On monkeys being scary. This and probably whatever I post next are really summing up of other conversations I have, so nobody credit me solely on these things. I think monkeys are scary mainly because they have an uncanny nature. That is, they remind us of something in ourselves – they’re generally anthropomorphic, but undeniably different nonetheless. They’re like some mirror of ourselves conjured from our hindbrains, something primitive that screeches and doesn’t hold to our rules of ego and superego, but has cunning and emotion that remind us of ourselves when we’re not controlling ourselves. Manifestations of id, I guess.
Also, some of them have large teeth, or red or blue butts. And fling monkey poo. And, as has been pointed out to me, it’s generally a hell of a lot easier to fight a vampire than a monkey. That’s why I think there’re not so many movies about scary monkeys. That’s just too scary to be entertaining generally, I’m guessing.