“Were” is an Old English/ Anglo-Saxon term for “man” (as in weregild= man-fee, the price paid to amend a wrongful death), and has only come to imply transformation by misapprehension of the term werewolf.
Brainwashed fanatics.
Oh wait, that’s too close to reality. It’ll never sell.
In college I took a class on Scandinavian folktales and I remember reading a number of stories that, while superficially resembling zombie tales, were really something different and, IMO, more scary.
In those tales the dead return to the world of the living at certain times and places to carry the unwary back with them to the land of the dead; to kill them, in other words. These aren’t reanimated corpses that can be destroyed by fire or a shotgun blast to the head; they are fully supernatural and one can only try to avoid them or flee them, not destroy them. The grim part is that the living know that escape is only temporary. Eventually we all will die and become the enemy, forever and ever amen. You can’t ask your buddy to shoot you in the head before you ‘turn’.
Another monster of this ilk is Gene Wolfe’s alzabo, a (possibly extraterrestrial) animal that produces a substance that allows it to absorb the memories, intelligence, and mind of its victims by eating their flesh. In essence, the victim lives on in the brain of the animal, but twisted in such a way that they become willing accomplices to the alzabo. For example, a father will help the alzabo track down and consume the rest of his family. But here’s the eerie twist of it - maybe the victims aren’t really twisted or controlled by the monster - maybe it actually is better to become part of the group mind that lives in the alzabo brain.
They’re already here. I read an article a few months ago talking about the appeal of Edward from Twilight: asexual, strong, a protector, good looking, etc. Basically, he’s the vampire version of Jason Bieber or the Jonas brothers, and the appeal is basically the same market that buys romance novels and screams at rock concerts: teen girls. The next wave of sexy monsters has already started: angels.
I want to be Team Gabriel.
Cmon. Whadda we fear most right now? Middle eastern terrorists. What monsters abide in the middle east? Djinni! They arent’ the cuddly fellows from Aladdin, in the original myths. Lots of interesting material to work with.
I was going to mention that, given the recent The Gates series. I’m not sure what the girl with her heart in a cigar box is supposed to be though.
Most series seem to go vampire then werewolf then witch (or ghost)…
The classic monsters are vampire, werewolf, and Frankenstein’s monster, who I guess is a pseudo-zombie (and I hear a zombie TV series is coming soon). Followed by perhaps, the creature from the black lagoon.
We’ve recently seem some fairy and maenad. Mummies have gotten some film action.
There’s various giant creatures like Godzilla and King Kong but they don’t make for good serial protaganists. Slime monster / the Blob don’t really strike me as protagonist material either.
Bug eyed aliens have been done with Roswell and angels have been done in Supernatural and Fallen.
I guess Dr Horrible is squatting the Mad Scientist territory but Moist doesn’t really qualify as a hunchback/Igor.
Occasionally Elvira is considered a classic movie monster, but I’m not sure exactly what she’s supposed to be.
I haven’t seen the series, but by the description, a lich. The box is called a philactery (sp?).
I say invent something new. Something like a vampire that is all emo because they’re limited/cursed in some way, yet frighteningly, impulsively powerful in others.
I just realized I’ve described werewolves, too, but werewolves are kinda lame on film. I think we humans want to fantasize about transforming into something greater than ourselves…not a dog-man or even BearPigMan.
I’ve read the Book of the New Sun twice, and the scene(s) involving the alzabo really creeped me out.
What about an evil leprechaun?
Oh, wait…
Making it’s inevitable appearance in this thread, I give you:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit portrayed 'Toons as mostly comic doofuses. But really many if not most Toons are sadistic psychopaths, and nigh indestructible to boot. If they were real, they would be nearly the worst menace imaginable. I believe a Simpsons Treehoue of Terror did this about Itchy & Scratchy.
How bout fairies? I don’t mean nice happy tinkerbells, but the powerful alien often malicious and easily offended others that you find in some stories.
Pretty much how they’re portrayed in the Harry Dresden and Discworld stories.
I think what I’d most like to see is a movie or tv show about self transforming machine elves.
Dickwolves. I know I’m scared… 
Has The Time come?
Shall The Great Old Ones rise from sleeping R’lyeh?
Exactly and you can make any kind of horror movie you want with them. Anything from something high minded and filled with meaning to something that makes Saw and its derivatives look like Toy Story (the happy one).