UNUSUAL – It was on a forum in 2009 that the first Internet monster was born. Tall, pale, sprawling and faceless, Slenderman then began to haunt the corners of YouTubethe world of video games, and even the world of cinema when its urban legend was adapted into a film in 2018. But before him, And as you can see in our video aboveother creatures have inhabited our nightmares and inspired artists.
Chimera, gorgon and three-headed dogs, religious texts and Egyptian, Greek or Roman mythologies were already full of monsters, spirits and terrifying parallel worlds. Then in the 18th and 19th centuries, oral tradition and legends gave way to the Gothic novel, and therefore to vampires and Frankenstein’s monster.
From Dracula to zombie films, including Twilight, HuffPost looked at monsters, their origins and their evolution. By speaking with Anna Maria Sienicka, doctoral student in philosophy at the University of Burgundy, and Célia Mugnier, doctor in comparative literature, we investigated the fears that these creatures arouse, and how they are reincarnated. Because from the ghosts of the Middle Ages to Slenderman, there is only one step.
Also see on HuffPost : the other episodes of our series “Scare me in 2024”
➡️ Welcome to the “Backrooms”, this frozen normality that is a hit
➡️ Of “Ted the caver” to ARGs, where viral (and creepy) urban legends come from
➡️ Le Grand JD, Sylartichot… From YouTube to TikTok, who are the influencers of fear?
➡️ ChatGPT, Midjourney… What if artificial intelligence pushed us into horror?