It has been 20 years since Victor Salva’s Jeepers Creepers first appeared in theatres, and many of us are still terrified. That is, after all, the movie’s allure. A great horror film like Jeepers Creepers will always be a timeless masterpiece, regardless of the year.
Isn’t The Creeperstill, the film’s centrepiece, enough to send shivers down your spine? Salva, the writer and director, deserves full credit for not only exposing us to the most terrifying-looking beast, but also for giving us a firsthand glimpse at The Creeper’s terrible way of life.
Are you ready?
The Hitcher (1986)
Jim Halsey happens to be a young guy transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego. On the way, he decides to give a lift to a hitchhiker unaware of the latter’s murderous intentions. The hitchhiker introduces himself as John Ryder and proves to be a complete maniac, threatening Jim with a switchblade.
After shoving the maniac out of his car, Jim feels luckyto have escaped him. Jim becomes enmeshed in Ryder’s murdering spree, even becoming framed for his crimes, oblivious to the reality that his horrors have only just begun.
The character of John Ryder can easily be regarded as one of the best villains to have existed incinematic history andthe late Dutch actor, RutgerHauer, as the Hitcher was absolutely terrifying.
His delivery of conversation is outstanding. “I’m going to sit here,” he said at one point. You’re going to drive.” You have to watch his facial emotions; his eyes and that amazing voice do the majority of the work. “
Because I cut off his legs… and his arms… and his head… and I’m going to do the same to you,” says one of our favourite lines. You’ll have to see the scene for yourself to understand why we’re so concerned about it.
The fact that Hauer worked exceedingly hard while preparing for this movie just shows. You may not know this but most of the stunt driving in the movie was actually done by him. Also, he did a lot of improvising too when it came to certain parts.
That particular shot where his character held a knife very close to Halsey’s eye – the fear that yousee on C. Thomas Howell’s face is hundred percent genuine. Hauer not only improvised his lines there but also the position of the knife.
Ryder’s incredible ability to murder and survive, as well as his relentless pursues, are reminiscent of the Jeepers Creepers film. Just as The Creeper was supposed to cross paths with Trish and Jenner, Ryder and Halsey are supposed to cross paths with each other.
Also, no matter who stands in their way, both characters will stop at nothing until they obtain what they desire. If you’re a fan of Jeepers Creepers, you should definitely see this 1986 road thriller if you haven’t already. You have every reason to enjoy this film, which was named the 19th scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Joy Ride (2001)
Lewis Thomas and his brother Fuller are on their way from California to Colorado to pick up Lewis’s childhood friend and crush, Venna. During the journey, Fuller and Lewis decide to play a prank on a truck driver named Rusty Nail by pretending to be a woman on the radio.What starts out as a joke pretty soon takes a deadly turn with the psychotic truck driver chasing them uncompromisingly to get his revenge.
John Dahl’s Joy Ride, also known in the United Kingdom as Road Kill, is an enjoyable horror thriller with plenty of suspense. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to describe this film as “pretty realistic,” given its ability to make spectators see themselves in the situation.
There are no points for guessing who the movie’s true star is; Rusty Nail is a mysterious, crazy truck driver. We have the hulking Matthew Kimbrough as the man behind the silhouette and Ted Levine for that bizarre, creepy voice of course!
To those of you who are wondering where you might have heard of Levine, he is the guy who essayed the role ofBuffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs.
Brimmed The film is going to remind you a lot of Victor Salva’s Jeepers Creepers, notably the chase scenes and the dark, gritty atmosphere surrounding them, with wonderfully produced adrenaline sequences. Joy Ride isn’t a film that will alter your life, but it is fantastically thrilling and a roller coaster of twists and turns.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Charles Eliot ‘Bubba’ Ritter happens to be amentally impaired man who is friends with a young local girl called Marylee Williams. Some of the locals in the town are not okay with the duo being friends, especially the sleazy, menacingpostman Otis Hazelrigg .
Marylee is violently assaulted by a dog one day and falls unconscious. Despite the fact that Bubba had saved her life, Hazelrigg soon concludes that he is the perpetrator. Bubba, who had disguised himself as a scarecrow in a neighbouring cornfield, is executed by the postman and three of his pals, who form a lynch mob.
The group even goes so far as to claim self-defense and leave the courtroom empty-handed. From beyond the grave, the wrongfully murdered man exacts his vengeance on all those who murdered him.
Frank De Felitta’s 1981 American made-for-TV horror flick is fondly remembered to this date for a lot of reasons. To begin with, we have the exceptional chilling score by Glenn Paxton. Next in line,is the solid storylinethat is enveloped with a gripping sense of dread and terror.
Then comes the concept of scarecrows; they have been a horror staple for literally years now.Cut to 2021, the movie might not scare its viewers the way it would have probably done back in the 80s, but trust us when we say that it will certainly make you feel uneasy thanks to the heavy mystery element.
Remember the painful crying of Bubba repeatedly telling that he didn’t commit the crime he was being hunted for? Well, Larry Drake wasso convincing as Bubba Ritter, doing full justice to his character.
Because this film relies completely on the environment and the performances of the characters, it’s easy to see how similar it is to Jeepers Creepers. The peaceful rural scene quickly transforms into a place where your worst fears come true, something that most Jeepers Creepers fans will recognise. Don’t be hesitant to watch Dark Night of the Scarecrow. The finale is impossible to miss; it is really unsettling.
The Relic (1997)
Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta happens to be a homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department, who is investigating a series of decapitated heads. D’Agosta suspects a link between the two when a fresh victim is found murdered in the same manner at The Field Museum. Dr. Margo Green, an evolutionary scientist, was enlisted to help.
The duo probes deeper and soon realizes that there is a large South-American lizard-like creature on the loose in the museum. Now, it is up to Dr. Green and D’Agosta to save the day!
Peter Hyam’s 1997 monster-horror flick is very atmospheric, filled with a lot of suspense.Full credits to Hyam’s exceptional work of cinematography here: this man just knows what to do to make things work in his favor.
Despite having a modest budget, this film’s monster is one of its strongest features. We all know how tough it is to develop and bring to life a beast, especially one that has never been seen before.
It goes without saying that this was a difficult project, especially for the studio. The principal concept artistMark ‘Crash’ McCreery based his work on a vague portrayal in Preston and Child’s novel. came up withquite a few ‘Kothoga’designs.
The concludingdesign had a fifteen feet long body, which was a blend of an alligator, lion andhorse, with reptilian scales and a bunch of hair down the spine. Let’s not forget itsterrifying spider-like head. Hyams deserves mention yet again for it was his decision to shoot the creature mostly in silhouette so as to avoid even the slightest possible chance of it looking fake.
Returning to the plot, we accept that the story isn’t original, but it does a fantastic job of piecing all of the pieces together one by one. Relic has some very terrifying moments; the deaths on exhibit are savage, and the sets, as well as the setting, are simply stunning. This is worth a look for any monster horror aficionados out there, even if you just want to have some fun.
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Back in 1764, a mysterious beast was terrorizing the domain of Gévaudan. Having killed over a hundred people, the creature became so feral that the King of France had to ultimatelysend envoys to capture it.
Grégoire de Fronsac, a knight and the royal naturalist of King Louis XV of France, and his Iroquois buddyMani have been given the task to probe deeper into the matter and find out who is responsible behind the mysterious killings.
You will be quiteamazed to know this, but back in the years 1764 to 1767, there actually was a Beast of Gévaudan. This wolf-like creature mainly stalked the Auvergne and South Dordogne regions of France slaughtering close to 100 people.This historical fact alone makes Christophe Gans’ 2001 French period action horror all the more intriguing.
We also have the strikingly beautiful Monica Bellucci portraying the role of the Italian courtesan, Sylvia , we can’t blame her for being so enthralling and mysterious. Bellucci creates a tense environment, to the point where we, the audience, is unsure if her character will aid or hinder our protagonists. Our main characters, Fronsac and Mani, are viewed with undeniable chemistry, and let’s not forget that they’re also fantastic fighters.
Coming to the beast here, Gans is pretty wise to not give his audience a clear picture of the animal. All we know is that it is huge and vicious. His brilliant method of leaving the creature to our imagination worked out well.
The CGI work is mind-blowing. Remember that scene where the Beast is shown slowly lurking out of the fog right behind our hero? That is bound to quicken a lot of breaths and raise goosebumps too!
When we say Brotherhood of the Wolf is a good old-fashioned horror movie terrain, we mean it. If you’re still not convinced, watch the trailer first.
Animal (2014)
When a group of friends on a weekend excursion find themselves in strange country, they are pursued by a terrible, murderous beast that will stop at nothing to find them. The members find another surviving group while taking sanctuary in an abandoned cabin.
As the body count rises, so does the arguing and disagreement over what to do next. Before the animal kills them all, the remaining survivors must put their differences aside and fight for survival.
To be honest, Brett Simmons’ 2014 horror thriller does not really offer anything inventive or let’s say new to the genre. You are bound to wonder then what is it that makes this creature feature stand out? Full credits to the titular antagonist here, with the special effects team deserving praise for making the creature look so exclusive.
Appearing more like some kind of a metamorphosis between a human and a rodent, imagine the amount of dread that it effortlessly brought along. Produced by Drew Barrymore, Animal is visually and audibly impressive.
The backdrop is lovely, and Thomas Hajdu and Andy Milburn’s background score is fantastic. The creature’s sounds, on the other hand, is the centrepiece of Animal. It’s quite upsetting!
The film is sure to catch you off guard, with some great scary moments. You might even jump out of your chair; we won’t tell you which ones will cause you to do so. Keep an eye out for the climax, since it’s packed with action and horror.
Abominable (2006)
Preston Rogers is bound to his wheelchair following a rock-climbing accident. He decides to spend some time at a remote cottage in the woods and his nurse,Otis, accompanies him. A group of women celebrating a bachelorette party arrive next door and eventually, one of them gets abducted by a gigantic hairy creature.
The monster is believed to be a Sasquatch that had been lurking in the woods around the cabin. In due course, itgoes on a bloody rampage,brutally killing one target after the other.
Ryan Schifrin’s feature-length directorial debut is not only enthralling in every way, but it’s also a pure creature film with a heavy dose of Hitchcockian twist. You can trust us when we say there is no computer-generated imagery here. The creature’s facial motions were mostly achieved by robotics, with the end results looking incredibly natural.
Abominable also has a fantastic storyline, co-written by Schifrin, with practically all of the events being witnessed visually by our protagonist, Preston. His helpless perspective creates a more than perfect claustrophobic setting along with a lingeringspooky uneasiness.
Adding to the charm of the movie is six-time Oscar nominee Lalo Schifrin as the composer behind the brilliant musical score.
Fun fact: the creature’s sounds were actually the sound of a horse breathing, although at a slower rate. Yes, it would not be entirely incorrect to refer to this film as an immediate cult classic.
The Axiom (2018)
Marylyn is a young woman who believes there is a portal to another planet someplace. She chooses to go on a hike in the Cinder National Forest one day, only to be caught in another world infested with creatures. McKenzie, her sister, died a few years later.
Forms a group and travels to the National Forest in search of her.The group happens to stumble upon an abandoned cabin in the woods and very soon discover that they have also been sucked into an alternate zone, the same way Marylyn was.The group needs to find a way to survive and escape.
Director and screenwriter Nicholas Woods does a fair job with this indie horror here interms of certain elements like mystery and adventure. The film’s intriguing premise cannot be overlooked; it successfully captures your attention.
You’ve got a fantastic location, which Woods has expertly crafted. The hallucinations on show are genuine, and you’ll appreciate how effectively they’ve been staged.
The Axiom is proof that you don’t need a great budget to make a fascinating and scary horror movie. There’s no harm in giving this a shot if you enjoy a solid story.
The Burrowers (2008)
The film’s events take place in the year 1879. A group of brave men set out into uncharted territory in quest of a family of settlers who have mysteriously vanished from their homes.
They initially mistook the perpetrators for hostile Native Americans, but it doesn’t take them long to realise that the real adversary is lurking beneath them. The posse is thrown into an unexpectedly brutal and bloody battle for survival.
We know how tough it can get when one thinks of new ideas and perceptions for a horror film to work. Maybe that is why J. T. Petty’s The Burrowers will remind you of certain elements of some very renowned flicks.However, do not let that bother you because this piece here is brilliant.
This film is based on an original short film called Blood Red Earth, which was also directed by Petty. We have a group of underground carnivorous animals called as The Burrowers. Yes, they’re a little difficult to spot in the dark, but that’s exactly what adds to the film’s appeal.
Concrete suspense starts building up and the atmosphere becomes even moresinister. Joseph LoDuca’s spooky background score seems to work wonders, intensifying scenes just at the right moment.
Also, the whole idea of being buried alive first and eaten post the decomposition starts seems more like a nightmare, one that does not let you wake up. With a running time of 96 minutes, the movie is worth your time!
It Follows (2014)
Jaime ‘Jay’ Height had sex with her new lover, only to discover that she has been cursed by her boyfriend, who tells her that she will be pursued by a magical shape-shifting creature until she transfers it to another man through the act of intercourse.
Failure to do so will result in her death. When Jay discovers that she is being followed by the creature in several forms, she informs her sister and friends, who decide to assist her in any way they can.
Director, writer and co-producer David RobertMitchell carries out this supernatural horror flick with such style and confidence that you cannot help yourself but be amazed by his dexterity.
This is a film that knows what it’s doing, and its goal is to make the audience feel as though they’re a part of the terrifying experience as well. Everything about this film works: the characters are likeable, the tension is palpable, the setting is dark and ominous, and you’re drawn into this strange, terrible world.
Many of you may not know this, but the film’s basic concept was inspired by a recurring nightmare that David used to experience, in which he was stalked by a killer who walked slowly towards him. Isn’t it amazing? Nightmares do come true, and this time they’re in the form of a film.
Unlike other films, It Follows does not rely on blood and gore. Instead, it will make you pause and think.The entity on display moves very slowly; in fact, it actually walks.So,it ends up building the suspense and makes you wait long enough before it strikes.
There is this prevailing sense of dread here and the movie is extremely capable of leaving a disturbing chain of aftereffects, ones that willrepetitively make you check behind your back.It Follows is an absolute must watch, especially for all the horror fans out there.
Prophecy (1979)
Doctor Robert Verne takes up a job with the Environmental Protection Agency to write a report about a clash between a paper mill and a Native American tribe in Maine. His wife also decided to accompany him on the journey.
During their investigation, the pair learns the source of the problem: mercury poisoning from the mill. However, they are unaware that the poisonous waste from the paper mill has caused a local bear to mutate into a terrible, savage beast that is spreading horror and death.
The late, veteran director John Frankenheimer not only managed to present this 1979 science fiction horror film as a monster flick but he also made it adynamicstory, one with the side effects of the polluted environment.
The film along with its campy moments delivered an environmental message, one that will stick with you for a long time. The key to this flick’s suspense happens to be the grisly monster on display here, whois literally 15 feet tall andabsolutely terrifying.
Many of you might not be aware but the mutant bear was actually portrayed by American actor and stuntman, Kevin Peter Hall, who was over 7ft tall. Hall has essayed various memorable man-in-a-suit monsters back in the 80s such as the Predator.
Returning to Prophecy, scenes in which a family is slain and a man in an upturned vehicle has his head ripped off make the creature appear genuinely terrifying. It’s no surprise that Stephen King continues to be a fan of the film.
The film’s tone has been deliberately kept solemn; it effortlessly captures the attention of the audience who are drawn to the screen. The film boasts numerous great pursuit moments, but the moonlit gallop through the fog-shrouded lake is the highlight. So, if you’re a monster movie aficionado, we recommend watching it with the lights turned out.
Feast (2005)
The film Feast, directed by John Gulager, is about a group of people enjoying a good time inside a local pub in Nevada until they are invaded by greedy, flesh-eating beasts. They are compelled to enclose the area and devise plans to protect themselves from the deadly invaders.
This 2005 movieboasts a fun story alongside every element of horror that one can possibly desire in a flick. The action scenes deserve a mention because, trust us, they are going to blow away that mind of yours.
The comical introductions for the top notch cast such as ‘Hero’, ‘Heroine’, ‘Honey Pie’, ‘Beer Guy’, ‘Tuffy’ gives this flick here an unusual edge making it even more interesting. The movie maintains its fast pacing throughout the running time of 87 minutes and provides its viewers with uninterrupted excitement.
The creatures here are protected by their long claws and razor-sharp teeth. They’re unpredictable, which means they’re defying horror’s laws about who gets to live and who doesn’t. Feast is a fantastic viewing, so don’t pass it up.