Top 10 Monsters who deserve more Media exposure

Well dear readers, it is October once again. Meaning that Halloween is not too far away. I love Halloween, hands down my favorite holiday of the year and one of my favorite things about Halloween  is the reappearance of all the classic monsters. Vampires, Werewolves, Mummies, all of them. But human history and legend is full of weird and wild monsters who sadly get overlooked. That's a shame and I think it's time these offbeat horrors had their time in the sun. So without further ado, the Serial Wordsmith is proud to present...

The Top 10 Monsters who need more Media Exposure

10. Homunculi

Trying to create life has long been considered the ultimate act of hubris on Man's part. Creating life is something only God is supposed to do. This idea is at the heart of Frankenstein and it's at the heart of the homunculus. Homunculi are artificial humans created by alchemists and scientists, think of them like robots made of organic material instead of machinery. I like Homunculi because they have all the horror of killer robot stories with the added organic element. Imagine the Terminator but instead of a metal skeleton it's one of those creepy Bodies statues chasing you. They just dig deep into the Uncanny Valley and scientific hubris. The reason I put them at the bottom of the list is because they've actually some exposure. Besides being the main villains of Fullmetal Alchemist (seen above), the most famous homunculus of all time is Frankenstein's Monster. But he's not a traditional homunculus because he's made of dead body parts not the usual collected body fat most homunculi are.

9. Wights

Wights are interesting in that no one is really sure what the hell a wight is. The general consensus is that they're some kind of undead creature, like a zombie or ghost. Tolkien's version haunted graveyards and were evil spirits that preyed on the living, George RR Martin's are corpses possessed by evil spirits. So basically we've got zombies that can't be killed like zombies, are smart and want your soul not your flesh. Think of an apocalypse of these guys. Glowy-eyed skeletons dressed in gauzy black cloaks who don't give a shit about headshots and want to suck out your soul. Wait, I just described Dementors. Yeah, I guess they're Dementors.

8. Shaitans

"Beings of smokeless fire", Shaitans are the servants of Iblis, the Islamic Devil. They are basically evil genies. But unlike genies, shaitans aren't trapped in lamps and bottles. They do have a limitation however. Demons in Islamic tradition have demonic powers but no free will, so they just can't do whatever they like. But shaitans have a way around this, they'll whisper into people's ears and urge them to sin, using their own powers to facilitate. Like all good demons, they let you find your own way to hell. There's a great exorcism movie with these guys just waiting to be made and it'd be cool to see genies in a different way than the usual Robin Williams/Barbara Eden look. Poltergeist meets The Exorcist meets Aladdin. Tell me you wouldn't watch that.

7. Rusalkas

The Russian vampire-mermaid. Well, succubus-mermaid but same idea. Rusalkas are fish-women who live at the bottom of rivers during the day, but at night they come ashore and climb trees, sing songs, and dance. Their songs were supposedly so beautiful that whoever heard them would become hypnotized and follow the rusalkas back into the river, drowning themselves. Othertimes, they'd just wait for innocent swimmers and pull them under. Where does the succubus part come in? While anybody can be mesemerized by the Rusalkas' songs, their favorite targets were young bachelors whom they would seduce before drowning. No one knows why they prefer young men, but it might have something to do with their origins as the transformed souls of drowned virgin girls. And like all good monsters, rusalkas have a specific weakness. They can't be out of water too long. If their skin and hair dry out, they'll die. So if you're wandering by a Russian river and see a hot naked chick singing, bust out your hairdryer.

6. Dullahans

The headless rider of Celtic mythology. The Dullahan is the herald of death, either riding a hellish black horse or driving a coach pulled by one, he (or she) rides with its severed head under one arm and its whip made of a human spine in the other. Beware if it stops at your home, for it means your death is coming. And dare not to look upon it as it goes about its deeds, it will splash with its basin of blood marking you next for death. A clear predecessor for the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, there is just something scary about headless ghosts. Just look at that guy. I can totally see a Dullahan in a Final Destination type movie, going around marking its future victims with its basin of blood then coming later to collect. Sitting astride its evil horse and howling its victims names from its shadowy neck hole. But then again, not all Dullahans are scary.

5. Yuki-Onna

Hailing from Japan, our next monster is the Yuki-Onna or Snow Woman. Living in snowy areas (duh), she'll appear to travelers lost in blizzards and lead them astray until she can kill freeze them to death with her icy breath. They can be merciful but the reasons often vary. Besides just a great look (long black hair, blue lips, and white kimono) I put the Yuki-Onna on here for two reasons. One, there aren't enough snow and ice monsters in my opinion. As someone who lives in a colder climate, I know the cold can be terrifying. Mile on mile of uninterrupted white landscape makes you paranoid and freezing to death is a particularly awful way to die. Second, we don't have enough female monsters who aren't just distaff counterparts of male monsters. Think about it, what are the most famous female monsters? The Bride of Frankenstein, the Brides of Dracula, and that's about it. Other than them it's just generic witches, cat women, and succubi. I think our female monsters need as much variety as their male counterparts.

4. Wendigo

A 15-foot tall lipless corpse-thin beast of Canadian origin, the Wendigo haunted the dreams of Northern Native American tribes. Much like Werewolves, Wendigos are tragic monsters because they used to be people. The legend goes that anyone who resorted to cannibalism, even in cases of survival, would transform into a wendigo and insatiably crave the taste of human flesh for the rest of their lives. It was said that with every victim they ate, the wendigo would grow bigger and its hunger could never be sated. No deep reason why I put it on here, I just think the Wendigo is really fucking scary. Completely nude hairless Bigfoot with a blood-caked mouth who eats people? Hell yeah, that's scary. Though I can't find a reason why they're so often depicted with deer heads.

3. Chupacabra

Probably the youngest monster on this list, the chupacabra is an urban legend from the Southwest United States and Mexico. It's also called the Mexican Goat-Sucker because its usual MO is draining goats of blood. Chupacabras are described as reptilian with spiny quills running down its back and glowing red eyes that hop like kangaroos. And they apparently smell like rotten eggs. I like the chupacabra because unlike a lot of monsters it doesn't originate from folklore or literature, but from the real world. Sort of. The chupacabra belongs to that same breed of monster as Bigfoot and Nessie, cryptids. And because he's so young (first "appeared" in 1995) so much of the goat-sucker still hasn't been solidified. He's got so much potential. Plus, his name is fun to say.

2. Jiang Shi

Or Chinese Vampires. Jiang Shi are much like Western vampires, though hunger for blood is sometimes substituted for hunger for chi, but with one notable exception. The Chinese remembered rigor mortis. The jiang shi's limbs are locked into place so it has to move around by hopping with its arms outstretched for balance. Yes that does sound kind of silly. Also they're more beastly than western vampires with long fingernails and greenish skin. Their method of detecting their prey is by listening for breath so you can evade them by holding your breath. And if so inclined, you can control (or defeat) a jiang shi by sticking a special talisman to its forehead. With China becoming an economic force, I think it's time we saw more of their homegrown bloodsucker. Or Chi-sucker. Come on, East Vs West vampire style. Dracula vs Fu Manchu.

1. The Boogeyman

I'm honestly surprised there hasn't been a straight forward take on the most notorious monster of childhood. Every child growing up has heard of the boogeyman, that terrifying beast from under the bed or in the closet who comes for naughty children. But as far as I can tell there have been plenty of parodies of the boogeyman, but never a serious take. I mean he has all the makings of a good horror monster. He's got a specific weakness: sunlight, the boogeyman never comes during the day. A place he's associated with: closets and underneath beds. And a target: children. Harm to children is a very primal fear in the human race and the boogeyman only goes after children. And we don't know what he does to those children. Just think of all the cool things you could do in a decent boogeyman movie. It could be like something out of Nightmare on Elm Street where he morphs the environment around him. The guy deserves his due.

Any crazy monsters you think deserve more exposure? Sound off in the comments.