Hollywood loves a paradox (and selling a really good story). But nothing is more delicious than casting someone wickedly attractive in a role that’s both figuratively and literally monstrous. Think Jacob Elordi as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein film, Bill Skarsgård as Nosferatu, or Colin Farrell as the Penguin.
As viewers, we’re supposed to be horrified by the prosthetics and the guttural growls. But we can’t quite separate the character from the actor beneath it all, especially when it’s a star with as much cultural clout as Jacob Elordi. There’s something compelling about recognizing a familiar face under the latex—and a young and beautiful one at that—that makes the monster feel less monstrous. The fear doesn’t vanish; it just shifts. Suddenly, we’re left wondering why we’re really so invested in a story with violence and tragedy at its center. This question isn’t unique to the new Frankenstein. Are we horrified by Kylo Ren’s brutal pursuit of the galaxy, for example, or are we more intrigued knowing Adam Driver is the one in costume?
When hot people play monsters, it changes how we experience the story. Their beauty bends the narrative. Cruelty becomes complexity. Obsession feels like passion. We find ourselves making excuses, not for what they do, but for how they make us feel. The romantic trope “I can fix him” comes to mind. Stephen from Tell Me Lies manipulates, but we call him “complicated.” Christian Grey controls, but we call it “brooding.” The Creature kills, but when he’s played by Jacob Elordi, we’ll probably call it “tortured.”
Audiences have always been drawn to characters and objects which hold contradictions: the villain with a tragic past, the beast with a soft heart, the beauty that hides decay. Stories like these remind us that duality makes people and characters compelling. Hot and scary, cute and ugly, human and monstrous all exist in that fascinating middle space where empathy meets unease.
Maybe that’s why we can’t look away. When Hollywood puts a beautiful face beneath the mask, it doesn’t just make horror more watchable; it makes it more real. It reveals the part of us that knows beauty and danger can coexist. Sometimes the scariest thing isn’t the monster at all—it’s how much we understand them.
And so, in honor of spooky season, our Creative Director, Maggie Lemak created her very own matrix, plotting the intersections of Cute/Hot, Ugly/Scary resulting in a visual map categorizing that delicious tension between attraction and unease. Think of it as a vibe compass for the uncanny, charting the thin line between endearing and unnerving while also answering the question, “Should hot people play monsters?” with a resounding yes.
First, let’s give some rough descriptions for each end of the scale.
CUTE: inviting to look at
HOT: exhilarating to look at
UGLY: dissatisfying to look at
SCARY: threatening to look at
Let’s break the quadrants down:
Ugly/Cute: The offbeat charmers. Grogu, Derpy from K-Pop Demon Hunters, and hairless cats all live here—odd at first glance, but irresistible once you let them in. (In her words, “It’s so ugly I feel a little bad for it, which makes me want to hug it?”)
Hot/Scary: The danger zone. This is where fear meets fascination. Christian Grey, Stephen DeMarco, and Elordi’s Creatureturn menace into magnetism. (In her words “I’m terrified which is exhilarating and attractive. No notes.”)
Ugly/Hot: The unconventional crushes. The villains with distinct features and sad eyes. They shouldn’t be attractive, but somehow they are—and we can’t explain it (and yes, we are talking about Severus Snape here). (In her words “There’s something so wrong it’s right.”)
Cute/Scary: The deceptively sweet. They smile, then strike. Labubus, Eleven from Stranger Things, and Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas—you know the type. (In her words “That’s adorable, yet I do not want to be close to it… take it away.”)
