts an eerie green glow. His right hand is like a skeleton's hand, which glows like his eye. I have no art skills, but I'm considering using some program to give a general idea of what I'm thinking of. Perhaps "Hero Machine 3"...hmm...

Film Title: "THE FIEND ON THE HILL" followed by "THE FIEND RETURNS" and "HOUSE OF THE FIEND", things like that.

Abilities: He is very strong, and very agile, like Mr. Hyde, but he is also cunning. He speaks with a cold, icy tone, and is very intelligent. His stare can induce a trance, and the touch of his right hand drains his victims of their soul, leaving their bodies lifeless; dead.

Inspiration: I was mostly inspired by "White Zombie", the stories of "Solomon Kane", as well as "Phantom of the Opera" and "Faust". The biggest inspiration was an old story my Grandmother told me about a tree that came to life. My Grandma kicks ass. As for an actor, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price are the two I most thought of when envisioning this character.

[The Creeper]

That sounds pretty cool.  Why did he kill his lover, is he going to bring her back to life to kill her again?  I haven't thought of anything yet but will think about it.  Never really thought about creating a new Universal Monster movie.  This thread is a cool idea!

[Unknown Primate]

This is cool.  I'll have to see what I can whip up.

[Wicked Lester]

I have a character called Lord Pumpkin. I came up with him at least 10 years ago. I know there was a short indie comic with the same name but IMO mine is better. I have a basic storyline.
A tattoo that I got of him.



And an action figure I made.



I'll post more info when I get a chance.

[Grape]

That sounds pretty cool.  Why did he kill his lover, is he going to bring her back to life to kill her again?  I haven't thought of anything yet but will think about it.  Never really thought about creating a new Universal Monster movie.  This thread is a cool idea!

Are we sure the Fiend really killed her? Sounds to me like the mob of villagers jumped to conclusions (as Universal villagers so often do). Sure, he was having a relationship with a married woman, and make no mistake about it that ain't right, but that don't automatically make him a killer as well, except perhaps in the minds of the simple minded villagers. We really don't know who's responsible for her death. And I think that that's GREAT STORYTELLING! Keep the viewers/readers/listeners GUESSING! For cat's sake, DON'T TELL US WHETHER OR NOT HE KILLED HER, Big Bad Wolf! Keep us guessing!

(Incidentally, I was gonna address you as "BBW" but I decided against that)

~Grape

[AlwaysWitty]

Are we sure the Fiend really killed her? Sounds to me like the mob of villagers jumped to conclusions (as Universal villagers so often do). Sure, he was having a relationship with a married woman, and make no mistake about it that ain't right, but that don't automatically make him a killer as well, except perhaps in the minds of the simple minded villagers. We really don't know who's responsible for her death. And I think that that's GREAT STORYTELLING! Keep the viewers/readers/listeners GUESSING! For cat's sake, DON'T TELL US WHETHER OR NOT HE KILLED HER, Big Bad Wolf! Keep us guessing!

(Incidentally, I was gonna address you as "BBW" but I decided against that)

~Grape

That's exactly what I was thinking about. In addition to being a good ol' Universal Monster movie, there's a mystery in there. Was she really killed by the Fiend? Is her true killer still at large? And why is the Fiend trying to bring her back? And of course, will the Fiend succeed in resurrecting her? A lot of thought went into this guy. As for what he is (or is he?) as a monster, I'd say something like a Lich, or a Necromancer. I just figured, a lot of the Classic Monsters are divided into two categories. There's your visually monstrous type, who is usually very energetic and lively, and has some sort of facial disfiguration. Then there's the monster who may not look monstrous on the outside, but on the inside, his mind is as evil as his soul, but he's generally rather calm and collective. I thought, how come no one's ever really tried to make a monster who was a bit of both? The Fiend, well, I could see him being rather suave and eerily charismatic one moment, and then a raging lunatic the next.

[AlwaysWitty]

I have a character called Lord Pumpkin. I came up with him at least 10 years ago. I know there was a short indie comic with the same name but IMO mine is better. I have a basic storyline.
A tattoo that I got of him.



And an action figure I made.



I'll post more info when I get a chance.

That seems like a nifty idea. He reminds me of the "vampire pumpkin" myth from Eastern Europe, in a good way. I can't wait to hear the story on this guy. 

[AlwaysWitty]

Well, I found a program I could work with. It's called Hero Machine. I used the 3.0 version, which I guess isn't completely finished, going by the blog at heromachine.com. Keep in mind, I'm not exactly a pro at this. I think. Anyway, you'll get the idea. Here's The Fiend! Well, as close as I could get to how I see him in my head, anyway.





The thing around his neck is, according to the superstitious folk of the village, a demon horn. As long as it's around his neck, he cannot be killed.

[The Creeper]

Pretty neat!

[AlwaysWitty]

If I should find a better program out there, or learn how to use this one better, I'll probably revise it. Now come on, guys. I know I'm not the only one here who's creative enough to come up with their own movie monsters.