Monsters of Dr. Who… The Minotaur

WELCOME to the third Friday of the month… umm, hang on *checks calendar*

Ahem. Yes! The third Friday of the month! For all Midnight Societers (is that a word? It is now!), it’s Dr. Who day, at least in the land of Kathy it is.

Once again, I bring you horror cleverly hidden in a science fiction show. The Dr. Who episode THE GOD COMPLEX written by Toby Whithouse aired in 2011 and starred Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor.

Yes, this episode had a great monster, but more than that, this show had an all around horror vibe. Dr. Who does that. And I love it. Every so often, if you pay attention, you’ll find an episode that drips with weirdness.

THE GOD COMPLEX begins in a 1980s style hotel, which reminded me of The Overlook Hotel in The Shining.

Seriously.

But with shifting hallways, no way out, and a monster roaming the corridors, this is no hotel offering a relaxing getaway.

Nope.

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves trapped… hunted.

It’s a prison (a labyrinth?), one created to hold The Minotaur.

I love his horns.

Don’t you love his horns?

Even prisoners have to eat, and this creature feeds on faith. The TARDIS gone, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory become trapped with strangers like mice in a snake tank. And there’s no where to run.

Except into the rooms, each of which holds the greatest fear of a former “guest”. Imagine opening your hotel room door and finding…

Or…

For when faced with our greatest fear, we turn to our faith, that thing we cling to so we can survive.

However, in this hotel, faith drives people crazy, leaving them spouting the words “Praise Him.”

They shine like a beacon, drawing the monster to devour their faith energy.

No one knows where this beast comes from, but we learn that all it wants is to be free, to die. A frightening thing, to be trapped, forever driven by the instinct to feed, not being able to control your destiny.

THE GOD COMPLEX fascinated me, held me with its power of strange, the way faith can heal as well as destroy. The elements of horror stood out in this episode, taking a sci-fi show and leading it into the dark.

Mwahahahahaha! Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

One last thought… Father’s Day is Sunday, and my dad greatly contributed to my love of horror, of the creepy and extremely weird. Without him handing me my first Stephen King book, without him introducing me to The Twilight Zone and never changing the channel on the TV no matter what strangeness he had on when kid-me wandered in, and without him sharing the fabulous show Dr. Who… without him I wouldn’t be me. I dedicate this post to my dad. Love you, Dad! Thanks.

Info and pictures thanks to Wikipedia, Google Images, and page 119 of The Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia written by Jason Loborik, Annabel Gibson, and Moray Laing. Thanks to BBC and the Dr. Who episode THE GOD COMPLEX, 2011.