←Recommendations of They Always Kill the Creature

Although comically decked out in his creature costume (the visual would be a hoot), Rico's rebellion on behalf of the creature has ironic and heart-rending consequences. This is a rich and layered monologue.

I am a HUGE fan of old monster movies. No one wants to see the creatures survive to terrorize another day more than myself. So Lee Lawing's touching short piece really hit home. We always forget that underneath that scaly (or hairy, furry, slimy, half-dead, irradiated, supernatural, robotic, alien) covering, there beats the heart of a man. Lee shows us this in the most ironic way. And as in the best of these films, the creature really WAS misunderstood. A wonderfully nostalgic tragedy. I loved it!

In this one-person short, Lee R. Lawing takes a familiar trope (the Universal monster) and asks two questions: why do we always kill the creature to end a story, and can that narrative be avoided? The nobility of the gesture is inevitably undercut by the world. We'll never know whether there was any hope for the creature.

I loved this twist on a classic Universal monster! What a heartbreaking ending... (But, really, could it have ended any other way?)

I’m with Rico. Why do the creatures always have to die? LEE R. LAWING has written a touching plea for the underdog in this thoughtful, short monologue. The costuming alone would be priceless. The dialogue is a beautiful bonus. The ending? Pure fate.