How Monsters Work: Frankenstein, Werewolves, Vampires and Zombies

For thousands of years, people have been both fascinated and terrified by monsters, whether they were created from the imagination or based upon actual creepy crawlies or other scary creatures seemingly lurking at night, always ready to strike. Over the centuries, societies have created their own ghouls and even celebrated them on Halloween, based off the scientific, the natural and the supernatural.

Around the world, people can instantly conjure up the images of some of horror stories’ most popular participants. There’s the image of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (based off none other than Vlad the Impaler), the undead vampire sleeping in coffins while avoiding sunlight and feasting on human flesh at night. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells the classic tale of a scientist animating a monster and quickly losing control over the experiment. A full moon still brings to mind the werewolf, whose bite would inevitably turn other humans into werewolves with the full moon in the sky. And zombie hunting has never been more en vogue, as the undead creature is fodder for video games like Resident Evil and television shows like The Walking Dead.

We are all familiar with these classic monsters, but where did they come from, who thought up their supernatural abilities and traits, and what are the stories behind these legendary figures? How Monsters Work answers these questions by profiling Frankenstein, vampires, zombies, and werewolves, answering every question you have about them and including pictures depicting the monsters.