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

Many iconic monsters are not a corrupted version of humanity at all. “This debate is about what the MOST defining quality of a monster is.” I agree with you but you are referencing the monster horror genre to back up your case and so am I. I have offered other options for defining characteristics. Monsters are all very different and dangerous for example. When they are very similar to people on the surface or are a corrupted version that highlights the difference but you are focusing on the similarities. H.P. Lovecraft had a major impact on the genre [4] and was quoted as saying, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” It’s not that monsters are like us but often that they are so very different that makes us afraid. I should clarify that Hollywoodreporter.com is a popular website that I referenced and not a single reporter. There are many defining qualities of monsters that are effective horror devices. “Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, often with subgroups [6].” Your most defining quality is too narrow because it excludes many examples. A genre is defined ultimately by popular opinion, I guess, but with an objective look at monster fiction we both agree that many legendary examples do not include corrupted humanity. That the majority of your friends agree that one subcategory of monster fiction is the best (those including corrupted humanity) does not define the category. It just tells us that you and your friends enjoyed Dracula more than Jaws. Personally, I find Lovecrafts bizarre otherworldly monsters and the unknown to be completely terrifying but that’s just my opinion. “They remind people that they are steps away from being monsters themselves and that anyone they meet could already be one.” Lol, write some monster fiction; that is a disturbing thought for sure. I think you are referencing a beast within kind of idea and not a corrupted version of humanity. There are many defining qualities of monsters that are effective horror devices. “This idea of the fact that anyone could be a monster is one of the things that keeps the story about a monster around and makes it legendary.” I in your referenced list of the top monster horror books counted 8 books in the top twenty that do not use corrupted humanity as a theme or characteristic (2, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20). Corrupted humanity is not the key defining characteristic in the majority of cases. Your resolution defines legendary monsters. Any defining characteristic should at least include the vast majority with very few exceptions. Arguably all monsters should have the characteristic since you referenced monsters in general. Merriam Webser defines define as, “to determine or identify the essential qualities or meaning of <whatever defines us as human>” You see the qualities that define something must be essential/necessary. This is emphasized when you say you have found the most defining quality. This is why I am pointing to qualities like dangerous or different. These are common to all legendary monsters while corrupted humanity is not. There are many qualities that describe various legendary monsters in a more general way and apparently these are common themes in the horror genre [7]. The top three, listed in my source, are that many monsters bring certain death, can cause intense pain as in a torturer or control your life. These are also the three unforgivable curses in Harry Potter proving that J. K. Rowling was a badass writer [8]. Avada Kedavra caused instant unavoidable death, Crucio intense pain and Imperio made you a puppet. It is not so much that Frankenstein was a corrupted version of humanity that made the character compelling as the responsibility he represents for an experiment gone incredibly wrong [7]. His defining characteristic may be that he was a man-made monster. They flew to close to the sun and got burned for it. Werewolves along with Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are better defined as an outward example of what readers see as the beast within. Vampires could be better defined as a camouflaged efficient predator not a corrupted person. [4] http://en.wikipedia.org... [5] http://en.wikipedia.org... [6] http://en.wikipedia.org... [7] http://www.everydayfiction.com... [8] http://harrypotter.wikia.com... [9] http://www.merriam-webster.com...