Since the dawn of filmmaking, creature features have been a staple of horror films. These films either depicted the discovery of paranormal creatures or the transformation of humans into them as a result of being bitten, sorcery, or witchcraft. This video will present a selection of excellent yet underappreciated B-monster creature films that no one has ever heard of.
Without Warning (1980)
Sandy and Greg, two teenage boys, go camping in California with their friends. Despite being told not to go near the lake by a strange gas station proprietor named Joe Taylor, they decide to go there.
When everyone becomes divided upon arrival, Greg and Sandy decide to join forces with Taylor to save everyone. Regrettably, he is preoccupied with his own priorities. To make matters worse, a former Vietnam War veteran believes Sandy and Greg are extraterrestrials.
This sci-fi horror film directed by Greydon Clark is creepy in a brainless manner. But this does not take away from its creative storyline that predates Predator by several years. Clark’s unique direction and intelligent camerawork rarely display the entire creature onscreen, which gives viewers an eerie spine-chilling vibe whenever there are glimpses of it.
Although some of the characters might seem stereotypical for a 80s flick, several B-movie personalities make an appearance. Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Neville Brand, and Larry Storch, to name a few, portray cheesy remarkable performances that draw the audience in. It features stunning cinematography of the American countryside and outstanding atmospheric imagery.
The majority of the action takes place in gloomy, desolate locations. Kevin Peter Hall portrays a frightening extraterrestrial with unnecessarily cheesy make-up and special effects. Its campy speech adds to the film’s 80s charm, making it a must-see for fans.
Yellow Fangs a.k.a (Sonny Chiba, Japan, 1990)
A gigantic bear named Red Spots assaulted a mountain community in Japan called Hokkaido in 1915. For days, he harassed the villagers, slaying men and capturing women to use for late-night feasts. Five brave hunters set out to find and slay the beast on the cold slopes. Yuki pursued these individuals in an attempt to avenge her family’s murder at the hands of Red Spots.
This movie, supposedly based on a true story, is directed by Shin’ichi Chiba, also known as Sonny Chiba, in his debut. This immensely cheesy low budget flick succeeded in giving viewers a good laugh and a handful of entertainment with its convincing performances by the actors, including those who play the bear.
Chiba uses a combination of footage of a real bear and a human stand-in with a costume. Viewers are ‘barely’ able to take this seriously due to its campy makeup and special effects. Nevertheless, the movie displays fantastic visuals from bleak, snowy landscapes to beautiful sunsets.
Chiba’s remarkable style of direction is revealed by integrating an unforeseen romance and familial drama into this animal amok tale. It has a sufficient amount of gore with bloody cabins, dead bodies, and decent action sequences. Despite its overall corny demeanour, this movie is worth watching.
The Terror Within (1989)
The world has been changed by something everyone refers to as “the accident,” according to a post-apocalyptic theory. This is the result of a botched chemical warfare experiment.
A group of people survived in an isolated underground complex because they were able to obtain the antidote for the disease produced by the accident. They save a surface survivor from the gargoyle beasts. She gets unfortunately impregnated by one of them. As a result, the gang faces a succession of unanticipated and unpleasant scenarios.
This Roger Corman production directed by Thierry Notz is a 80s tacky splatter-fest. Despite its lumpy pacing, it evokes high entertainment value. It is self-aware of its campy, B-grade vibe and remains a cult classic.
Its storyline thrives on high-quality imagination that is evident from both the movie’s scenes and dialogue. Its coherent plot and decent performances make up for its slight predictability. The creepy creatures are kept off-screen for the first half of the movie, where they are heard and viewed via point of view shots.
This provides lingering suspense to the film.man in a rubber costume appears to be portraying the monster designs, complete with cheesy makeup and special effects. Although the film’s low budget status is clear in its tight setting and Notz’s direction style, the film’s bleak atmosphere more than makes up for it. The picture also has a decent music score that is high-strung and ominously pitched, which adds to the film’s overall atmosphere.
Creature (1985)
A team of scientists lands on a frigid planet to investigate unknown, ancient artefacts. They find out that their German adversaries have already arrived. They make a startling discovery when they seek their assistance following a disastrous landing. The crew must now defend themselves against an alien threat.
Creature, also known as The Titan Find, is directed by William Malone. It is a modern action sci-fi film with a creepy atmosphere. Despite its low budget and cost-cutting CGI special effects, it is highly appreciated for its sheer entertainment value. It has a touching music score that fits the film’s eerie vibe and contains a plethora of lurid gore.
It is loaded with cracking horror riffs all drenched in the sweet 1980s demeanour. It has a set of memorable characters played by actors who portray decent performances. It showcases breathtaking outer space cinematography accompanied by bizarre images.
Despite the fact that the film begins on a deeply unsettling note, fans commended it for its suspense, and it sets the tone for the rest of the film. It incorporates some ideas from Ridley Scott’s Aliens, but William Malone’s unique direction style keeps it different.
It features decent costumes and an alien species represented by a campy rubber model slug. This is a must-see film that slipped through the cracks yet is quite enjoyable.
Forbidden World (1982)
Subject 20, an experimental life form created by an elite group of researchers on the planet Xarbia, is created in the hopes of preventing a galactic food shortage. However, things swiftly deteriorate as Subject 20 becomes lethal and begins feeding on the planet’s inhabitants. To assist them with the situation, the galaxy’s top troubleshooter is summoned.
Allan Holzman directed this enjoyable sci-fi horror film. It has spaceships, laser battles, a cool drooling grinning skulled alien, and an abundance of gratuitous female nudity. It portrays an excellent electronic musical score and is filled with buckets of bloodshed and gore.
It is another one of Roger Corman’s production gems that contain slimy alien killings, voyeurism, and explosions. The special effects that make these watchable are remarkable, and it has a set of memorable characters. Jesse Vint, Dawn Dunlap, June Chadwick, and Linden Chiles display great performances, with the movie’s unusual feature being the hero’s peculiar, dorky character.
Because of its exploitative character, the film’s subject matter is used to illustrate a deeper significance of the events depicted onscreen. It’s a self-aware picture with memorable parts with the creature thanks to sticky makeup effects. Despite the fact that the script introduces viewers to a number of technical ideas, the plot is straightforward, with fun, trashy language.
Humanoids from the Deep (1980)
A series of scientific experiments go horribly wrong, resulting in terrible mutations that are half man, half fish creatures. These monsters start terrorising a tiny fishing town by murdering men and molesting women.
This sci-fi monster movie directed by Barbara Peeters is a classic 80s flick that is indefensibly trashy, and viewers love it all the more for it. It is campy on a visceral level and has the makings of some truly in-depth, believable characters. Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, and B-movie veteran Vic Morrow stirred significant thrill with their roles.
It showcases gratuitous nudity and bloodshed, which might be overwhelming for viewers, but what 80s horror movie isn’t? It’s a low-budget film with oppressive sexual undertones and explicit violence that’s a lot of fun.
Its spooky atmosphere and style are also cheesy, making spectators laugh even in the midst of the gore. The monster suits utilised to create the creatures are effective, with goofy special effects to go along with them.
The spooky background music is said to be a rip-off of Jaws or Alien, according to viewers. Nonetheless, the horrific finale takes the cake, making this a must-see film and one of Roger Corman’s finest achievements.
Parasite (1982)
Dr. Paul Dean creates a lethal parasite that has taken up residence in his stomach. He and his female partner Patricia Welles must find a means to destroy it while avoiding Ricus, an evil redneck, his followers, and Wolf the Merchant, an evil government agent.
This sci-fi movie directed by Charles Band portrays Demi Moore in her first major film role. It’s a cheesy, handy, low budget flick that unfolds a bleakly exciting futuristic storyline. Robert Glaudini plays the fidgety, on-the-run scientist with utmost sincerity to the role, and Demi Moore is flawless right from her debut.
The sporadic use of strained, over-amplified, slow-motion camera techniques gives viewers a bellyful laugh. Stan Winston’s black, slimy revolting special effects design for the monster is deliciously disgusting and, needless to say, is the primary source that draws viewers in. While Mac Ahlberg exhibits his fine work as director of photography with fun 3D moments, Richard Band composed a terrific score.
B-movie director Charles Band truly showcases how to make a not so ordinary movie out of an ordinary script with his out-of-the-world direction. He added chills, thrills, and a handful of fear factor to this otherwise slow burn.
Frankenstein Unbound (1990)
The ultimate weapon designed to protect humanity has global catastrophic side effects, such as time slips and disappearances. The project’s creator, along with his car, is transferred from the year 2031 to the year 1817 in Switzerland. Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his contemporaries can be found here.
This sci-fi horror movie marks Roger Corman’s return as a director after a hiatus of almost twenty years. Despite its genre, viewers agree that it is impossible to categorize. It is a perfect blend of part horror, part fantasy, part sci-fi, and part comedy. Roger Corman puts together a great set of actors, creating a truly mesmerizing and unforgettable film.
As the insane scientist Joe Buchanan, John Hurt sways viewers with his more than believable performance, while Raul Julia as Victor Frankenstein is excellent. Because of the film’s self-awareness, the monster scenes are more funny than scary, which the audience appreciates.
Viewers will recognise Corman’s campy filmmaking style, which is considerably superior to any other horror film of the day, as well as the unexpected take on the Frankenstein story. Despite the fact that the monster appears to be the consequence of a genetic mutation rather than being constructed entirely of human parts, the makeup and special effects were still quite impressive.
This is evident from the creature’s eyes, face, and broad jaw line that sends chills down viewers’ spine. What makes this movie so entertaining is that Corman has used a serious storyline and created a rather humorous film with a compelling plot.
Splinter (2008)
Polly Watt and her clumsy boyfriend Seth Belzer ruin their tent while camping in the woods. As a result, they are forced to spend the night in a low-cost motel. Meanwhile, crooks Lacey and Dennis are having automobile issues and have decided to walk. The criminal duo carjacks Polly and Seth as they pass by.
The party discovers a flat tyre after driving over a splinter-infected animal on the road. They stop to change it. They soon find themselves imprisoned in a petrol station, surrounded by zombies infected with the splinter parasite.
This movie, directed by Toby Wilkins, is a fast-paced thriller with more than enough scares. It is a classic Halloween movie with plenty of chills and thrills. The actors portray surprisingly believable performances and healthy doses of humour.
It contains a script that subverts convention and doesn’t deserve to be lumped into the same category as other low budget horror flicks. It has a high production value, and the monster is illustrated particularly well. It has yucky special effects, which the viewers love, and Toby Wilkin’s direction and execution are so well crafted that it beats the basic storyline.
Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo, and Shea Whigham have outstanding performances and deliver a fantastic set of dialogues that complement the film’s bleak tone. Overall, it’s a gory and hilarious independent film with some action, which is something that most films in this category strive for. Finally, the creature’s robotic, erratic movements and quick-cut editing add a creepy vibe to the film.
Meatball Machine (2005)
A factory worker named Yoji discovers an alien insect that penetrates his coworker and transforms her into a biomechanical monster known as a NecroBorg. They begin to take over other people’s bodies and utilise their flesh to make weapons with which to battle one another.
As Yoji becomes sick, a conflict ensues between him and his coworker Sachiko, who also happens to be his lover.
This full-throttle Japanese flick is directed by the duo Yudai Yamaguchi and Jun’ichi Yamamoto. It is a cyberpunk industrial splatter-fest of fiction and horror at its best. It is a simple, low budget film that is in no way pretentious and filled with a bunch of gore. Its special effects created by Yoshihiro Nishimura make viewers dizzy in a good way.
It also showcases an abundance of violence and an intriguing subplot portraying how the parasite arrived in the characters’ lives. Although the plot is simple and even slightly clichéd, the directors do a good job that ends in a bloody confrontation involving the two main characters.
The out-of-this-world cyborg designs for the film were developed by renowned artist Keita Amemiya. The NecroBorgs are constructed with amazingly rich elements using his CGI animation ideas of a magnificent mix of flesh and metal. The animals’ animation appears to be nothing short of high-budget A-movie designs, despite the film’s B-movie reputation.