Monsters From the Id is as much a book about sex as it is about horror, which should not really be all that surprising, since the two are so inextricably intertwined. The title is lifted from the movie Forbidden Planet, which Jones refers to as "a seminal Hollywood film" and which comes under his analytical microscope in the latter part of the book.
In the first of the book's three sections, The Monster Travels From France to England, Jones states his argument - sexual desire separated from a moral foundation is destructive. The author then looks at some of the circumstances that influenced the creator of another seminal work of horror - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Among these are the French Enlightenment and Revolution, the works of the Marquis de Sade, the free-thinking ways of Mary Shelley's parents, William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft and most importantly, the influence of Shelley's poet husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
This section is arguably the most successful, perhaps because the creation of Frankenstein is as interesting - perhaps even more so - than the end result. Jones paints a rather unflattering picture of Percy Shelley, portraying him as an amoral manipulator who was apparently a few bricks shy of a load, probably due in large part to his various alchemical meddlings. Over the years some have speculated that Percy Shelley was the real author of Frankenstein, but if Jones is to be believed he is, in actuality, a real-life model for the character of Victor Frankenstein.
In part two, The Monster Travels From England to Germany, Jones looks at Dracula, that other cornerstone of horror literature. He closely examines the notion that Stoker's book is more about syphilis than vampirism, before going on to discuss sexual decadence in Germany between the world wars, a development which influenced Hitler's flaky conclusion that Jews were vampires. Jones makes the intriguing statement here that "Hitler was an avid reader of trashy horror fiction," but does not elaborate.
Section three finds The Monster traveling to the United States. Jones' focal point in this section is the movie Alien and its sequels, though along the way he takes a look at such diverse works as the Hitchcock films, Lifeboat and Psycho, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Blood Feast, Deep Throat, various films by David Cronenberg and Alfred Kinsey's pioneering research into sexuality.
Some readers may find Monsters From the Id to be a slow go. I confess that I did, at times. Ultimately, how you feel about a book like this will be influenced by your own attitudes toward horror literature and cinema. If you often find yourself musing about the deeper significance of movies like Alien, Them! or Blood Feast, then this book is right up your alley. If, on the other hand, you feel that Alien was nothing more than a pretty damned nifty shocker with a really cool scene where John Hurt becomes the equivalent of a human jack in the box, then you may want to leave this one on the shelf.
William I. Lengeman III is an Arizona-based freelance journalist, humorist and fiction writer. More info at http://wileng.home.mindspring.com/.
© William I. Lengeman III
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