The Effectiveness of Molotov Cocktails Against Supernatural Threats

When I first saw Monster House, I couldn't help but think that if I were put in the situation as those kids, I would've just torched the building rather than trying to drug it with cough medicine and risk going inside. Lobbing Molotov Cocktails seemed like the much simpler answer.

I finished reading The Ruins and I thought to myself how it would be much quicker to torch the whole jungle. The characters had booze, rags, and matches. They were most likely going to die anyways, why not take the supernatural threat down with them? One of the characters does in fact use one to little effect, it wasn't the way I would've gone about it but armchair quarterbacking is always easy.

At this point it hit me. The Molotov Cocktail is an effective weapon in almost any paranormal situation. Think about it. If used at the right time, a Molotov Cocktail can take down a living house or a homicidal jungle vine. Its versatility doesn't end there though.

Vampires are vulnerable to fire. It's true a stake to the heart is the common method. This requires close contact though and vampires are much stronger and faster than humans. Engaging them in hand to hand combat is usually not a good idea. This weapon will give you the range to keep yourself out of harm's way.

I believe zombies are also vulnerable to fire. It might take some time for the fire to do the necessary damage to the zombie's head to kill it, but it will buy you time. At the very least, zombies hate fire, so throwing one of these bad boys at the ground will create a barrier between you and the undead army enabling you to escape. If there is in fact an army (as there usually is when it comes to zombies) the Molotov Cocktail will ignite more than just one, so more damage is done overall. It's often said that should zombies arise, there will be more of them than there are available bullets. If this is the case, the explosive cocktail will be a good way to even the score in the never-ending war against zombie-kind.

I know fire doesn't kill werewolves. It will, however, hurt them. As such it will, most likely, drive them away should you find yourself being pursued by one. Silver bullets are hard to come by, this will do in a pinch. Again, close proximity is a bad idea as werewolves don't tend to be all that people friendly. The more distance you have between yourself and the deadly monster the better.

Molotov Cocktails do not work on ghosts. This is mostly due to the fact that they are intangible, crafty bastards. If you can find the remains and have some salt on hand, you can salt and burn them to send the spirit to whatever lies beyond.

They will, however, work on mummies. They don't like fire either. So be sure to keep some booze and a lighter on hand should you accidentally unearth one of these bastards.

In regards to invading extra-terrestrials I don't know. They won't be very effective against the ships, as those would be hovering high overhead. They may be able to kill the individual alien soldiers; it depends on their physiology and armor.

Fire is a powerful offensive tool. It acts as a purifying agent in many respects. Whether this is the reason why so many fictional threats are so vulnerable to it is up for discussion. I do know that should any of these evil entities threaten your existence, one of these makeshift weapons will show them the price of messing with you. Even if you don't drink, it is wise to keep a few bottles on hand on the off-chance you need to construct a weapon quickly.