First Impressions: "True Monsters"

Written by Scotty

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

If you are afraid of things that go bump in the night, put your fears to rest as the History Channel has just the show for you.  True Monsters premiered last Friday and is looking into myths versus what actually happened, well at least in a way. With no scary myth or legend off limits, this show takes you back in time to see where it all started, or at least the best logical explanation with the facts they have ascertained.

Starting off with the Jersey Devil who runs rampant in the woods of New Jersey, you get the backstory of Mrs. Leeds who was said to have cursed her thirteenth child who was then changed into the beast we have all been trying to get a look at three hundred years later.  Then the story takes an interesting turn and even hits up one of our founding fathers, Ben Franklin and the birth of his Poor Richard’s Almanac.  Talk about a story, along with a reasonable explanation of how the myth might have actually started when Daniel Leeds’ life was turned upside down by someone that was much more powerful than him and the fear of the unknown.

It then takes a look at our favorite holiday, Christmas, but not the soft cuddly side of Santa Claus who comes and brings us presents.  No, it talks about Krampus who would punish those kids who were bad. Coming from the same religion, Krampus was brought forth for those naughty kids to steer clear of causing heartache over the holiday as Krampus week takes place two weeks before Christmas.  Now, I don’t know about you, but if I made the naughty list, I would not get any presents.  If you make Krampus’ list, you will get beaten and possibly taken to his lair for some further abuse.

The show also takes a look at the underworld with Hades, Hel and Satan.  They covered all the rules of the underworld, and how each monster has his or her own take on it.  I especially liked the story of Hel who is the Norse ruler of hell who is part angel and part death.  Hel has a cold underworld, ice, snow, you know, pretty much the worst of our world, especially if you do not have a fire to stay warm by.  This was pretty insightful since I have only known the one hell and the one in charge of it and it has sparked my interest to look into some other beliefs.  Either way, we all have to wait for our judgement, but we might have a choice on who will be giving it.

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Then they talked about the Jinn.  If this sounds kind of familiar, this was the birth of genies, but with a much different purpose.  Jinns were known to pester people, make their lives more difficult and overall kill the ones that released them.  A big difference from the genies that would grant people three wishes.  In some cultures, everyone is believed to have their own Jinn, that little voice you hear once in a while, that could be your Jinn telling you what the right thing to do is.  Or maybe, just trying to put you on the wrong track altogether so it can be released.

And what a way to end the show with a story about the Ammon family exorcism.  I will not lie, these are my favorite types of movies to watch as a demon makes itself known in the household, along with taking over someone’s body, but this stuff might not be a story, it might be real.  With exorcisms up quite drastically over the past twenty years, the Ammons family knew that they were in trouble when they moved into their new home.  As the son of the family walked up a wall in the hospital and everyone else has funny feelings while in the house, they called on their priest and he found that it was not a hoax, but something he could end.  With every member of the house experiencing a possession in one way or another, the priest is able to save their souls, along with saving the house.  A good story and I might start believing that there is something else stirring in the dead of the night. 

If you are needing a little reprieve from being frightened all the time, this show might be the right fit.  Featuring familiar names in the horror and sci-fi/fantasy genre to explain what really happened is just the right fit.  You might find out that your fears have been wasted on a story that was told at a coffee shop once, or you just may be able to see that that thing that you have worried about your entire life has been nothing more than trusting your parents trying to keep you quiet for a night.  You never know, but if you are not busy on Friday night, True Monsters might be worth checking out.  Stay Scared.

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