A Sympathetic Monster is an archetype that can be found in various “monster movies.” In addition to scaring us, these monsters also tug at our heartstrings, and we find ourselves caring about them despite the carnage they cause.
Over the decades, there have been many Sympathetic Monsters that have resonated with filmgoers, and some of them are still at the center of several film franchises, remakes or modern reinterpretations. Because of this, if you’re writing a script that features a monster of some sort, it might be a more emotionally-resonating story if that monster is sympathetic.
This can be accomplished by updating a Sympathetic Monster of the past, and employing some of the characteristics and storytelling tropes that were integral to this original monster’s DNA. Ultimately, your monster should always be thought of as a character, and writing great characters is an important part of writing a great screenplay.
Below are three Sympathetic Monster subgroups, and tips on how to create a similar monster.
This is a monster that’s brought into existence by another: usually some kind of obsessive or insane genius. The monster’s lack of agency in its own creation in itself makes it sympathetic. After all, it didn’t ask to be brought into the world.
The most iconic monster in this subgroup is also arguably the most iconic of all sympathetic monsters: the Frankenstein Monster. This is to such a degree that even the term “Frankenstein’s Monster” has been part of our cultural lexicon for nearly a century, and it’s often used to describe a scenario in which something twisted and wrong has been brought into existence by another.
Not quite as sympathetic in Mary Shelley’s original novel, it was Boris Karloff’s nuanced and sensitive portrayal of the monster in the Universal horror classics Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) that created the blueprint for every Sympathetic Monster in cinema that followed. This was also due to director James Whale — and the multiple screenwriters he worked with — positioning the monster as an outsider and misunderstood victim.
Because the Frankenstein characters are in the public domain, there have been countless retellings of the story (sometimes direct retellings, other times indirect). From Basket Case (1982) to Edward Scissorhands (1990) to Poor Things (2023), we have seen many monsters of various forms taken inspiration from the Frankenstein model, and they’re often at the center of a tragic tale.
When constructing a Mad Scientist’s Creation, take note of the following tropes:
This monster is generally an animal or beast that was minding its own business until humankind came along and disrupted it. Although sympathies vary depending on how this monster is depicted, ultimately audiences forgive it — even if it causes mass destruction and numerous deaths — because it’s just a creature that’s acting on instinct rather than malice.
The most iconic monster in this subgroup is without doubt King Kong. As with the Frankenstein monster, it’s the King Kong that was introduced during the Golden Age of Hollywood that has left the most indelible mark on people. In the RKO classic King Kong (1933), Kong is portrayed primarily as a giant gorilla that’s only reacting on a primitive level, whether it’s fighting other beasts or lashing out at humans who have placed him into captivity.
Most audiences connected with the monster, and many famously cried when — spoiler alert — Kong is shot dead by planes and falls from the Empire State Building. This emotional reaction was so ingrained in the public consciousness that the two remakes, King Kong (1976) and King Kong (2005), leaned even more heavily into the pathos and tragic trajectory of Kong.
Though not portrayed as sentimentally as Kong, Godzilla is another classic monster audiences couldn’t help connecting with despite him leveling cities and killing countless people. In Toho’s numerous Godzilla sequels, the monster would emerge as an anti-hero and champion of Earth (usually against more malevolent intergalactic monsters). This heroic rebranding was largely possible because even in his original dark portrayal, Godzilla (1954), he’s presented as a prehistoric beast that was disrupted and mutated by atomic weapons. In other words, like Kong, he’s just a big animal acting on instinct. This is why even today in Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros MonsterVerse films, Godzilla is once again portrayed as an anti-hero, and he will fight side-by-side with his former rival Kong to protect the Earth.
When creating a monster that’s a Force of Nature, take note of the following tropes:
This monster is oftentimes half human and half beast of some sort. Essentially they’re a split personality in which one side is “good” and the other side is “primal” or “evil.” This duality causes them strife or anguish and, similar to the other Sympathetic Monster subgroups, their stories are often tragic.
Another Classic Universal Monster that epitomizes this archetype is the Wolf Man. Introduced to audiences in The Wolf Man (1941), Larry Talbot (played by Lon Chaney Jr.) is a charming and likable man returning home to pay respects to his recently deceased brother and to reconnect with his estranged father. During the process, he gets bitten by a werewolf and is plagued with lycanthropy, which results in him turning into a bloodthirsty and animalistic man-beast whenever the moon is full. Larry Talbot would return in several sequels — always tormented by his cursed existence —and become the quintessential werewolf in cinema. From An American Werewolf in London (1981) to Nightbitch (2024), the influence of this monster and story is evident whenever a protagonist is struggling with a form of lycanthropy.
It can be argued that any character that’s wrestling with a monstrous alter ego falls under this subgroup, even if they’re not technically “a monster.” Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is perhaps the best example of a grounded version of this particular monster. Leading to several film adaptations, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has become another cultural shorthand in our lexicon: good and evil contained in one person.
I even think the character of Norman Bates in the Psycho films can be categorized as a Human-Beast. Anthony Perkins’ emotionally-stirring performance and the character’s struggle with “Mother” is both Dr. Jekyll and Larry Talbot in nature, and he has likewise been viewed sympathetically by audiences (despite being a serial killer). Norman both scares us and inspires our pity: this is the essence of any Sympathetic Monster.
When writing a Human-Beast take note of the following tropes:
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So if you’ve decided to do your own spin on one of these Sympathetic Monster archetypes, remember the above tropes and have fun making your monster.