We all have monsters.

Monsters come and go, no matter your geography, culture, race, gender, political beliefs or religion. They hide in the thick forests and deep waters, in closets and under beds. They appear in books and on movie screens, in the corners of our nightmares, and sometimes even in the mirror.

Monsters are everywhere.

As a little kid, I loved reading about monsters. I was excited when the popular “Goosebumps” series was made into a major motion picture earlier this year. To this day Stephen King is one of my favorite authors.

I still know all the lyrics to Sheb Wooley’s “The Purple People Eater.” Gremlins gave me nightmares. I cried at the end the first time I saw the 1986 reboot of “The Fly.” And I know all the choreography to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Monsters challenge the imagination to reach beyond the typical human characters and predicaments. They are beautiful because they are unexplainable. They play by different rules and exist largely in the unknown.

And the unknown is terrifying.

Perhaps my affection for monsters fueled my love for Halloween. It’s the one day every year built around celebrating the unknown: The monsters, the souls of the departed, the aliens and the magical, unexplainable things in life.

This Halloween, the monsters are coming out to play around the Flathead Valley. Dracula will be appearing at the Flathead Valley Community College Theatre, as well as over the airwaves via Big Valley Radio.

“The Mythic Beasts and Monsters” issue of the Whitefish Review is still available around town (and now regionally) while they work to get the next issue ready for release.

The Bigfoot conference in Hot Springs last weekend was, by all accounts, a good time had by all. Alas, Bigfoot himself did not make an appearance, but we’re keeping an eye out.

The elusive Flathead Lake Monster has managed to make quite a name for itself in local lore, and as winter approaches I can’t help but wonder what Big Mountain’s Yetis have in store for us this year.

Monsters are everywhere right now. (Fun fact: Even www.merriam-webster.com has spent the month of October featuring a Monster of the Day). I just can’t help being excited.

What can I say? I’m a believer.

So this year, I invite you to celebrate monsters with me and the rest of the Daily Inter Lake staff through this special Halloween issue of This Week in the Flathead.

Have a monstrously good Halloween!

Entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.