Monkeys: A Most Horrifying Animal

After reading Le Fanu's Green Tea, I was struck by a thought that was quite unrelated to the overall point of the story, but nagged me throughout the duration of the plot. Why, of all things, did the Reverend Mr. Jennings' demon appear as a monkey? Certainly when I think of a demon, a monkey is hardly the first thing that comes to mind. There was no traditional red devil with horns and pitchfork in hand and no ghost with bloodstained clothing but, rather, a primate. Upon further consideration, I realized that Le Fanu is not unique in his portrayal of a monkey as a creature of horror. In fact, some of the most common "monsters" of our time have been none other than monkeys. Consider, for example, the following classic tales.

The first and most obvious example is undoubtedly King Kong. While it perhaps falls more into the adventure genre than into horror, the 1933 film and subsequent 2005 remake feature an enormous gorilla-like creature that was captured on a remote island and brought to New York City. In fact, one of the most iconic film images of all time is the one in which Kong has climbed to the top of the Empire State building with a kidnapped young woman in his hand. While Kong dies in the end and never really purposefully sets on on a path of mass destruction, a giant monkey that is capable of pulling of such a feat is certainly terrifying in and off itself.

The next example, and perhaps my favorite, is Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." While I have not read the short story, I have seen the 1932 version of the film and feel that this work definitely falls into the horror genre. The plot is centered upon the brutal murders of two women in Paris. Throughout the story, a detective attempts to solve the murders but is confused by the fact that nonhuman hairs have been left at the scene of the crime. To make a long story short, we discover at the end that an orangutan has committed the murders; despite that fact that they appeared very much to have been done by human hand.

Finally, I considered a classic work that is not a work of horror at all: none other than the Wizard of Oz. While the "bad guy" is undoubtedly the Wicked Witch of the West, her minions are, to many, the most terrifying aspect of the movie. The infamous flying monkeys that appear throughout the plot have terrified young audiences for generations. While the monkeys are not portrayed as free-thinkers themselves, they carry out the witch's orders and, in a particularly creepy scene, stomp on the Scarecrow and carry Dorothy and Todo away.

Monkeys are not viscous like the shark, they are not predators like the tiger, and they are not mysterious like the squid. Monkeys, however, appear more often in horror than any of the 3. But why? The issue is, of course, a matter of opinion, but I can draw only one conclusion. The monkey is our close relative; it is the only animal that has been proven to be remotely capable of rivaling our intelligence level. Perhaps what we most fear is not being eaten alive or being dragged into the mysterious depths of the ocean. Perhaps what we truly fear most is intelligence--of losing the upper hand in the only realm in which we think we have control.