A Different Kind of Horror Story Character

Recently I was watching a pretty bad horror movie with a very unique character. The hero came across a cryptozoologist tracking the same creature terrorizing the hero's town. Together, they tracked and destroyed the creature. I thought to myself "what a creative idea for a character".

Cryptozoology is the search for animals believed to exist, but haven't been proven to exist. While normally considered to be a joke among the scientific community, Cryptozoologists are serious about finding proof of the creatures they seek.

You can't take courses in Cryptozoology. There isn't a degree you can get to prove you are one. Cryptozoologists come from all walks of life. Some are highly educated while others are just dedicated researchers. But they all share a common goal -- finding and proving the unknown species.

But how can you use this wonderful character in your horror story?

Every monster horror tale has a character who knows the history of the area or the creature being hunted. This character can be a helper of the hero, or an antagonist who is fighting to stop the hero from destroying the monster. This character can even be the hero himself.

Here are some of the ways you can use a Cryptozoologist in your story. One thing you should do before writing a Cryptozoologist into your horror tale is to research the field. There are many web sites devoted to the study of Cryptids, the creatures they search for. An internet search will bring you plenty of research material to use.

As a Hero

He can be many things to a story. Mild and meek, rough and tough, know what he is doing, or even be the one who has to learn to be strong. Having him as the hero means you can do without a secondary character who gives the hero the information he needs to locate the creature.

As a Helper

He can be used to give the hero area or creature information, help track the creature, document the event, or even help capture the beast. He can be a serious or comedic character.

As an Antagonist

He can be a wonderfully fun character. Pretending to be a helper, only to sabotage the hero's plans. He can be fully evil, driven insane by his desire to find and prove this creature's existence. Or simply someone who needs the status this monster's proof would give him.

There are so many ways to use this type of character, above the standard information giver. It all depends on the kind of story you want to write and what you want to do with this terrific character.

Dawn Arkin is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers. Her portfolio can be found at http://darkin.Writing.Com/ so stop by and read for a while.