The Invisible Enemy: Are the Unseen Monsters the Scariest?
Guest contributor Ari Schneider-Gans explores five examples.
The Doctor and Clara faced off against quite an interesting enemy in Flatline, but what made it most interesting and frightening was that the monster was hidden within the walls and was apparently in a different dimension. Is there a factor which makes invisible monsters scarier? Do we know if there actually is a monster in these cases? Let’s take a look at some of the more-or-less hidden monsters in the series, and see if we can answer some of these questions about these evasive beings.
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
The Vashta Nerada live in the shadows and are the microscopic “piranhas of the air,” according to the Tenth Doctor. They latch on to a food source and within a few nanoseconds, their prey is turned into a skeletal husk. These guys caused the Doctor, Donna, and River’s archaeological crew to watch their every step and not to enter the darkness within the Library. The Doctor mentions in this episode that fear of the darkness isn’t irrational because there might be someone or something there that you just can’t see.
Midnight
In this story, the Tenth Doctor and the crew of the Crusader 50 were attacked by an invisible monster. In this case, the monster was able to break into the bus and possess Sky, one of the passengers. This thing also had the power to freeze the Doctor, thereby making everyone else think he was the monster. I believe this to have been one of the scariest moments of the Doctor’s 2000 years of life. Thankfully, the hostess tossed Sky – and the monster – into the exotonic light of Midnight. This monster caused fright, horror, and confusion among the crew, and it didn’t make it any easier on them that the monster was invisible.
Vincent and the Doctor
When the Eleventh Doctor and Amy visited Vincent Van Gogh, it was clear that they were dealing with an invisible alien, the Krafayis. Invisible to them, that is. The unique mind of Van Gogh gave him the ability to see it. The Doctor, however, was still able to find out important information about the Krafayis, including the fact that the creature was blind. The final scene with the Krafayis in it was a wonderful scene. It showed that even though he could not see it, the Doctor was able to show compassion as the Krafayis passed on.
Listen
Earlier this season we saw “Listen,” which really questioned whether something actually existed at all. Is there a monster in this story, or is it all in the imagination of the Doctor? It’s an interesting concept to explore in a Doctor Who story, and it was done well. In the scene with young Danny in his bedroom, was there really a monster under the blanket? Or was it someone playing a trick? When you ask yourselves these questions, it certainly puts into doubt whether or not you’re making up fantasies in your head, or if a threat is all too real, even if not seen by the naked eye.
Flatline
In Flatline the Doctor and Clara encountered an enemy from another dimension entirely. The Boneless, as the Doctor called them, manifested itself in many visible forms, but we never actually get a true solid monster. It’s extremely tricky to understand a monster that bleeds from another dimension, especially since in this case, they don’t even come from our own universe. But as The Doctor said, in the end, it doesn’t matter if you’re invading, encountering or acclimatizing. If you’re a threat, seen or unseen, you will be disposed of accordingly. The Doctor kept his word, with no care in the world what the two dimensional monster’s reasons were.
Conclusion
As you can see, the monsters you can’t see can be just as scary, if not more so, than the monsters that you can see. They can twist the mind of a person, making people feel and think quite differently than if they were facing a solid, real alien or monster. Sometimes even the Doctor can be quite scared of these things. Are there things you can’t see directly that you are afraid of? Let me know in the comments below what you think of the concept of the invisible enemy.
