Now, let’s see what they’re essentially about. What are their traits? What’s the unease?
Deranged Humans
Not surprising but still fascinating, deranged humans are overrepresented as monsters in horror. With the capacity to be uniquely deranged in several ways, wildly different stories can be told about them. However, what sets them apart from other monsters is that they’re just like you and me - no supernatural powers nor other disproportionate advantages foreign to humans. They’re simply humans that can take things way too far. And they can easily blend in, too. Though many of them are kept at bay by being diagnosed with dangerous disorders and kept under watch and treatment or by being marked with criminal records and kept behind bars or restrained in some other way, many more continue to live among us as normal people. And in certain cases, that’s exactly what gives them the upper hand - that they can look completely normal, either by adhering to the customs and etiquette of their surroundings while exploiting their loopholes to be cruel or by behaving in a typical “throw the stone and hide the hand” manner. And though this covert type has the potential to be extremely harmful, so do more overt types. Depending on the situation, they may not need to hide at all and can proceed as they wish despite, with little, or no opposition - being pretty much unstoppable. Regardless, deranged humans may also be relatively harmless though still raise concern. They may act in confounding and unorthodox ways that will lead you to worry about what they’re capable of, to wonder if there is a line that they wouldn’t cross or if they even draw any lines.
Witches
Witches are usually stunningly beautiful or repulsively hideous. And they may move from one state to the other. Rumored to kidnap and eat innocent children to retain their youth, witches hardly have a clean reputation. Whether they are guilty of the atrocious acts that they’re accused of or not, they are often used as scapegoats for anything and everything that goes wrong and cannot or should not be explained - and many have been hunted and burned to death for it. Their power lies in the access and profound understanding that they possess of the rules of life, nature, and/or the universe. However, for some, this may be an instinctive knowing rather than a conscious one, or maybe one more intuitive than technical. Given that, they are able to manifest or read into reality in astonishing ways that are beyond others without such gifts. “Witchcraft!” Somebody may exclaim while pointing a finger at that which surpasses them that they deem sinful (or perhaps just extraordinary). Yet, merely because they are capable of great things, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will abuse this privilege. Witches can have codes of conduct that keep them from doing harm or from breaking a balance. Much to their detriment, but at times also for their own benefit - for all actions have consequences and they are likely wise enough to realize that. And if trialed, the governing laws or judges in place may not result in their favor. Their mystery and mysticality can be unnerving, justifiably so or not, and this tends to bring out the worst in people. For yes, indeed, they may be an immense threat to defend from before it’s too late.
Vampires
Typically depicted as sensual and sexual, the vampires’ intensity may be irresistible and easily attract and persuade their targets, while rocking stylish looks and the allure of elegance and sophistication that comes with their age (which exceeds their appearance unless they are newly turned). Normally, they consume blood and prefer it fresh and from humans. Biting onto necks or wrists with their fangs to suck out the blood or having it served in cups. They may drink people dry with no regard whatsoever for them or exercise immense willpower to drink only as much as they can without severely draining the person. For they are pulled as much, if not more, to their next meal as they are magnetic themselves. Being or becoming a vampire also enhances their natural abilities. Their senses may be keener and they may be stronger and faster. However, they may also be disadvantaged in a few ways. They may have no reflection on mirrors, not be able to step into others’ homes without an explicit invitation, be vulnerable to holy items and spaces, and not withstand the sun and its rays for long. Regardless, they may find ways around all of this with charms, artifacts, or wit alone. Vampires may be hopeless romantics or absolute players, or even both. Living that long can get lonely and they can afford to enjoy the finer pleasures in life - even though they kind of died already.
Werewolves
Coming from the canine family - sort of. Werewolves are typically humans that, by lineage and/or curse, are forced to respond to the full moon by turning into supernatural wolves with increased abilities. They’re mostly instinctual and their instincts are heightened. They’d be significantly stronger and faster than your normal wolves and able to sniff things out much better. Likely to lose consciousness upon transformation and, with it, control of themselves (until they learn to retain it). It is not unusual for them to regret their actions upon becoming more fully aware of them. For they can be impulsive, aggressive, and utterly lethal. In many cases, their mission is to seek and destroy other monsters. If not simply to protect their territory from any threats or potential threats. Werewolves can be enduring and hard to kill. Hard to contain and hold back as well. Not recommendable to corner them, unless you'd like to face their wrath.
Demons
Demons can come in various forms. They may be physical as they may be abstract. But they’re usually there with vile, or simply mischievous, intentions. They may enjoy tormenting and misguiding others. Some can be extremely harmful while others can be practically harmless. Yet, they tend to know which buttons to press and how to take advantage of situations. Self-serving but fair at best, completely disregarding of others for their own gains at worst. Manipulation is a skill that they are gifted and have ease with. Whether they’ll use it or not, depends. They may act on behalf of a greater authority or out of their own will. Causing chaos and misfortune is satisfying to them, as is witnessing it or being surrounded by it. They may be bound by contracts, however, and not be able to get away with more than what’s been agreed upon. These are entities that may be summoned, but they may also invade without being called if they so wish and no barrier is keeping them from it.
Spirits
Being as incorporeal as they can be, spirits aren’t bound by the rules of the material world. They may even transcend time and space. And they may exist in multiple realms at once. Perhaps merely as energy. Their presence ranging from absolutely unperceivable to unnervingly undeniable. How much they can affect matter varies. Some may be powerless and fated to cry and weep, forever unheard and unseen. While others may do as they please, taking possession of anything and everything they choose to cause as much of an upheaval as they so desire. Or something in between. It is often said that spirits are left to wander because, for one reason or another, they didn’t make it neither to hell nor to heaven after their body died. So there may be benign spirits as well as malign ones around. Nevertheless, spirits don’t necessarily come from people. They may also come from other living creatures and from places and collectives combined. Countless remedies and solutions have been created to keep them at bay and/or to help them find their way to where they belong. Sometimes they’re just incomplete and desperate, reaching out by any means available.
Zombies
Zombies aren’t very smart. And they rapidly multiply! They are animated corpses barely using what’s left of their brains. Maybe that is why, in some stories, they crave to eat brains - as a futile attempt to make up for their lack or to make things even (“If I dumb, you dumb.”). Once having been able to operate more like human beings, zombies may retain a portion of their former traits. These traits, however, are severely hampered by their current condition. A condition that was likely caused by an infection that drastically altered them, making them mainly driven to spread their virus by attacking others and passing it on. Or they may have died from other causes and were brought back to life through rituals and/or science, being less of a threat to humanity as a whole due to their inability to reproduce. How capable they are of engaging with life regardless depends. Sometimes, they retain the ability to learn and begin doing more than just tackling whatever moves. They may learn to recognize and avoid traps, as well as to overcome obstacles. And usually, they’re characterized by their persistence in getting what they seek - no matter how much it destroys them. They’re not done until they’re done. Yet, there are rare occasions of zombies with some conscience and control over themselves remaining, holding back from harming others, alluding to the hope that there might be a cure for them after all and that there’s still a person in there that can be saved.
Mutants
Mutants are a deviation from the norm. And perhaps an evolution from it, too. Having come in contact with toxicity and/or been subjected to unorthodox experiments that did not kill them but made them stronger, they have moved away from their original state and may not be able to ever again return to it. It is also possible that they were born this way and never knew anything else, coming from genetic mutations instead. But one thing is clear: they are different. And as much as they may still be and appear human, they will still be unsettling to the human race. What can they do and how can they be limited? This is a question that easily comes up when met with their existence as well as a matter of national security. Whether they are hostile or not, ill-willed or not, they are instantly marked as a threat - and for valid reasons, as they can eventually be and have no match. The system was not designed with them in mind and they will not be treated as regular civilians. Their attempts to coexist with mere humans may fail disastrously if not just cause a sense of isolation in them. May wish to be of service to others but end up being of service to only themselves, going from one extreme to the other.
Abominations
Hard to miss, abominations may evoke intense sensations and emotions in others. The way they look, sound, smell, and more generate disgust in most - and especially more in those of “sophisticated taste”. They are unpleasant in one or more ways. They may have been born with, developed as they grew, or through incidents were left with (what are considered) defects or deficiencies that made them unfavorably stand out to those who expect familiarity and comfort as well as certain standards to be met. Although they can be intriguing and fascinating to the few that are drawn to the unusual and disturbing. Or simply accepted and appreciated as they are by the more open and flexible. Often, what makes them abominable is not what turns them against others but the reactions and responses that others generally have towards them. They learn that they are not welcome and that people can be horribly cruel. So even if they start out neutral, or even extraordinarily kind, they may turn bitter and resentful as it is nearly impossible to remain loving if love is rarely shown and instead the opposite abounds.
Aliens
Their existence is argued. Some would say that they exist somewhere, far from planet Earth. Some that they will visit in the future and some that they already did in the past. Some that they live among us, hiding in plain sight. And some that, actually, WE are the aliens. Then there are some that don’t believe in them at all. But your belief or disbelief in them won’t keep them from existing. Aliens are life-forms able to develop in circumstances different from those on planet Earth or simply coming from another planet that is very similar to ours. They may be more advanced than us - or not. They may be more powerful than us - or not. They may be more dangerous than us - or not. You might not be able to tell upon the first encounter. But it is likely that they seek to survive and will go to great lengths for it, whether that’s by defending their territory or by expanding their territory. Numerous tales of alien sightings, visits, and abductions have been told, but no solid evidence exists or is kept from the public. Chances are that most, if not all, are fabricated by overactive imaginations or desperate attention-seeking behavior. But who knows, maybe one day you’ll meet one and be able to tell.
Machines
Whether it is that they become possessed by a supernatural entity or are hijacked by a malicious hacker, otherwise harmless machines can turn deadly. Furthermore, there may be flaws in their design that lead to it if not intentionally designed this way. They may come with “Use with caution” warnings that are ignored and end in disastrous incidents. And they may have AI so sophisticated that, albeit benign, it is so deeply unsettling that it evokes irrational behavior. Technology can be used for good and for bad, and this is part of why it is suspected and resisted by many. When it comes to innovation, change can be strongly resented by those who’d rather things stay the same. After all, it is not so easy for everyone to keep up and move along with the latest inventions and, sometimes, these inventions just make things worse instead of better - though that may just be a subjective opinion. Regardless, machines start out as tools that assist humans in tasks anywhere from extremely easy to extremely difficult or even impossible for humans. They can be minuscule to gigantic, both extremes especially worrisome if out of control or controlled by inept or malevolent people. Ultimately, though, machines can save and take lives.
Unknown Forces
What was that? No clue! But something seems to be happening around us, within us, below us, above us, or is approaching and cannot be defined. We don’t recognize it as anything familiar, so we’re at a loss for what to expect of it and how to handle it. Maybe it has always been there without your knowledge and is only now, for some reason, starting to manifest in perceivable ways. You can’t be sure. But it is a phenomenon that pushes or even forces you to stretch your mind. Is it destructive or is it constructive? Is it both? What is it doing and what for? It may be incomprehensible. Or it could have a scientific explanation as well as a divine one. However, so far, it is something that you can’t explain and that can be scary if not just frustrating. It may make you curious or run for your life - for curiosity killed the cat and you’re not willing to find out whether satisfaction will bring it back or not. Yet it goes to show how little we do know.