What about borderline creatures, though? Are vampires, werewolves, and zombies, for example, natural or supernatural? And what about Freddy Krueger? In fact, what does the word “paranormal” mean, anyway? If the universe is nature and anything outside or beyond the universe is supernatural, where does the paranormal fit into the scheme of things? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “paranormal,” formed of the prefix “para,” meaning alongside, and “normal,” meaning “conforming to common standards, usual,” was coined in 1920. Mad scientists, mutant cannibals (and just plain cannibals), serial killers, and such are examples of natural threats. The supernatural is anything which falls outside, or is beyond, the universe: God, angels, demons, and the like, if they exist.

It’s a simple enough matter, usually, to identify the threats which fall under the “natural” label, especially after I supply my students with the scientific definition of “nature”: everything that exists as either matter or energy (which are, of course, the same thing, in different forms-in other words, the universe itself. Finally, I ask them to group the films’ adversaries into one of three possible categories: natural, paranormal, or supernatural. Again, this is usually a quick and easy task. Then, I ask them to identify the monster, or threat-the antagonist, to use the proper terminology-that appears in each of the films they have named. Pullman Sometimes, in demonstrating how to brainstorm about an essay topic, selecting horror movies, I ask students to name the titles of as many such movies as spring to mind (seldom a difficult feat for them, as the genre remains quite popular among young adults).

Ray bradbury story about a house