From ancient legends to modern nightmares, cinema has given us countless terrifying creatures. Join us as we count down the most spine-chilling, nightmare-inducing movie monsters ever to grace the silver screen! Our list spans decades of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, showcasing iconic beasts that have haunted our collective imagination.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the baddest cinematic monstrosities
00:00:14to ever haunt our dreams or capture our collective imaginations. Robots a la the T-1000 will
00:00:20be saved for another day.
00:00:27100. The Kraken Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man's Chest
00:00:42The aquatic monster of legend and lore possesses a long and storied cinematic history. The
00:00:47Kraken has appeared in such films as 1981's Clash of the Titans, as well as this entry
00:00:52from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The examples set forth within the 2006 entry,
00:01:11Dead Man's Chest, may be constructed out of computer-generated effects, but the results
00:01:16are still seriously impressive. The magnitude and scope of the Kraken's arrival can be
00:01:21seen in the reaction shots of the cast, as this tentacled beast emerges from the waves
00:01:26like some sort of Lovecraftian nightmare.
00:01:3699. Lord of Darkness – Legend
00:01:51It speaks volumes that the charisma and likability of Tim Curry exude so demonstratively beneath
00:01:56the layers of makeup required for this Lord of Darkness. Curry's line delivery and booming
00:02:01voice allow this devilish antagonist to be both formidably dangerous and powerfully seductive.
00:02:15Darkness's gigantic devil horns, bright red skin, and scowling visage feel ripped from
00:02:20classic demonic imagery from the past. It's the perfect execution for director Ridley
00:02:25Scott to craft a true 1980s fairy tale with legend.
00:02:29The Lord of Darkness proclaims that there shall never be another dawn, and we believe
00:02:34him.
00:02:4198. Bioraptors – Pitch Black
00:02:55The era of full-scale CGI monsters was certainly upon us by the time Pitch Black arrived back
00:03:15in the year 2000. That said, this film was notable for combining then-new technology
00:03:20with practical creature effects to create their Bioraptors. These light-sensitive beasts
00:03:29tied into the film's story setup, as well as the characterisation of lead Vin Diesel's
00:03:35Richard B. Riddick. Meanwhile, the Bioraptors' efficient hunting abilities and sleek, creepy
00:03:40design make them arguably one of the most unique sci-fi horror aliens since the Xenomorphs.
00:03:58Their deadly and formidable assassins winged death angels that bring the characters of
00:04:03Pitch Black a nearly insurmountable level of danger.
00:04:0797. Redosaurus – The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms
00:04:24Does it matter that this dinosaur was a creation of fiction rather than a living creature that
00:04:28once walked prehistoric Earth? We don't think so, especially since the legacy of the Redosaurus
00:04:34helped influence the development of Godzilla only a few years later.
00:04:53This gigantic dinosaur first appeared in a story by the legendary Ray Bradbury, before
00:04:57being constructed by special effects titan Ray Harryhausen. The resulting film, The Beast
00:05:03From 20,000 Fathoms, showcased the Redosaurus in all of its city-smashing glory. This sort
00:05:08of imaginative creature-feature magic would symbolise Harryhausen's career, a badass dino
00:05:14for the Atomic Age that would live on forever.
00:05:2996. Audrey 2 – Little Shop of Horrors
00:05:39There's a world of mischievous humor and wonder behind the story of Little Shop of
00:05:54Horrors and its main antagonist, Audrey 2. This carnivorous plant has been depicted
00:05:59as an alien species, as well as a cross-pollinated hybrid. There's no debate, however, when it
00:06:04comes to Audrey 2's large-scale plans and desires. It wants to take over the world.
00:06:18The 1986 film adaptation in particular does an amazing job with its design of Audrey 2,
00:06:30all teeth, tongue, and attitude. This plant alien knows what to say to get what it wants.
00:06:36Blood, power, and ultimate control are on the mind of Audrey 2, using the hapless, love-lorn
00:06:42Seymour Krelborn along the way.
00:07:0295. Many, Many Monsters – The Cabin in the Woods
00:07:17It's nearly impossible to single out only one example from 2011's The Cabin in the Woods
00:07:21when it comes to monster mash excellence. This is why we have to cheat a little bit here by
00:07:26including all of them. The Merman, for example, serves as a great payoff to one of the film's
00:07:32running jokes. Meanwhile, Thornacus is an obvious riff, both stylistically and with its moniker to
00:07:49Pinhead from Hellraiser. This all speaks to the writing team of Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's
00:07:54obvious affection for classic horror cinema. The tropes are played with, sure, but the monster
00:07:59designs are actualised in a marvellous way.
00:08:0894. Killer Klowns – Killer Klowns from Outer Space
00:08:12The titular space aliens from 1988's Killer Klowns from Outer Space are another group of
00:08:32monsters that need to be lumped together for our list. How else can we possibly differentiate from
00:08:37all of the Chiodo brothers' wondrously imaginative designs? The level of care and detail is off the
00:08:43charts with these Killer Klowns, alternating glee and menace in equal measure. For example,
00:08:56the shadow puppet sequence is obviously played for laughs, yet the human puppetry of co-star
00:09:01John Vernon is surprisingly grim and dark. It's this celebration of the macabre that ultimately
00:09:16helped Killer Klowns from Outer Space retain its cult classic status over the years.
00:09:3193. The House – Monster House
00:09:34Whoever said that animated fare for kids needed to be safe and sanitary 100% of the time? Monster
00:09:50House from 2006 did a nice job of balancing creepy and cute, with the ghostly domicile
00:09:55successfully earning its scary reputation. The brief shot of the ghost house's face is scary
00:10:00stuff for kids, while the motion capture technology for the cast leaves behind an
00:10:05unsettling and uncanny atmosphere. It all comes together in a manner that allows Monster House
00:10:28to live on in the imaginations of those who first saw it as children.
00:10:4492. Giant Squid – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
00:10:58There's no question that the House of Mouse has created some of the most iconic and enduring
00:11:07cinematic villains of all time. This goes back decades, as evidenced by this early
00:11:12monster from Disney's old-school heyday. The giant squid from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
00:11:17terrified young moviegoers when similar creatures weren't always designed with this much attention
00:11:22to detail. The hydraulics utilised within the squid's construction allowed for realistic
00:11:45movements as it attacked the Nautilus during the film's climax. This scene is expertly shot,
00:11:51crafting tension and terror as the giant squid makes an imaginative mark for the ages.
00:11:5791. The Rancor – Star Wars Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
00:12:27This one is for those who remember the Star Wars franchise before all of George Lucas' CGI
00:12:37tinkering. The intergalactic bestiary of the Star Wars films was a huge deal for kids,
00:12:42right from the famous cantina scene in the first film. So when Return of the Jedi arrived in 1983,
00:12:48fans were practically salivating for another hit.
00:12:5792. The Rancor – Star Wars Episode VII – The Revenge of Skywalker
00:13:01The Rancor didn't disappoint, debuting as Luke Skywalker is dropped into a pit
00:13:06while confronting Jabba the Hutt. The creature's toothy maw and reptilian skin felt like a real
00:13:12threat to Skywalker, with the resulting fight serving as one of the film's earliest highlights.
00:13:2893. The Trolls – Troll Hunter
00:13:41It would have been easy for 2011's Troll Hunter to fall flat on its face concerning its
00:13:45presentation. The found footage approach to filmmaking was already getting long in the
00:13:50tooth at this point, while computer-generated monsters often varied wildly in quality.
00:13:55Yet this is ultimately why Troll Hunter is so fondly remembered today,
00:13:59because it successfully avoids all of these pitfalls.
00:14:14The CGI of the Trolls is honestly pretty awesome,
00:14:17and the dread of their presence is set up well by the found footage shooting style.
00:14:21Troll Hunter expertly melds the Scandinavian troll myth
00:14:25and updates it for the modern day, with harrowing results.
00:14:4089. Krampus – Krampus
00:14:5188. The Feoak Monster – The Legend of Boggy Creek
00:15:1687. The Rhino – James and the Giant Peach
00:15:2186. Harold the Scarecrow – Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
00:15:5185. The Gill Man – Creature from the Black Lagoon
00:16:2286. The Universal Monster Pantheon – Serves as a veritable Mount Olympus for
00:16:27classic horror cinema. The Gill Man has emerged as one of that world's most iconic monsters.
00:16:32The mask and makeup are cool AF, for starters. Creature from the Black Lagoon wastes little time
00:16:39introducing the Gill Man as a powerful threat to all that enter his domain.
00:16:52This creature may be defending its lagoon from invaders, but the Gill Man has proven
00:17:04it's willing to kill on territorial grounds. As a result, this universal monster is a danger
00:17:10for just about anyone who dares to dip below the waves.
00:17:3184. Mr Grey – Dreamcatcher
00:17:4083. Red Ghosts – Crimson Peak
00:18:1082. The Davis Baby – It's Alive
00:18:4081. The Bug – Men in Black
00:19:1080. Brandon Breyer – Brightburn
00:19:17Consider this one to be a what-if scenario for all time. What if Superman was evil?
00:19:24The 2019 film Brightburn attempts to answer this question, doing so with the character of Brandon
00:19:30Breyer. The origin story is similar to Clark Kent as Superman, only with a completely different
00:19:35outcome in execution. Breyer's intentions actually wind up being nefarious,
00:19:47growing up to become a villain, despite the best intentions of his adoptive parents.
00:19:52There's a tragedy at play here, one that questions the limits of parental love,
00:19:56when it's countered with pure evil. Sure, this is a moral conundrum that's been asked in cinema
00:20:01before, but Brightburn reframes it with an interesting superhero lens.
00:20:2179. Monstro – Pinocchio
00:20:3278. Valak – The Conjuring Franchise
00:20:4677. Giants – Tarantula
00:21:1676. The Basilisk – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
00:21:2375. Frankenstein's Monster – Frankenstein
00:21:5376. Hammer Films – Great Success
00:22:00The malleable nature of the Universal monsters has allowed them to be adapted by other film
00:22:04studios, such as Britain's Hammer Films, to great success. However, there's something definitive
00:22:09about the universal design of Frankenstein's monster that's gone on to become forever linked
00:22:14with Mary Shelley's literary creation.
00:22:2378. Frankenstein's Monster – Frankenstein
00:22:28This is a character that's defined by hate, fear, and misunderstanding. The monster didn't ask to
00:22:33be created by Dr. Frankenstein. Those killed by it are usually victims of accident, or at the very
00:22:38least, misdirected rage. Yet the tragedy of Frankenstein's Monster doesn't altogether make
00:22:44up for this stitched-together, macabre monstrosity.
00:22:4774. The Horned King – The Black Cauldron
00:23:0573. Otachi – Pacific Rim
00:23:2172. Fluffy – Creepshow
00:23:3571. Smaug – The Hobbit Trilogy
00:23:5370. Aliens – War of the Worlds
00:24:05Steven Spielberg was definitely on that short list of directors capable of adapting H.G.
00:24:10Wells' classic sci-fi novel to the silver screen. Practical models and computer-generated effects
00:24:15were used to develop the long-legged aliens at the center of War of the Worlds.
00:24:3571. Earthlings – Earthlings
00:24:39The results still retain enough imagination with how they move and react to environments.
00:24:43This bumps up the creep factor big time, especially near the film's climax,
00:24:48when these interstellar invaders succumb to the everyday microbes Earthlings breathe on a daily
00:24:54basis. 69. Giant Ants – Them
00:25:2468. Behemoth – The Mist
00:25:5567. The Beast – Poltergeist
00:26:1566. The Creeper – Jeepers Creepers
00:26:2465. Rodan – Rodan
00:26:4066. Toho – Toho
00:26:50Old school fans of kaiju cinema will likely remember how cool it was to see how Toho
00:26:55would introduce a new monster. Rodan debuted hot on the heels of Godzilla back in 1956.
00:27:09He starred in his own film alongside a female mate before joining Big G's
00:27:19bestiary with the 1964's Ghidorah, the three-headed monster.
00:27:33Rodan's primary strength lies within the supersonic winds that's conjured up with its wings.
00:27:39Additionally, the Fire Rodan evolutionary form lends this irradiated pteranodon some seriously
00:27:45upgraded powers. Rodan is quick and agile to boot, able to dart around its opponents,
00:27:50always keeping them guessing. What can we say? Rodan is a true winged assassin.
00:28:0764. The Long One – Slither
00:28:2363. Boogie Boogie – The Nightmare Before Christmas
00:28:3862. Gabriel – Malignant
00:28:4361. Mothra – Mothra
00:29:1362. Mutant Family – The Hills Have Eyes
00:29:3663. The Hills Have Eyes – The Hills Have Eyes
00:29:38Its radiation poisoning that lies at the centre of why The Hills Have Eyes franchise
00:29:43focuses its antagonistic narrative upon a terrifyingly mutated family.
00:29:47Wes Craven's 1977 original introduced the Jupiter Clan,
00:29:51bandits that waylay unsuspecting travellers, rob them, and cannibalise the remains.
00:30:06Their night attacks and amoral nature certainly make them deadly, while director
00:30:19Alexandre Aja's 2006 remake upped the ante of this mutant family's cruelty and bloodshed.
00:30:27It's actor Michael Berryman who's probably most synonymous with the franchise,
00:30:31thanks to his memorable performance as Pluto, one of Jupiter's depraved sons.
00:30:4359. Abductors – Fire In The Sky
00:30:5358. Cooper – Super 8
00:31:2357. The Headless Horseman – Sleepy Hollow
00:31:5356. Gamera – Gamera Franchise
00:32:2355. Arachnids – Starship Troopers
00:32:3356. Children of the 90s
00:32:50Hey, Children of the 90s, did any of you guys sneak a peek into the unrepentantly
00:32:55violent Starship Troopers back when it was released in 1997? This film from director
00:33:00Verhoeven combines political satire and popcorn bloodshed to the tune of cult classic status.
00:33:21A lot of the film's success comes down to the creature design of the Arachnids,
00:33:25alien bugs that devastate, destroy, and demolish space marines by the dozen.
00:33:30Their colonization efforts will stop at nothing,
00:33:33and they offer no mercy to any planet in their sights. So watch out.
00:33:3754. Chernabog – Fantasia
00:34:0753. Ghosts – Paranormal Activity Franchise
00:34:2152. Grand High Witch – The Witches
00:34:5151. The Balrog – The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring
00:35:0950. Chucky – Child's Play Franchise
00:35:23We admit that it's honestly difficult to imagine a world where a tiny doll is more
00:35:27frightening and dangerous than a life-sized serial killer. Yet, here we are with Chucky
00:35:32the killer doll. It's a plush figure, sure, but Chucky is also imbued with the spirit
00:35:44of Charles Lee Ray, the Lakeshore Strangler. Brad Dourif's charismatic voice acting lends
00:35:50Chucky legitimate menace, while the excellent practical effects keep Chucky's danger level
00:35:54honed to razor-sharp perfection. This good-guy doll may be short, but he walks tall and carries
00:36:16a big knife.
00:36:1849. Bathsheba – The Conjuring
00:36:3448. Red-Eyed Demon – The Wailing
00:36:5147. Zombies – Dawn of the Dead
00:36:5846. Jeans Jacket – Nope
00:37:0645. Gremlins – Gremlins
00:37:31Gizmo and the Mogwai may be impossibly cute, but the Gremlins serve as the darkened mirror
00:37:36image of their adorable nature. Stripe in particular stands out from Joe Dante's original
00:37:41film, a mean-spirited menace with a face only a mother could love. His final showdown with
00:37:52Billy showcases just how ruthless Stripe can be with just about any weapon. Meanwhile,
00:37:57the other Gremlins revel in mischief large and small, from pranks and carrying on to
00:38:02straight-up murder. The confrontation between Billy's mother and some invading Gremlins
00:38:06in her house also proves that these tiny terrors are out for blood.
00:38:2244. The Ghosts – The Haunting
00:38:3643. Imhotep – The Mummy
00:38:4442. Begul – Sinister
00:39:1441. Pod People – Invasion of the Body Snatchers
00:39:3440. Deadites – The Evil Dead Franchise
00:39:44Bruce Campbell will probably always run hand-in-hand with the legacy of the Evil
00:39:50Dead franchise. That said, we're actually glad that more recent films have focused
00:39:55more upon the Necronomicon and its villainous hellspawn, the Deadites. All of the Evil Dead
00:40:00films have utilized terrifying makeup and gratuitous gore to highlight these demonic parasites.
00:40:14This applies to both the Deadites themselves, as well as the humans possessed by their unholy
00:40:24evil. Cheryl from the very first film was a great example, as was Henrietta Nobile from
00:40:29Evil Dead 2. Heck, even Evil Ash from Army of Darkness helped showcase Bruce Campbell's
00:40:35more ghoulish side.
00:40:4439. Art the Clown – Terrorfire Franchise
00:41:1438. King Ghidorah – Godzilla Franchise
00:41:2437. Graboids – Tremors Franchise
00:41:5436. Laurence Talbot – The Wolfman
00:42:2435. The Beldam – Coraline Franchise
00:42:40There are a lot of parents out there who are constantly seeking out appropriate, entry-level
00:42:46fright fare for their children. Coraline usually winds up in these sorts of conversations,
00:42:50although those with very young kids should be advised that the Beldam is no joke. The
00:42:56visual design of Coraline may be achingly gorgeous, but this evil forest spirit serves
00:43:01up the exact opposite, a malevolent visage of the macabre. The Beldam is
00:43:20initially welcomed by Coraline as an escape from her real-world issues, connecting with
00:43:25her parents, yet the spirit's true nature and designs are eventually revealed. Those
00:43:30soulless button eyes take on a whole new level of horror.
00:43:3334. The Blob – The Blob
00:44:0033. Count Dracula – Dracula
00:44:2632. Pumpkinhead – Pumpkinhead Franchise
00:44:4531. The Infected – 28 Days Later
00:44:4830. King Kong – King Kong Franchise
00:45:01There will probably always be a certain melancholy associated with the eighth wonder of the world,
00:45:18King Kong. This is another giant creature that's abducted from its territory and responds
00:45:23with fatal force. However, the original King Kong from 1933 highlighted just how ruthless
00:45:28Kong could be in this regard. The screams of Kong's victims as he decimates the expedition
00:45:48to Skull Island are pretty harrowing. His rampage through New York is equally destructive,
00:45:53claiming the lives of multiple human victims. Finally, the shots of people caught in Kong's
00:45:58jaws would become indelibly linked with just how dangerous this kaiju could be when provoked.
00:46:0329. Ark Spirits – Raiders of the Lost Ark
00:46:2328. The Entity – It Follows
00:46:5127. Pinhead – Hellraiser Franchise
00:47:0326. Clover – Cloverfield
00:47:1825. Godzilla – Godzilla Franchise
00:47:33Big G has switched allegiances more times than a professional wrestler when it comes to flip-flopping
00:47:38between hero and villain. Then again, that's why we love this franchise, since we can easily both
00:47:43cheer and fear Godzilla, depending on the film. The very first entry presents G as the living
00:47:48embodiment of destruction, a metaphor for nuclear war that decimates Japan and immoralizes her
00:47:54people. This narrative thread is connected with other, more recent entries like Shin Godzilla
00:48:10and Godzilla-1, reminding us about the terrifying nature of Godzilla's unstoppable anger.
00:48:2124. The Werewolf – An American Werewolf in London
00:48:3823. Pazuzu – The Exorcist
00:48:5722. Quemul – The Host
00:49:1121. Yautja – Predator Franchise
00:49:2820. The Crooked Man – The Conjuring 2
00:49:34Valak is the primary antagonist of The Conjuring series, and it takes its scariest form in The
00:49:40Conjuring 2 as the Crooked Man. This is a bizarre creature with a very lanky frame,
00:49:54greyish skin, and a wide smile filled with sharp teeth. But perhaps the scariest thing
00:50:00about it is the way it moves. When appearing to Billy, the Crooked Man walks in a very erratic
00:50:05and supernatural manner. The creature is played by a Spanish actor named Javier Botet. Botet has
00:50:11been cast as numerous movie creatures, owing to his height and hypermobility, which is a symptom
00:50:16of his Marfan syndrome. Botet does an exceptional job as the Crooked Man, creating what could be
00:50:22the scariest monster in a franchise full of them. 19. The Dementors – The Harry Potter Franchise
00:50:37Introduced in The Prisoner of Azkaban, and appearing sporadically throughout the franchise,
00:50:41the Dementors are some of the freakiest monsters in young adult literature. What a Dementor really
00:50:47is, no one really knows. All we know is they're wraith-like creatures that guard the most
00:50:51notorious prison in the wizarding world. Their physical appearance is quite startling,
00:51:04but it's what they do that's most terrifying. With the help of their circular, gaping mouths,
00:51:09Dementors glide towards their victims and quite literally suck out their souls.
00:51:18One Dementor is terrifying, let alone a large group of them. There's a reason even the most
00:51:30hardened criminals fear them with every inch of their being. 18. The Wendigo – Antlers
00:51:37The Wendigo is a mythological creature originating in First Nations folklore. It's appeared in
00:51:43numerous pieces of pop culture throughout the years, typically as some type of large,
00:51:47beast-like creature that preys on humans. An absolutely terrifying iteration of the
00:51:52Wendigo appears in Antlers. The physical design of this monster is both imaginative and wonderfully
00:52:05realized. Towards the end of the film, Cary Russell's character comes across the Wendigo
00:52:10in the dark and sees a human face is draped over its head. That image alone is worth the price of
00:52:16admission, but the rest of the creature is equally terrifying. Suffice to say,
00:52:21this is the last thing we'd want to see inside a flashlight beam.
00:52:3317. The Clown – Krampus We don't know how people think of these
00:52:38things. The Clown doesn't get much screen time in Krampus, but its design is unforgettable.
00:52:47It consists of a very large, worm-like horizontal body, but the most imaginative element of the
00:52:52monster is easily its face. The Clown has a face much like a vintage porcelain doll,
00:52:58and a massive, fleshy mouth that opens wide enough to devour humans.
00:53:09The contrast between the fleshy muscle and porcelain face is marvelously grotesque. It
00:53:14looks revolting, and provides a tantalizing glimpse into the creature's biology. The
00:53:19practical effects and sound design are also fantastic, making a scary monster even scarier.
00:53:2816. Lipstick Face Demon – Insidious Franchise Despite his admittedly goofy name,
00:53:37the Lipstick Face Demon is one of the most terrifying monsters of the 2010s.
00:53:47For one thing, he's the central part of one of the most effective jump scares in modern
00:53:51horror history. The demon appears right behind Josh's shoulder, accompanied by a startlingly
00:53:57effective growl in the midst of a tension-filled silence. Its design is fairly typical of devils
00:54:09or demonic creatures, complete with a red and black face and hooves. Regardless, its design
00:54:15is still very effective, and the Lipstick Face Demon helped turn the Insidious Franchise into
00:54:20the box office mega-success it became. 15. Moda – The Ritual
00:54:26Who knew that this little British film would produce one of the most effective monsters of
00:54:30the decade? Moda is another Wendigo-like creature, appearing in full at the very end of The Ritual.
00:54:36It doesn't get much screen time, but the time it does get is both haunting and impressive.
00:54:49We don't even know how to describe this thing. It's like if a human, a bear, and an elk fused
00:54:55together in a grotesque mass of limbs that towered 20 feet into the air.
00:55:05The physical design of this monster is simply incredible, with its dangling human arms,
00:55:10torso-like antlers, and beady yellow eyes being particular highlights. We don't know what it is,
00:55:16but then again, we don't really want to find out. 14. Crawlers – The Descent Franchise
00:55:23Caves are a frightening place to be. We instinctively fear them because they're dark,
00:55:28deep, and labyrinthine. Oh, and there's also the fact that we don't know what's
00:55:32hiding in their depths, watching from the shadows and waiting to strike.
00:55:37The Descent starts scary enough, but it gets even worse when the Crawlers get involved.
00:55:43These are humanoid creatures who've lived in dark caves for an undetermined amount of time.
00:56:07This has turned them into territorial and cannibalistic monsters who violently defend
00:56:11their home from outside visitors, namely spelunkers hoping for a taste of adventure.
00:56:16Finding a bear inside a cave is freaky. Finding these things is positively nightmarish.
00:56:2213. The Mutant Bear – Annihilation With a story centered around intermixing DNA,
00:56:29we expected some imaginative creature design.
00:56:37Well, we certainly got that and then some. In what's arguably the movie's most memorable scene,
00:56:43a mutant bear arrives to sniff out the vulnerable protagonists.
00:56:46The creature is a horrific mixture between black bear and human. Its body is bear-like,
00:56:51but the skin on its face has rotted away, leaving behind an exposed skull.
00:56:56But the scariest part by far is its fusion with Cass. The bear's roaring is intermingled with
00:57:03Cass' human screams, and it looks like Cass' skull has been merged with the bear's.
00:57:13Both the sound and physical design of this creature are masterful,
00:57:17combining to create one of the most unforgettable movie monsters in recent memory.
00:57:2312. The Babadook – The Babadook
00:57:33This horror movie from Jennifer Kent made major waves when released in 2014,
00:57:38with many calling it a modern masterpiece. There are a number of factors for its strong
00:57:42critical reception, including the creature design. The Babadook is a very creepy creature
00:57:47that appears with massive claw-like appendages and a ghostly white humanoid face. It doesn't
00:57:52help that the Babadook often sticks to the shadows, letting our imaginations run wild.
00:57:57Perhaps even scarier than its physical design is what it represents. The Babadook is a metaphor
00:58:02for Emilia's grief, so his presence is palpably felt even when he's not on the screen.
00:58:14It's quite a dour movie, and it's all thanks to its titular creature.
00:58:2011. The Death Angels – A Quiet Place Franchise
00:58:23The first Quiet Place was one of the most popular horror movies of the late 2010s,
00:58:28and that's thanks in large part to its monsters. Not so much their design,
00:58:32although it's certainly effective, but what they do and represent.
00:58:42With the help of hypersensitive hearing, the monsters pounce on anything and anyone
00:58:47that makes noise. This causes everyone to live in constant fear and paranoia,
00:58:52forced to monitor each and every activity for even a modicum of sound.
00:58:57Their danger is horrifically established in the first five minutes of the movie,
00:59:02when a long-legged creature swipes young Bo before his family's eyes.
00:59:17It's an incredibly successful formula, and it's led to numerous and inferior copycats.
00:59:2410. The Blair Witch – The Blair Witch Franchise
00:59:28Despite initially never appearing on the screen, The Blair Witch is one of the scariest movie
00:59:32monsters of all time. What we don't see is always scarier than what we do.
00:59:41It lets our imaginations fill in the gaps, and our imaginations are always scarier
00:59:46than what can be conjured through practical effects. It also helps that The Blair Witch
00:59:50project is so masterfully constructed. The inventive camera work and strong acting had
00:59:56the world convinced that this was genuine footage, at least for a little while.
01:00:01We know hardly anything about The Blair Witch, its history, what it wants, etc. All we know is
01:00:06that it causes incredible paranoia in its victims, and that's certainly enough for us.
01:00:169. Jaws – Jaws
01:00:22Steven Spielberg has long been regarded as one of the best directors in movie history,
01:00:27and he became a household name with Jaws. The movie's filming process was notoriously awful,
01:00:33complete with a mechanical shark that never seemed to work.
01:00:36But Spielberg pulled it off with some imaginative filmmaking techniques.
01:00:4610. The Blair Witch Project
01:00:53The Blair Witch Project clearly took a note out of Spielberg's playbook,
01:00:57as he rarely shows the shark. The creature's underwater POV shots and the accompanying music
01:01:02are iconic, and Spielberg didn't shy away from the bloody carnage that it wrought.
01:01:07Of course, the movie works exceptionally well even when the shark is on screen. It still looks
01:01:13amazing to this day. One only needs to watch Quinn's excruciating death scene to realise that.
01:01:238. Rexy – Jurassic Park
01:01:27There's no exaggerating it. The T-Rex's appearance in Jurassic Park is one of the
01:01:31most iconic scenes in movie history. Spielberg strikes yet again, creating both the greatest
01:01:40and scariest on-screen depiction of a dinosaur. Credit also goes to Stan Winston and his team of
01:01:46special effects artists. They created an animatronic T-Rex that stood 20 feet high
01:01:51and weighed over 17,000 pounds. The result is pure movie magic.
01:02:05Everyone who's seen Jurassic Park has fond memories of the pounding rain,
01:02:09the shaking water, the approaching booms and shakes, and the face of the T-Rex
01:02:14appearing over the fence. And that roar. Oh god, that roar.
01:02:237. Count Orlok – Nosferatu
01:02:27It's amazing how Count Orlok has stood the test of time. Conceived and filmed in the early 20th
01:02:32century, Orlok has nevertheless remained a haunting symbol of the horror genre.
01:02:37While the character is based on Count Dracula, or more accurately, ripped off from Count Dracula,
01:02:42he shares little in common with other on-screen iterations of the iconic character. He's far
01:02:48more demonic in appearance, complete with tall, lanky frame, pointy claws,
01:02:53and that incredibly creepy face that's caused a century's worth of nightmares.
01:02:58We tend to think of silent films as crude predecessors of modern cinema,
01:03:02but Orlok's design proves otherwise.
01:03:07It's innovative, and best of all, it's still disturbingly effective.
01:03:136. The Pale Man – Pan's Labyrinth
01:03:16Guillermo del Toro is well known for his fantastical creature designs,
01:03:20but this has to be his masterpiece. Put crudely, this is one gnarly monster.
01:03:26Its white skin hangs in slabs off its torso, and most famous of all,
01:03:31its eyeballs are in the palms of its massive, clawed hands.
01:03:34It's a masterclass in imaginative monster design.
01:03:37The Pale Man is played by a contortionist named Doug Jones, and he does an exceptional job with
01:03:43the creature's slow and erratic movements. And worst of all, this thing eats children.
01:03:49The entire sequence is ripped straight out of Pan's Labyrinth,
01:03:52from the design of the monster, to the way it slowly chases Ophelia down a long corridor.
01:03:57It's great stuff. Horrifying, but great.
01:04:105. The Brundlefly – The Fly
01:04:13David Cronenberg is a master of boycotts.
01:04:16A subsection of the genre that's centred around the grotesque disfigurement of the human body.
01:04:21I know what the disease wants.
01:04:23What does the disease want?
01:04:25It wants to turn me into something else.
01:04:29And the fly is his masterpiece.
01:04:31In this one, poor Seth Brundle starts slowly turning into the titular insect,
01:04:36thanks to a scientific experiment gone horribly awry.
01:04:39The creature's effects are a bit of a mystery,
01:04:41but it's not as bad as you'd think.
01:04:43The creature's effects were handled by Chris Wallace,
01:04:46who won the Academy Award for Best Makeup.
01:04:48He turns Jeff Goldblum into a horrific monster,
01:04:51and Seth's final transition from human to Brundlefly
01:04:55is truly one of the most disgusting things ever put on screen.
01:04:59The Brundlefly itself is a revolting work of art,
01:05:02an Oscar-winning work of art, to be precise.
01:05:05Who says the Academy doesn't recognise genre movies?
01:05:13Number four, Pennywise.
01:05:15It.
01:05:16The great thing about Pennywise is that it takes all sorts of different forms,
01:05:20ensuring that everyone gets at least a little creeped out.
01:05:27It's the entire point of its character.
01:05:30Scared of creepy clowns with sharp teeth and weird eyes?
01:05:32Well, that's its primary form.
01:05:35Scared of lepers whose limbs are slowly rotting off?
01:05:37Got that.
01:05:38What about headless corpses that chase you down dark hallways?
01:05:41Got that too.
01:05:42Surely this movie doesn't contain the greatest fear of all,
01:05:45a small cluster of intergalactic orbs that cause instant insanity
01:05:49and appear out of split clown heads?
01:05:52Well, guess what?
01:05:58Pennywise's taunting personality is also gleefully unnerving,
01:06:02and Bill Skarsgård does a wonderful job with the character's more malicious tendencies.
01:06:08Number three, The Thing.
01:06:10The Thing.
01:06:11We never actually see The Thing.
01:06:13It's an alien entity that takes the physical form of those it assimilates,
01:06:17and in this case, a group of isolated scientists working in Antarctica.
01:06:22It isn't Benny!
01:06:35Even though we never see the monster itself, we see the grotesque abominations it creates.
01:06:40Rob Bottin handled the movie's practical effects,
01:06:43and even to this day, they're heralded as some of the best in the business.
01:06:47His creatures are a delightful combination of inventive and disgusting,
01:06:52often accompanied by lots of tentacles and oozy goop.
01:06:59Take, for instance, the human head that dislodges itself from its body and turns into a spider.
01:07:04How they come up with this stuff, we don't know, but we're glad they did.
01:07:11Number two, Shelob.
01:07:16The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King.
01:07:18While Shelob is little more than a giant spider,
01:07:21it nevertheless remains one of the scariest movie monsters in recent history.
01:07:25It works thanks in large part to the tension that director Peter Jackson
01:07:29wrings out of the character.
01:07:36We hear about Shelob in The Two Towers,
01:07:39but we don't get to her until well into The Return of the King,
01:07:42and even when we do, her appearance is preceded by an eerie cave filled with skeletons,
01:07:48hanging animal corpses, and massive webs.
01:07:51Shelob is one of the most dangerous creatures in the trilogy,
01:07:54and she nearly ends the entire quest when she stabs Frodo in the gut.
01:08:05If it weren't for Sam's quick thinking, they would have been done for.
01:08:09Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
01:08:16and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
01:08:19You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
01:08:23If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
01:08:29Number one, The Plants, The Happening.
01:08:32Say what you will about this silly movie,
01:08:34but there's no denying the horrifying powers of those plants.
01:08:38We're just here to use the bathroom, and then we're just gonna leave.
01:08:43I hope that's okay.
01:08:45It's a testament to M. Night Shyamalan's talent as a horror director.
01:08:49No, but seriously.
01:08:51Number one, The Xenomorphs, Alien franchise.
01:08:55When you get down to it, the first Alien is just a slasher movie in space.
01:08:59Ridley Scott's masterpiece of sci-fi horror contains
01:09:01one of the all-time greatest moving monsters in its titular creature.
01:09:06You found this laying there.
01:09:10No blood.
01:09:12No Dallas.
01:09:16Nothing.
01:09:17The Alien's physical design is iconic,
01:09:19complete with its weird oblong head and freaky little mouth within a mouth.
01:09:23Its introduction is also a timeless piece of movie history,
01:09:27as a chestburster slowly eats its way out of Kane before scurrying off, covered in blood.
01:09:33Hey!
01:09:34Hey, what's the matter?
01:09:37The possibilities are endless when it comes to Aliens,
01:09:41but sometimes the simplest designs are the most effective.
01:09:44This is just a tall, somewhat humanoid alien
01:09:48that hides in the air ducts and remorselessly eats people,
01:09:51and it remains horrific to this day.
01:09:54Which movie monster do you feel is underappreciated?
01:09:57Shout out your favorite in the comments.
01:10:06Ah!
01:10:22Did you enjoy this video?
01:10:24Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
01:10:26and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.