User blog comment:Parlour/Some Thoughts On Monsters/@comment-26399604-20180508011321

I do agree that with a monster there is more "breathing room" to construct something without a preconceived image versus your typical demon or ghost. However, I will admit that I personally believe monsters that have a loose resemblance to something we already know (Ex: a dog) with a twisted aspect on it is what can make something fascinatingly horrifying.

People know what dogs look and act like for the most part; however, the moment you change something on it -- add two heads, an extended jaw, or whatever -- that's when our reality is shattered and our primal fear is tapped into after being mixed into that sauce of the unknown. What we know is no longer adhering to its "bounded laws of nature" as we recognize and as a result, we fear it just from appearance alone -- what follows in its actions is a completely different conversation.

This is why I love the horror genre so much though. It's subjective to the person. People might agree on some things they find terrifying but it might not apply to everyone. Case and point here: you see monsters that are left more open-ended in their appearance as frightening while I think ones based on a twisted version of what exist in this world are instead. Neither of us are wrong or completely right.