Wandering Monologues

Dec 8th, 2025

I was scrolling through Instagram when I stumbled on an Australia Vogue post titled “Why do we find monsters hot?” featuring Jacob Elordi as the Frankenstein’s monster in Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix adaptation. And honestly? Same question. Especially since my most recent obsession is Count Orlok from Nosferatu (2024).

So… why do we find them attractive? Why do I like them?

Personally, I’ve always been drawn to villains, and honorable mention, the monsters. Think Underworld’s Viktor and Marcus, Smaug from The Hobbit, and honestly the list can go on forever.

For me, it starts with their grand, dramatic introductions. The confidence. The aura. They appear on screen fully formed, powerful, unapologetic, magnetic. Even if their intentions are objectively awful, the vibe is just… cool.

But that alone doesn’t answer the question.

I think the real reason I find monsters and villains attractive is because they’re certain. They know what they want. They have clear goals, desire, and purpose; driven by a mix of power, wit, and sometimes seductive confidence.

Yes, they can be terrifying. But they’re also authentic. They act according to their true nature rather than bending to what society expects. As Interview with the Vampire put it: “Evil is a point of view.”

Take the Frankenstein creature. Society, and even Mary Shelley herself, labels him a “monster.”

But why? Because he’s ugly? Made from human parts? Because he’s alive in a way he shouldn’t be?

All he wanted was connection. He tried to blend in. He wanted to understand why he was hated. His violence wasn’t born from pure malice, but from rejection; constant, brutal rejection. Can we really blame him?

He was set up to fail from the beginning. If anyone is the true villain of the story, it’s Victor Frankenstein, whose ego drove him to create life, yet whose cowardice made him abandon it the moment it became inconvenient. He wanted to play God, but refused to be responsible for the consequences.

So who’s the real monster here?

Another example: Count Orlok from Nosferatu (2025), my recent crush, LOL. His entire motivation revolves around desire, raw, consuming desire, for Ellen. It’s that obsession that traps Thomas in his castle and turns Knock into his servant. Orlok literally crossed oceans of time to find her.

And yes, he kills people and plagues a city, but it’s all driven by that one unwavering purpose: Ellen. Even knowing he’s doomed, he stays with her until the end. And honestly? Part of what makes him so magnetic is that certainty. He wants her, he knows he wants her, and he doesn’t pretend otherwise. Everything he does is propelled by that single, brutal truth.

So back to the “hotness” question. When Vogue asks why we find monsters hot, what they really mean is: why are we attracted to them?

Maybe it’s because monsters reflect the parts of ourselves that are raw, untamed, unwanted, or misunderstood. They move with certainty and desire; things we’re often told to soften or suppress.

I’m drawn to them because they don’t fear their own nature. They don’t hide their wants. They pursue their purpose with a kind of reckless honesty we rarely allow ourselves. And honestly? That kind of selfhood, wild, raw, unashamed, is hotter than any flawless hero could ever be.

So here is… another wandering monologue that lingered.