Latest articles
As we near the 70th anniversary for Godzilla, get ready to be mind-blown when these Godzilla facts totally change how you see the King of the Monsters! Including the hilarious time Toho told Hollywood, “That’s not Godzilla!”
Go backstage to see how Broadway brought Beetlejuice back to life. ABC News’ Will Ganss went one-on-one with the ghost with the most himself, Alex Brightman.
The tech expert talks about the importance of the scrutiny of the tech community, morality, and female representation. “Our household is tech talk nonstop.”
The classic monster soldier comic book is getting a show this fall. Info from James Gunn, who wrote the new series—who also shares that it will have ties with the show PEACEMAKER.
Exclusive interview with author Nicole M. Wolverton about her YA horror novel A MISFORTUNE OF LAKE MONSTERS. She talks to Monster Complex about her unique spin writing horror fiction.
When a teen is befriended by a gang of vampires, can his younger brother and local vamp-slayers help before it’s too late? Find out about the 1987 horror comedy’s unusual history.
The award-winning author wraps up her trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.
Continuing our comparisons between the Fantastic Four and The Munsters—why do the FF and The Munsters fight crime? This is another example that THEY have in COMMON—but very few others would also have this in their description.
The classic monster family sitcom may be coming back in a new series developed by James Wan (THE CONJURING), Lindsey Anderson Beer (PET SEMETARY: BLOODLINES), and Ingrid Bisu (co-star in horror movie THE NUN). More Munster reboot examples in the article!
Bram Stoker’s novel DRACULA has left a lasting mark on the vampire genre. Published in 1897, the book also explores superstition, sexuality, and the clash between modern POVs with ancient evil.
Is Richard Matheson's novel I AM LEGEND about vampires or is it about zombies? Well, yes to both. We talk about the impact the book has had on storytellers ranging from George A. Romero and Rod Serling to Stephen King and Anne Rice... and so many more.
Lee Rozelle talks combining “absurdist humor and body horror in Southern tales” for the murky horror fiction collection BACKWATERS. He also tells Monster Complex the monster movies that made that kid grow up to be this author, explains the unique spin on his horror fiction, and shares the unexpected thread that binds his new collection of stories together…
We note the passing of Roger Corman (1926-2024), trailblazer for indie movies. He passed away on May 9. A look at the filmmaker’s career—including conflicts with Marvel Comics and MST3K.
Bookstagram has attracted book lovers from all over the Internet to celebrate their favorite fiction. Find out more about the authors and the books we talk about on the Monster Complex™ page on Instagram.
In the latest episode of our show, we go over the uncanny similarities between the influential comic book legacy of the FANTASTIC FOUR and the monstrous (but beloved) television sitcom THE MUNSTERS!
The Rondo Awards honor the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation. This year's winners include the reissue of ROBOT MONSTER, the movie GODZILLA: MINUS ONE, the TV series WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and more! Find out the details here.
The author talks about serializing his horror novel featuring infected monsters. Martinez shares the origins of TRACKING BLOOD, his goals with serializing the novel online, and why there are actually TWO versions coming.
Over the decades, there have been LOTS of robots on TV—including helpers and heroes, plus warnings about evil robots. We look at robots from a couple dozen TV shows, including sci-fi series, cartoons, and sitcoms.
We talk with veteran comic book creator Paul Castiglia about the Robot Monster graphic novel anthology. “It’s a combination of my love of classic sci-fi, horror, and comedy films being able to be manifested in this one project.”
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Latest episode articles (with bonus info and links)
In the latest episode of our show, we go over the uncanny similarities between the influential comic book legacy of the FANTASTIC FOUR and the monstrous (but beloved) television sitcom THE MUNSTERS!
DRACULA author Bram Stoker said that Van Helsing was based on a REAL person. But WHO? We look at the history of the vampire hunter, including possible inspirations, and some of his interesting appearances.
Did people misjudge the Mel Brooks movie “Dracula: Dead and Loving It”? Looking at several behind-the-scenes elements of the 1995 vampire comedy movie to see why people have been warming up to it in the years since its release.
Dracula is one of the most famous monsters in literature! But does what we remember about Dracula actually come from ANOTHER vampire from a DIFFERENT book altogether?
On classic 1960s sitcom The Munsters, Herman Munster is the the spitting image of Universal's Frankenstein’s Monster. But the show established at least three different monsters created by Doctor Frankenstein...
The Loki of Midgard books is a historical fantasy series following Loki on Earth during the Roaring Twenties. We discuss with Meinking the nature of alternate history stories, how her version of Loki compares to others, and the crazy number of spinoffs planned.
Conneely writes three series combining magic with procedural stories. We discuss that intersection between magic and the everyday world, what her different series have in common, and why she began writing magic procedurals in the first place.
Cardin focuses frequently on the intersection of religion, horror, art, and creativity. Matt and I discuss the difference between horror authors who use religious elements intentionally as opposed to those who just use them as window dressing.
An author and producer of multiple dark fantasy series, Jessica Cage shares the childhood questions that inspired some of her series, explains how she portrays diversity in her fiction, and reveals which series her mom complains about.
Find out 13 monster movies that combine Frankenstein’s monster, Count Dracula, the Wolf Man, and assorted vampires, werewolves, mummies, and more. (Including a BONUS movie that came in at the last minute!)
The Lilith series stars a stuntwoman and struggling actress who works with and deals with the monsters that secretly run Hollywood. The author takes us behind the scenes, shares some real-life experiences behind her character’s day job, and reveals the abandoned original idea for her series.
An award-winning poet and writer of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, Linda D. Addison and I talk about some starting points to find great speculative and horror poetry, the state of diversity in horror publishing, and her advice for poets hoping to break in.
Psychologist, university professor and a passionate SUPERNATURAL fangirl, Dr. Lynn S. Zubernis tells me how an academic got pulled into that world, what makes this show stand out, and the pros and the cons of being an academic who is also a fan.
The author of the Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy books, Faith Hunter shares how Yellowrock has grown as a character over the series, explains why she doesn’t write sex scenes, and reveals how she’ll know when it’s time to end the series.
More from Monster Complex
Over the decades, there have been LOTS of robots on TV—including helpers and heroes, plus warnings about evil robots. We look at robots from a couple dozen TV shows, including sci-fi series, cartoons, and sitcoms.
Want to see some monster movies that are technically bad but are fun to watch? These may never live up to the standards of applauded horror movies, but you can’t say they aren’t fun to watch…
The urban fantasy author stops by as part of her blog tour for her latest novel! Faith Hunter talks to Monster Complex about the fun—and challenges—of writing a magical story that’s also a police drama.
On classic 1960s sitcom The Munsters, Herman Munster is the the spitting image of Universal's Frankenstein’s Monster. But the show established at least three different monsters created by Doctor Frankenstein...
Find out about the new movie with Scooby-Doo and Krypto. Also, find more info about Scooby-Doo’s impact on pop culture, the history of Krypto the super dog, and info about more of the many team ups that Scooby-Doo has had with characters in the DC Comics universe…
A new streaming TV show expands the epic story told through recent Godzilla and King Kong movies. In this story: What the show is about; Godzilla has made a huge impact on popular culture; Kurt Russell is in some of my favorite movies; and more!
Find out more about some of horror fiction’s most well-known and beloved authors. Including info and links for Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Dean Koontz, Anne Rice, and more!
The award-winning author of bestselling novels, short fiction, and comics, Joe Hill shares how he starts a book, what makes the best horror stories, and why some horror films just don’t work.
Bram Stoker claimed that parts of Dracula were real. The author wrote Dracula in the 1890s, generating ideas based on both folklore and history.
The last of the classic Universal Monsters, the Creature from the Black Lagoon starred in a trilogy. Looking over the legacy of the series, plus info about each movie in the series.
In the comic book world, it’s always a cool thing to see worlds collide. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong sees DC Comics’ biggest heroes meet up with the two giant monsters.
When you list off the most intriguing monsters, so many of the names on that list refer to the original Universal Monster movies. In this video, the folks at Storied celebrate the classic era.
According to Looper, Barker was once in conversation with the makers of one of the Godzilla movies. Looking at how the horror author once pitched how to make the iconic monster more of a terror again.
Celebrating the classic novel from the father of science fiction, and lots of times that they borrowed Wells’ ideas for movies and TV—including classic Universal Monster movies, plus animated films, TV series, and more.
Who are YOUR favorite horror authors? We’ve got behind-the-scenes info on popular horror writers Stephen King, Tananarive Due, Mary Shelley, Koji Suzuki, Ray Bradbury, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and many more!
Celebrating several self-published and hybrid urban fantasy authors, including Ilona Andrews, Jessica Cage, Dan Willis, Whitney Hill, N.D. Jones, N.E. Conneely, D.M. Guay, Lindsay Buroker, and lots more!
Celebrating some of the funniest monster movies ever made! “The neighbors can see you flying around the house. Do you want to draw attention to this house, hmm?” Vampires can turn up in some uproarious comedies. Check out our list to find behind-the-scenes details for these movies.
The horror comedy author explains what led to him adapting the cult classic disaster parody, reveals his goals for the novelization, and tells us why he didn’t include any George Clooney jokes.
Including authors Jim Butcher, L.A. Banks, Patricia Briggs, Nalini Singh, Seanan McGuire, Zoraida Cordova, Kim Harrison, Maurice Broaddus, Faith Hunter, Nalo Hopkinson, Roshani Chokshi, Nnedi Okorafor and more.
Celebrating those characters from Marvel’s dual legacies of monsters and superheroes—including Blade, She-Hulk, Venom, Morbius, Groot, Godzilla, Frankenstein's Monster, and more!
Mel Brooks turned his 1974 comedy film Young Frankenstein into a stage musical comedy. Come inside to listen to the whole cast album, plus to read more details about the musical’s creators.
The novel Frankenstein represents so much to so many. As we celebrate the anniversary, we look back at a number of facts about the author and her novel…
Many monster movies mix together elements from multiple genres. While Phantom of the Opera is a super famous example, we’ve got more to add to the list…
A fun reboot of the song “Monster Mash” finds the Frankenstein’s Monster complaining about the newer monsters. Click through for 3 videos that include the song, plus take you behind the scenes.
Universal Studios had access to one of the world’s greatest comedy teams and several of the most stunning monsters. It made perfect sense to have them meet.
Horror and comedy both make us jump—which is why these elements work together so well together. Here are more than 50 books that touch on elements that are funny and scary. This list includes books from authors Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Tanya Huff, Kelley Armstrong, John Scalzi, Diana Rowland, and many authors you should meet.
“There are tons of Universal films—these are just the classic monster movies…” Horror writer Anda Kent watched the seven original Universal monster movies and ranked them…
1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man stars Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein’s monster, and Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man. The film is a sequel to both The Ghost of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man.
Unnatural forces? Check. Amazing monsters? Check. Heartwarming friendships? Check. Want something else like Harry Potter? Go through our list!
Including L.A. Banks, Maurice Broaddus, Jessica Cage, Zoraida Córdova, Owl Goingback, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Shweta Taneja, Kenesha Williams, and more.
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Celebrating monster stories in pop culture.
Monster Complex™ is hosted by Chris Well, author and friend of monsters. (Well, the good ones.)
Chris Well has been a writer pretty much his entire life. Over the years, he’s worked in newspapers, magazines, radio, and books. Now the chief of the website Monster Complex™, he celebrates monster stories in classic fiction and pop culture. He has also started writing horror comedy stories that embrace mythology and world religions as well as the Universal Monsters, 1960s sitcoms, 1980s action movies, The X-Files, and the Marvel Comics Universe.
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Donyae Coles’ debut gothic thriller weaves paranoia and fear into the fabric of a decaying 1840s English estate. The author talks to Monster Complex™ about how writing horror fiction was… an accident.