Scenario Description: A high school drama class is in progress. The teacher has just taken roll call to verify attendance. Today’s topic is “Classic Monster Movies”.
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| Role | Dialog |
| Narrator | A high school drama class is in progress. The teacher has just taken roll call to verify attendance. Today’s topic is “Classic Monster Movies”. |
| Teacher | Okay, class, today we’re going to talk the old monster movies in the mid- to late-1900s. Who remembers what monsters were popular during that time period? |
| Bobbie | (raises her hand and speaks when called on) My dad likes to reminisce about those old movies. He frequently mentions three monsters in particular: The Wolf Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein. |
| Teacher | Very good, Bobbie. Charlie, what can you remember about “The Wolf Man”? |
| Charlie | That was about a man who became a werewolf. |
| Dawn | Werewolves — men who change into wolves during the full moon. They must kill a human and taste blood before they can transform back into a man again. |
| Bobbie | That’s right! A man was bitten by a werewolf and was doomed to become one himself during every full moon. After being bitten by the werewolf, he stumbled into a gypsy camp one night looking for help, and an old gypsy woman read his palm and saw a pentagram in it. She then cited an ancient curse that went something like this: Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night; May become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright. |
| Teacher | And how can we kill a werewolf? |
| Bobbie | There’s only one way. You have to shoot them with a silver bullet. |
| Teacher | Perfect! Dawn, what can you remember about Frankenstein? |
| Dawn | People mistakenly call the monster Frankenstein, but that wasn’t really his name. Frankenstein was the name of the doctor who created him, so he should more properly be called “Frankenstein’s monster”. |
| Teacher | That’s correct. Charlie, tell us about Frankenstein’s monster then. |
| Charlie | Hm, Dr. Frankenstein was a scientist who was obsessed with creating life, playing God so to speak. So he built a “man” from the body parts of dead people by sewing the body parts together with needle and thread basically. Then he used the electrical power of a thunderstorm to reanimate the reconstructed dead body. Amazingly, the experiment worked and the monster came to life when lightning struck a lightning rod and electrified his dead body. |
| Bobbie | Frankenstein’s monster was pretty grotesque-looking. He got loose one day and frightened a little girl. That caused the villagers to become enraged. They stormed Frankenstein’s castle and burned it down. Dr. Frankenstein, his laboratory and castle, and even his monsters were all destroyed in the blazing fire. End of story. |
| Teacher | And that brings us to Dracula. Who wants to tell us about the legend of Dracula? |
| Dawn | I guess it’s my turn to talk at length. Dracula was actually royalty in ancient Romania. He was called Count Dracula. He lived in a humongous castle on top of a ragged mountain top. He was neither alive nor dead but was what the legend calls “undead”. “Undead” means that he died a normal death but later rose from the dead and walked the Earth again in an undead state. He had no heartbeat and didn’t need to breath. His blood didn’t circulate and therefore his body temperature was always cold to the touch. In this undead state, he was called a vampire, which is a type of undead monster. |
| Teacher | Very good. Bobbie, what are some of the mystical powers that vampires are purported to have? |
| Bobbie | Vampires are very strong and exceedingly fast. They can metamorphose into a small flying bat or change into smoke in order to pass under a door. They cannot stand direct sunlight; it will burn them into ashes, so they can only move about at nighttime. They cannot see their own reflection in a mirror, and the smell of garlic repels them. Oh, yes! They are considered to be unholy creatures, so they are also repulsed by a silver cross, the Christian symbol of God. If they touch a cross, it will burn them as if it were a branding iron. |
| Teacher | Charlie, how do we kill a vampire? |
| Charlie | There are several ways. The most spectacular way is to drive a wooden stake through their heart. Other ways are by decapitation and burning. |
| Narrator | Class bell rings indicating the end of the class period. |
| Teacher | Oops. Time’s up! Okay, class dismissed. See you tomorrow! |
