Monster Mash

The monsters that were created in Gothic novels show a comment on a part of the human nature. 

Vampires

There are different ways in which Vampires have been created over the years and there are different character traits associated with them. Some portrayals of Vampires show the creation as just the Vampire biting the person they wish to turn into a Vampire, some need to die with Vampire venom in their system and some become one as a result of a spell. There are certain elements are weaknesses of the Vampire characters, some include; not being able to cross running water, holy water & crosses being harmful for them, having to be invited into a house, not being able to walk in the sunlight and a wooden stake being able to kill them.
In modern society when we think of Vampires we think of; Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries to name a few. Our view of Vampires is of a very beautiful immortal young people who are integrated into normal society to see how they can cope with being vampires amongst that. There is always a highly sexualised element to the vampire, with it being the desirable 'monster' especially for women despite the element of danger. This is show through the symbolism of having a Vampire who 'sparkles' when they go into the sun in Twilight, as they sparkle it adds an element of luxury 

and unattainability thus making them even more desirable towards those around them. Furthermore they are always shown to have a 'human side', making them less monstrous and more accessible to the people who are reading the novels/watching the TV Shows and Films.  

The vampire was said to be a symbol for the fear of industry and how it was impacting everyday life. In Karl Marx's book 'Das Capital' he likens industry to a vampire sucking life out of the consumer, he played on the fears of the masses using a Gothic character as a means of doing so. 

Zombie 

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” (Grahame-Smith, Austen, 2009)

The typical association with zombies is that they are risen from the dead, either being bitten or being infected by some kind of virus, with them needing brains in order to survive (as is shown by the above quote). Zombies were a symbol for the fear of death that people have, but they can also have ties with a fear of what science can do- as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein shows.  The Creature in Frankenstein could be seen as the first Zombie with him being risen from the 'dead' but through the medium of science. As science can be blamed for some of the zombie outbreaks that have been created over the years- usually with the place of a viral outbreak- it brings it closer to home as some of the things could happen in real life, which make it even scarier.
In the recent years Zombies have become even more popular, with an increase of Zombie orientated TV shows, films and live experiences (to name a few) being made available to the public. The dystopian element of the Zombie era, could be seen to create an intriguing element for us- with everyone wondering how we would each survive as the human race. Furthermore this brings in the element of the 'live experience' where people pay to enter this world of a 'Zombie Apocalypse' to see what it would be like and whether they survive. In modern society it is almost a norm for someone to have a plan for when the 'Zombie Apocalypse does arrive'.
The appearance of Zombies have changed so much across the years, as we are being subjected to more and more violence and gore in our everyday lives we look to TV and Film to provide something that surpasses what we haven't seen before. As the video below shows, there is a lot of diversity in the way Zombies have looked over the years.

100 years of zombie evolution in pop culture | time lapse video (2016) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SdACMZwaaw (Accessed: 28 February 2016).

Werewolf

Much like the other monsters, Werewolves have different origins; it could have been a curse that caused the person to become a wolf, a bite from another Werewolf or a genetic trait that runs in the family. Like Vampires there are things that are weaknesses to Werewolves; that they have to turn on a full moon so are slaves to it, and that they can be killed/harmed by silver. 

When Werewolves were brought in as monsters they were said to represent the fear of the monster inside ourselves, this becomes more about the mind and what happens inside ourselves instead. Rather than experiments or viruses being the cause of the monster, we are becoming the monster ourselves with it growing from within us.
In modern society, much like Vampires, Werewolves have become somewhat of a sex symbol in society. This is seen in TV Shows and Films, such as; Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries and Twilight. Instead of being seen as a Monster, they are seen as the 'normal people' trying to fit in with society, but the added layer of the Werewolf creates a sense of mystery that people find intriguing.