Age old question....?

Question

To settle an old and heated argument between my beau and I....would you classify a vampire (ya know, the things that have fangs, suck blood, etc. etc.) as a "monster" proper, or is it best categorized as something else? I need input!

EDIT: Alright people, I need more answers...at this point my I am marginally winning the argument...16 agree that vampires should be classified as something other than monsters, 15 state that vampires are a kind of monster, and 3 were kind of middling. One of us has to win by a substantial margin to put this old debate to rest (we're talkin about 3 years worth of arguments). Yes, it is silly and trivial, but.....

SO, are vampires monsters, or are they better placed in the unknown/otherworldly/diseased category? GO!

Answer 1

A monster? No. More of an egomaniac with a flair for the dramatic.

Answer 2

Monsters are generally disgusting looking creatures that frighten little children and for the most part, aren't real (the monster under the bed, for example). Folklore tells us that Vampires have extended canines, survive on blood, cannot go into sunlight, are immortal except for sunlight, being beheaded, and a stake through the heart (although some versions tell us that they can die from lack of blood, although there are different opinions on this). However, unlike some stories about things that go bump in the night, there is evidence that proves that Vampires really do exist and that the stories and legends are based off of actual fact. For example, Dracula was some sort of noble who drank blood. He even, I believe, had a group of followers that met and drank blood as well. Personally, I think some versions of vampires sound monstrous, but it is actually a type of disease that the affected people are grossly misunderstood and thought to be evil. In conclusion, I don't believe they are actually monsters, they are just people suffering from a disease.

Answer 3

Wiki says: "Monster is a term for any number of legendary creatures that frequently appear in mythology, legend, and horror fiction." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster

and: "During the age of silent movies, representations of monsters were the size of a person played by an actor in a costume: Frankenstein's monster, the Golem, and vampires are the most well-known ones. The film Siegfried featured a dragon that was a giant puppet on tracks. A few dinosaurs were presented by stop-motion animated models, something that was carried over into RKO's King Kong, the first giant monster of the sound era." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster#Pre-World_War_II

AND: "Folk beliefs in vampires
It seems that until the 19th century, vampires in Europe were thought to be hideous monsters from the grave. They were usually believed to rise from the bodies of suicide victims, criminals, or evil sorcerers, though in some cases an initial vampire thus "born of sin" could pass his vampirism onto his innocent victims. In other cases, however, a victim of a cruel, untimely, or violent death was susceptible to becoming a vampire. Most of the European vampire stories have Slavic and/or Romanian origins." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire#Folk_beliefs_in_vampires

So, I would say yes, a vampire is a monster. It fits the definition.

EDIT: In regards to the demon thing someone else mentioned, it appears that monster is the broader term. That is, all demons could rightly be called monsters, but not all monsters could rightly be called demons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon

Answer 4

Vampires are monsters, and here is why.

There was vampire on sesame street, and he helped kids count. His appearances were in brief "sketches", and were usually monologues. He had a funny voice. This behavior is completely consistent with all "human" muppet behavior, but that his "skin" was purple! This was clearly not a color designed to simulate human flesh, but the color purple was used for several monsters. Since Jim Henson's creature shop was very experienced in "human" and "monster" creation, they seem to be the foremost authority on what constitutes a monster. I think the evidence points to the unavoidable conclusion that vampires are indeed furless monsters, and do not require any other categorization.

Answer 5

A creature that takes some essence of life from another in order to survive. Since everything in the world does that, I don't Vampires should be classified as monsters, no.

Answer 6

Depends on how you look at it.

The word monster comes from the Latin verb monstrare, which translates either "to exhibit" or "to point out". Ancient peoples considered the birth of freaks as representations of the wrath of the gods, a demonstration or abomination.

So, a monster is something that is a freak or is concidered something you can point at and go "Oh god, look at that!" Vampires, though, cannot be pointed at - for they look like humans (in most mythology.)

Then again, they can BE monsters. The whole thing of a vampire is that they are monsters half the time and humans the other half. Kind of like werewolves.

Really, it's up to you, a silly argument though. I wouldn't concider them monsters, because I'd jump in one of their arms quicker than I'd care to reconcider.

Answer 7

It all depends on the eye of the beholder. I would classify anyone with unusual behavior as a monster. For example, a murderer, a rapist, so on and so forth. So to answer your question, yes, a blood sucking vampire with fangs would be a monster.

Answer 8

From the very human standpoint of normal and considering the "human Casualty" rate involved you may lean towards the characterization of them as a monster. Ted Bundy, the famed serial killer, was a human being but he too was a monster. If the current romantic notions of vampires persist with their being portrayed more as tragic human figures caught in a life altering void of the ageless, then I do think that they would be re-categorized.

Answer 9

It depends really. Vampires have been explained in many different ways. To some, it could be classified as a monster, to others it could be classified as a demon. It depends on where you think the vampire originated from.

Answer 10

Technoky there are 2 types. 1 type is a monster. (The other type is a Carpathian. They only suck enough blood to eat. They never kill there food providers. The Carpathians see color even better the we do. But they have to find their life mates. There life mates are what anchors them from going bad.) The bad one kills and cause pain to just be able to feel like there high. The others don't have to cause pain at all. Good luck.

Answer 11

In my opinion it falls into the overall relm of monsters, just like werewolf or the mummy.

But once you get past the high level classification it's really more of the catagory of the un-dead. Where a real monster would be more like Godzilla or the blob.

So really it kind of depends on how specific your getting. Overall sure it's a kind of monster. More specifically not really.

Best of Luck