INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION LARGER THAN LIFE Screams fill the movie theater Some viewers are covering their eyes Others are clutching the armrests of their seats They’re watching a monster movie Movies about monsters have been popular for more than one hundred years Film monsters such as Frankenstein Godzilla and King Kong have been the stuff of nightmares and Halloween costumes almost since movies began From giant apes to vampires movie monsters come in all shapes and sizes But not all movie monsters are scary Films such as Monsters Inc show a friendly side to the usually terrifying creatures And even some of the scariest monsters don’t actually mean to cause any harm Many monsters came from a good plan that went wrong Scary or not monster movies are popular among people of all ages And on the big screen these creatures become larger than life 4
King Kong has fascinated moviegoers since he first appeared on the big screen in 1933 5
CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER ONE THE EARLY MOVIES 6
Frankenstein was the first-ever movie monster The first monster to appear in a movie was Frankenstein He was in a short film made in 1910 It was based on a book written in 1818 In the story a scientist named Victor Frankenstein wants to create human life using science He succeeds but his creation soon turns into a monster Frankenstein is one of the best-known monsters in the world Terrifying Transformations Do we all have a monster hidden inside ourselves Some people think so Lots of stories explore the idea that people have both good and bad sides The 1931 movie Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is about a doctor who creates a potion He hopes the potion will separate his good side from his bad side But when he drinks it he turns into a horrible monster Each time he turns back into the doctor Until one day he doesn’t 7
