The single most defining quality of a legendary monster is corrupt humanity.

The major problem I have with this resolution is that it makes a generalized statement about legendary monsters that is very difficult to justify. As Pro Clarified the resolution in the opening round she went on to suggest that the corrupted humanity was the source of the fear and pivotal to the monster horror genre. I will agree that corrupted humanity is a major theme but not that this is the overriding or necessary defining characteristic. I grabbed these definitions from Google: Monster: an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. Legendary: remarkable enough to be famous; very well known. I think it’s fair to say the debate is about famous or iconic creatures from the horror genre. Many iconic monsters are not a corrupted version of humanity at all. These include Godzilla, King Kong, The Blob, the creatures in aliens and gremlins to name a few [1]. Pro has set up a position that corrupted humanity is necessary for a compelling monster and the major inspiration for fear. Of the 15 iconic monsters listed at Hollywood reporter more than half were not corrupted versions of humanity. Although it is a common theme corrupted humanity certainly does not define the genre. Corrupted humanity is not the source of fear. In a monster movie we really just want a good scare. Pro focuses on corrupted humanity, as the main device in the monster category but this is not really at the heart of it. What inspires terror in fiction is the same as the rest of life. It’s not rocket science, monsters are scary because they are dangerous. Sometimes the threat of Godzilla stepping on you face is just as terrifying as a corrupted werewolf bite and, in general, people are prone to many phobias that are often triggered by a threat of physical danger [2]. Other common fears are associated with survival, which gets mighty difficult in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Fear of the unknown is another major fear that the Stephen Kings and H.P. Lovecrafts of the world can play on. While the resolution focuses on the corruption of the familiar something completely foreign to our experience is often more terrifying. Alien and The Thing both made it to the top 5 out of a list of the 50 top monster movies on timeout.com [3]. These monsters are completely foreign and do not represent a corruption of humanity. We may be afraid of the corrupted humanity of Frankenstein and the fly but they are extremely terrifying because they are so different from the familiar. Uncertainty and unpredictability are also a major inspiration for fear [2]. When King Kong is swatting planes out of the sky a delayed flight is the least of your worries. When Godzilla strikes or a zombie apocalypse sweeps across the country your life and plans for the future are thrown into chaos. Corrupted humanity alone is just not enough for a monster to inspire fear. There are many defining qualities of monsters that are effective horror devices. “The single most defining quality of a legendary monster is corrupted humanity.” In making statements like this Pro has really talked herself into a corner. Colossal power or danger is often a defining characteristic and the source of fear whether it is just from one monster, Godzilla/King Kong, or only when they group together such as gremlins. I mentioned the frequent threat of danger used to inspire fear and it is often a defining characteristic more important than corruption. A corrupted corpse that is alive is gross but a zombie will bite your face off! Complete and utter mystery can be used as a defining characteristic that capitalizes off of our natural fear of the unknown. This is seen in monster movies that use a lot of tension and suspense and the threat is largely mysterious and unknown. Corrupted humanity itself isn’t that scary but when it spreads this can define a genre. Zombies, vampires and werewolves all have the potential to spread the corruption to you or your family. The spread of this corruption, as opposed to the corruption itself, is often a defining quality of a monster. - I have been able to show that many iconic monsters are not in any way a corrupted version of humanity so this cannot be a defining quality of a monster. In addition, fear is normally a defining quality of the genre and there are many options to inspire fear. There are many defining qualities that can work for monster fiction and focusing on a single quality does not define the genre. [1] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org... [3] http://www.timeout.com...