Werewolves vs Zombies vs Vampires

I got sick over the weekend. It has been less than ideal for me. And you would think “Oh! Vinnie! You must have gotten so much writing done.” And to that I would say… nothing because I would be too busy crying.

Okay, so that may be a slight exaggeration. I just absolutely hate having the time and space to be productive with something, only to completely drop the ball. It’s also off topic from whatever I am planning to write about.

The title of this blog post almost sounds like an epic battle royale between three fixtures of horror, and typing those words makes me think of just how amazing that story might be. I’ll table that idea for another time.

I have written quite a few stories with each of these types of characters. I always write them with a more modern tone, and looser lore as they’re have been many variations of each. And not every variation has the same rules as those that came before.

I was asked recently which monster I preferred writing more. And to be honest, at the time of writing this? I don’t have a definitive answer. If it was which monster I liked seeing in a movie or on tv, it would be an easy “Werewolf” answer. (Though I did finally get a chance to watch that Radio Silence movie Abigail, which I will talk about soon.)

I have probably worked with fictional zombies most frequently. I have zombies featured in six of my stories (finished and unfinished,) and I worked on (and edited) an anthology full of zombie stories by other furries.

In my mind, zombies are pretty easy as long as you think of the core concepts of the undead. They eat flesh, they’re dead, and they sometimes are decomposing. As long as I satisfy those, I really let myself go with them. They’re chill, if not intentionally brutal. Take Maggie from the original version of “Zombies Hate Theater Crashers” that was on Wattpad. Outside of her pale skin, covered decay, hunger for flesh, overwhelming self-awareness, and possible infatuation with weed she’s pretty normal. She’s just like any other human. Just… more carefree. Not much to fear when you’re not exactly alive in the first place. Right?

Plus, my zombie characters need to have some range. I mentioned the intentional brutality because it’s a big part of the undead characters I write. While Kevin, Maggie, D, or any other zombie are great to write, I always make sure the reader remembers that they’re still flesh-eating monsters.

Werewolves are different, because I feel like there are incorrect ways to write them. There’s obvious lore and stuff that I am not as familiar with, plus most of my audience is made up of furries who know more accurate werewolf lore than I do. Despite this lapse in my knowledge, I have four projects that feature werewolf characters. I won’t lie. I am probably not as good writing werewolves as I am with zombies. Both of the werewolves I have in stories that are published/almost published stay in lycan form for most of — if not all — their stories. I do think, it may be easier to write werewolves as almost this secret imposing presence. Much like a good werewolf movie, where the werewolf is obvious and present, but not onscreen until the climax. And who doesn’t love a good old fashioned werewolf climax. <.< But seriously. I need to get on a story like that.

Vampires are a newer one for me, and I have only written two stories featuring characters of a vampiric persuasion. Vampire lore is something I am not one hundred percent sure about. The only things I know about vampires, besides that they like to feast on blood, is that they are mostly very charismatic (well, if you’re considering modern vampires. They prey on blood, yes. But they also can be master manipulators if they want to be. Obviously, if you have read Intense Research (which is 18+) in nature, you know I went for a different aspect of charmisa, which is charm. Vampires are a type of character where, in my mind, they can be in less brutal and villanous context. Or if they are a little devious, they have people who will eagerly come support them if trouble arises.

So, as far as Werewolves v Zombies v Vampires, I think it’s a simple answer. Zombies are difinitely the easiest to write for me. But I do think I am a bigger fan of the vampire stories I have written though. It’s a genre I am new to, but I was able to come up with two different takes on a vampire character that I think paid off. (People really liked Chad, which is amazing because I also like Chad. Werewolves are great too, but I need more practice writing werewolves before I can really say I am good at it.

Are there any movie monsters that you think may be worth trying out, as far as horror/writing goes? What’s your favorite monster story? Better yet, what are your favorite Werewolf/Zombie/Vampire movies?

Mine are easy.
Werewolf: Dog Soldiers is easily the greatest werewolf movie I have seen, thought I think Ginger Snaps is a close second.
Zombie: Train to Busan. I am pretty sure it’s the best by a mile.
Vampire: Boys from County Hell. It’s funny, it’s campy, it’s a great take on vampire lore, specifically that of Abhartach.