Day 18:Top Ten Moffat Monsters

In rewatching series 7, I have found myself complaining too much about Moffat's arches and writing choices. It was making me grumpy and not looking forward to watching his last Christmas special.

I didn't like my headspace, so I reminded myself that he has written some of my favourite episodes: "Blink", the two-part "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead", "The Girl in the Fireplace,"the two-part "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", and probably my favourite Christmas special "A Christmas Carol". These are all episode I use to introduce friends to Doctor Who. He has also created some of the most terrifying threats, aliens, and monsters. I made a list of the Top Ten Best Monsters in 2014, it was the first Top Ten List. There are obviously going to be some cross-overs on the two lists. The differences is these are all monsters that first appeared in episodes written by Moffat.

10) Whisper Men (Great Intelligence)
First encountered in The Name of the Doctor
On first encounter these were scary, scary, scary. It is the lack of eyes I think. The Great Intelligence had a great set up but the conclusion took away some of the creep factor (for me). Also while writing this I realized they are also very similar to how/why the Silence scares me.

9)  Clockwork Droids
First encountered in The Girl in the Fireplace
Not the scariest of monsters but still very neat.

8) Snowmen (Great Intelligence)
First encountered in The Snowmen

Killer snow was fun. Moffat has the ablity to take what is normal everyday things and find the right twist to make it scary.


7) Handmines
First encountered in
Okay, these are weapons not really creature that could be classed as aliens or monsters but still really creeped me out.

6) The Empty Child
First encountered in The Empty Child
Also, not really a monster but also very creepy. It was really a plague but the resulting gas-masked zombies were worth avoiding.

5) Veil
First encountered in Heaven Sent
There is something scary about that slow, persistent, following, that knowledge of something going to get you. Also the veil hiding it's form -creepy.

4) Kantrofarri aka: Dream Crabs
First encountered in Last Christmas

I hate the face hugging dream crabs. The creepy attacks, the "sleepers" they create, even the idea that you never know if you are actually free is creepy.

3) The Silence
First encountered in The Impossible Astronaut
I don't know what to say other then these are gross and terrifying.

2) Weeping Angels
First encountered in Blink

I was in Michael's the other day and saw a Stone Angel calendar and it was terrifying thanks to Steven Moffat. "Blink" made all statues forever frightening. He has a good handle on horror. The reason they are not in the number one spot is that the rules established in "Blink" that made them an excellent monster were bent or even broken in later episodes. There is no way the Statute of Liberty could make in across New York unseen -that still bugs me.

1) Vashta Nerada
First encountered in Silence in the Library

From the TARDIS Wiki, "literally, "the shadows that melt the flesh", were swarming, carnivorous beings which were found on most planets." Everything on this list would be terrifying, the reason they are number one, even above the Weeping Angels, is that they "inspired fear of the dark." Also we never see them, not really. It was a clever choice to only moving shadows and the skeletal results of their swarming. It is one of the few monsters that are left as a mystery.

The BBC's official  Doctor Who 2017 Adventure Calendar
Countdown Till Christmas Special Airs: 7 sleeps
Countdown Till This Whovian (probably) sees the Christmas Special: 9 sleeps
Yesterday's Countdown Post: Day 17: Doctor Who Cast Sing Christmas
Episodes Watched: ... The Voyage of the Damned

P.S. I realize I've been posting a day late...I fear that that trend is going to continue I think while I deal with this cold-flu-plague. My sincere apologies for those with visit daily.