There’s nothing quite like a terrific monster movie to get your adrenaline pumping. For centuries, the pleasure of watching a violent beast stalk down hapless prey has been a scene-stealer.
They also have simple narration and unique special effects, which add to the uniqueness of these creature qualities. The 1970s and 1980s come to mind when we think of monster and creature horror films. Those were the days when you could have a few beers and indulge in some sinful pleasures as the movies kept coming.
There have been several hidden jewels that have gone relatively unnoticed since 2000. In this video, we’ll walk you through several modern-day submissions where we had the same heart-in-mouth moments that made this genre so popular in the first place.
Animal (2014)
Jeff and his step-sister Alissa head to the woods for a hiking trip along with their friends Sean, Matt, and Mandy. They will not be able to return to their car before sundown due to frequent squabbling over the route and other roadblocks.
When they learn that a ferocious predator is on the loose, their difficulties become even worse. Jeff is the first to perish, and the others flee to a remote cottage, where they discover three more survivors who have escaped the monster.
The predator continues to target the hut’s weak places, and the party tries in vain to repel the creature while crying for rescue. The body count, however, continues to rise, and the mismatched crew must band together if they are to stand a chance against the bloodthirsty horror outside.
Even the biggest fan of this movie cannot call it an original effort, but Animal never pretends to be unique! It is a typical creature feature where people are lost in the woods, and an Alien-Predator hybrid picks them off one-by-one.
The narrative is entertaining and thrilling, and we were awed by the titular entity being discussed. The special effects team certainly did a great job putting this strange mutation together, and it looked a bit too realistic for comfort.
It almost served as a warning against deforestation because the woods where they went hiking were about to be chopped off. The climactic moments are so full of action that you will forget about any minor flaws in the storytelling.
Elizabeth Gillies was outstanding, while the rest of the cast was adequate. The creators should have done a better job of explaining the origins of the creature. Animal, on the other hand, is a B-movie, and if you don’t mind it simply paying homage to the genre, it could be a pleasant picture to see.
Creep (2004)
Kate is on her way home from a late-night party where she drank a lot of alcohol. She falls asleep at the subway station while waiting for the train and wakes up to find that the doors have been locked for the night.
A coworker who had followed her into the London Underground now tries to harm her now that she is confined. However, he is dragged away and killed by an unknown entity.
As a result, Kate and a trapped homeless couple embark on a perilous journey to flee the mystery creature. They are moving through the subway’s dark tunnels, and this vicious thing chases them in the darkness.
This movie is an absolute shocker, and the dark and disturbing narrative might give you a few sleepless nights. It takes no time to get going, and you soon become a part of the journey of Kate, who is caught in a terrifying situation!
The tense, claustrophobic atmosphere is present all through the ninety minutes of runtime, but somewhere in the middle, the thriller becomes a gore-fest. There are no clear explanations provided about a lot of things in this movie, but it is fair for a horror writer to not feel compelled to spoon-feed every little detail to the viewer.
There are enough hints that indicate to this malevolent creature’s origins, and keeping a little mystery alive never hurts. The voracious monster is horrible and sickening, but in some ways, his primal form is attractive. It’s up to you to figure out what it’s about, and the gruesome slaughtering it engages in adds to the realism.
We enjoyed the eerie atmosphere of a desolate London tube, and Christopher Smith’s flawless direction ensures that there is never a dull moment! We don’t know what will surprise you if the ending doesn’t.
The Monster (2016)
Kathy is an alcoholic who is meant to drive her adolescent daughter Lizzy to her divorced husband. Their adventure begins on a rainy night, and they encounter a wolf while going through the woods not long after. Kathy contacts 911 to seek a tow truck and an ambulance because her car has broken down.
The wolf inexplicably vanishes at this period, and when the tow truck arrives, the mechanic is pursued by a monster. Kathy and Lizzy quickly realise they are in the middle of nowhere, facing a terrible beast, with no sign of help on the way.
The stuck in a car with a monster outside plot has been used time and again in horror film history. What sets this one apart is the direction that crafts an intense sense of tension throughout the narrative.
The atmospheric lighting and sets enhance the suspense, and the camera work is fascinating. The titular critter makes multiple appearances, and they range from decent to rather silly at times. However, what impressed us the most was that such a modern movie opted for practicaleffects instead of CGI.
This monster is a savage beast that wants to kill anything that enters its forest territory. It looked like a large reptile with scaly skin and yellow fans, along with long limbs and sharp claws that helped it brutalize victims.
Aside from the adrenaline trip, the plot is around a crisis that draws a mother and daughter closer together. The conversation should have been better, and the monster looks rubbery and artificial at times. By all accounts, this film has flaws, but you can always dig deeper to find the jewel. Kathy’s addiction seemed to be the true monster, and it kept hitting her when she was most vulnerable.
Krampus (2015)
A shattered and dysfunctional family gathers for the holidays, but their continual bickering dampens the festive spirit. Young Max penned a letter to Santa, but he was so fed up with the arguments that he abandoned the holiday spirit.
This unleashed something dreadful: Krampus, an ancient demonic force hell-bent on torturing non-believers. It’s time for the family to put their differences aside and battle for one another as hell breaks free and holiday icons acquire hideous forms. Is it possible for them to emerge unscathed from this ordeal?
The film might have a bright Christmas background, but the narrative is anything but cherry. In fact, this can be counted as a mainstream horror flick that looks like a cross between Gremlins and Night of the Living Dead.
We hadn’t seen a movie like this in ages, and this masterpiece is at par with some of the best we have caught over the years. Christmas horror is not a new concept, but this is one of the first times that Christmas had its own traditional villain, Krampus.
He punishes those who have been naughty, and he has been doing so for thousands of years. The appearance of the Krampus was remarkable with its cloven hooves and hook chains on a horned creature. His claw-like hands and red eyes give him a demonic look. He doesn’t come alone, being accompanied by an army of wicked, sadistic elves.
The film is directed by Michael Dougherty, who also directed Trick r Treat. The only disappointment for us was the climax, which could have been much better. Krampus was not produced for the Oscars, but if you’re looking for some harmless entertainment while getting the jitters, don’t miss it.
Super 8 (2011)
In the summer of 1979, a group of six pals attempt to make a super 8 zombie film. When disaster strikes, they begin filming eagerly with their 8mm cameras at a local railway yard. They watch in horror as their teacher drives his truck onto the rail lines, derailing an approaching train.
Following this devastating crash, they quickly begin to think that it was not an accident at all! Soon, unexpected incidents begin to occur in their little community, and people begin to vanish under mysterious circumstances.
The local Deputy tries to dig deeper for the truth, and the shocking facts are more terrifying, than they could have imagined! It seems like the train was carrying an extraterrestrial creature, and now, it is running loose in the community!
This movie fails to retain the quality it promises in the first eighty minutes because the last act ruins the game. However, it is still a promising film that works as a tribute to Spielberg’s classic ET!
In fact, the first scene is oddly similar to ET, and even the style and theme have been kept the same. The special effects are spot on, and the acting performances are convincing enough. The narrative does get a bit unrealistic and artificial at times, but the cast does their best to keep the show running.
When it came to the alien thing in question, it was a 12-foot-tall humanoid giant. It was able to telepathically converse with the group of friends and was not the true antagonist of the story. It only desired to assemble the spacecraft and return to its home planet. Overall, this is a decent enough creature feature, and if you’re seeking for some vintage flavours, this could be exactly the ticket.
Reign of Fire (2002)
Quinn Abercromby, 12, felt bad about the hibernating dragon that had been reawakened as a result of his mother’s building project. With their scorching fires, the dragon and its spawn destroyed most of the world, and the story goes forward twenty years.
These fire-breathing dragons appear invincible, and humanity has been confined to a few remote outposts, where the surviving has remained. Help arrives in the weirdest of forms in the form of a bunch of rogue American fighters.
Van Zan, the guy who is said to have killed a dragon, leads them. Quinn’s assistance is solicited because his combat army claims to know how to destroy the serpentine animals. Can Quinn confront his own frightening memories as a child and help in defeating the beings that destroyed the world?
We all appreciate a narrative that has the quality to blend medieval mythology with the modern era effortlessly. Reign of Fire does that and creates a unique premise where humans have been removed from the top of the food chain. The story is more post-apocalyptic in nature where dragons burn everything to the ground.
The star-studded cast needs no introduction, and the likes of Gerard Butler, Christian Bale, and Matthew McConaughey are breathtakingly perfect as usual. We have no concerns about the special effects, which appear to be rather good. The dragons, in particular, appear to be extremely lifelike, and filmmaker Rob Bowman appears to be at ease with such a topic.
While we’re used to seeing dragons with four legs, these ones only have two, leading some to believe they’re Wyverns. The set designs are excellent, and the filmmakers certainly saved the best for last because the film culminates in a thrilling conclusion.
Reign of Fire isn’t trying to be amusing or quirky; instead, it’s a simple drama about two gangs fighting to the death! If such a concept interests you, go for this innovative sci-fi drama, and the dragons will be an added bonus to your experience.
Dead Silence (2007)
The one around Raven’s Fair is about a lady named Mary Shaw. She was a ventriloquist who was accused of kidnapping a small boy when she went insane. The townspeople then hunted her down and brutally murdered her.
Since then, there have been a slew of inexplicable deaths in the town, and it appears that she has risen from the grave to exact her vengeance. Jamie and Lisa had planned to start a family together, but Lisa was brutally killed in their apartment.
This movie is what we would like to call nightmare fuel! There are so many sequences that activate your wild imaginations that you are all set for a few scary ones in the nights to come. Dead Silence has an intriguing storyline, and the antagonist as a creepy ventriloquist with a collection of creepy dolls is quite haunting.
The heavy atmosphere is further magnified by the eerie music, and the mise-en-scene is simply surreal. The narrative does not shy away from gore, and while it was not gratuitous, it did make things scarier. We found the acting performances to be a bit lacking, but if you compare it with some of the sad horror attempts in the recent past, it is not all that terrible.
James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the creators of the Saw franchise, directed and wrote Dead Silence. They’re well-versed in horror classics, and they exploit everything from the frightening plot to the jump scares to entice viewers.
Mary Shaw was flawlessly portrayed, and you’d have to be a lion-hearted person not to cringe when she attacks. If you are afraid of dolls or have a weak heart, you should probably avoid this horror treasure.
Sinister (2012)
Ellison Oswalt is a well-known crime writer, but he’s been struggling to finish his next novel recently. He relocates his entire family to a small town in Pennsylvania, where they live in a house that was previously used as a murder scene.
His family is absolutely oblivious of the murder, and he hopes to have something to write about with the source of his scheme so near at hand. Oswalt begins investigating the owners who were murdered, and one day comes into a box of home tapes with recordings of the heinous killings.
He develops an obsession and uncovers evidence that suggests occult forces are involved. It may be little more than he bargained for, and his family might also be under some threat from the entities that slaughtered the previous occupants!
Sinister is a typical old-school horror that scares you without the usual gore and goofiness. It is all about a great story combined with impressive acting performances, managed by some credible direction. As the protagonist, Ethan Hawke is fantastic, and his character is a fascinating mix of humanity and fragility.
The scary moments are few and far between, but when they do appear, they are effective. The frightening tone of the story is established immediately from the first scene, and believes us when we say it is terrifying. Some of the footage used is disturbing, and the lighting perfectly suits the story.
Bagul, also known as Mr. Boogie, is the main villain in this movie, and is an ancient Babylonian pagan deity that consumed the souls of children. It developed into a vicious demon that had the ability to influence children to murder their own families, and then these children would be transported to the netherworld.
This tall, humanoid creature with pale skin and long hair, has no mouth, and thus, we never hear its voice. It helps in creating a mystifying aura around his personality, and we simply see him as a dangerous evil force.
Sinister is worth watching for the antagonist alone, and you wouldn’t want to miss it at any cost!
The Babadook (2014)
Amelia lost her husband in a horrible vehicle accident as they were on their way to have their baby Samuel. Samuel appears to have an excessive dread of monsters, and she tries to raise him as a single mother.
Amelia suffers from depression as a result of this separation from her pals. She had a practice of reading a bedtime story to her son, and Samuel surprised her one day by handing her the enigmatic book Mister Babadook.
It’s the story of a bizarre supernatural entity, and Samuel believes it’s also haunting their home. Slowly, even Amelia seems to be affected by the Babadook, and their nightmarish experiences continue. Is the monster real, or is it just a manifestation of her own insecurities and anger?
This is one monster flick that was never intended for the mainstream crowd. It lacks all the qualities of an entertaining creature feature, and you will find neither the scary monsters nor the usual jump scares.
The narrative successfully taps into your deepest fear and explores the truly terrifying things in life, such as sorrow, loneliness, and despair! The Babadook wouldn’t have been possible without some incredible acting by Essie Davis, and the way Jennifer Kent masters some of the shots proves her credentials as a director.
We hate to spoil it for you, but Amelia is actually possessed by a personality disorder that was triggered by the traumatic loss of her husband. The monster is simply a terribly distressed mother who invents her own demons in her mind, and the concept is intriguing.
The creature in the movie has a terrifying aspect, but it was simply a manifestation of grief. The parts where the monster takes control of Amelia’s mind will give you the creeps, and it will be difficult to believe that it is a psychological thriller!
This is one of the best examples of current horror film greatness, and it restores our trust in the genre once more.
Monster Man (2003)
Adam is driving to his beloved Betty-wedding. Ann’s Adam had split up with Betty-Ann because of his ignorance, and he is astonished to see his former schoolmate Harley in the backseat of his car.
The unusual pair sets out on a road trip, but their journey is cut short when Harley mocks some rednecks in a pub. They are stunned to discover a gigantic truck pursuing them, and there appears to be no easy way out of this situation.
This movie is nothing more than trashy entertainment and pretends to be no classic. It is not particularly frightening and has more of a gory-comedic narrative. The idea of a monster in a monster truck pursuing the victims works wonders, and the monster truck is quite a sight! It looks like a cross between a giant coffin and a World War I German artillery vehicle! We simply cannot get over how spooky and cool the vehicle looked.
When it comes to the characters, Adam is a shy twenty-five-year-old virgin on his way to prevent the love of his life from marrying, and his pal Harley is a loud and annoying person. Apart from the lunatic in chase, it provides a fascinating variety of personalities! In terms of aesthetics, The Monster Man was terrifying enough, and the visual effects were impressive.
The rubber corpse, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly terrifying, and the road-kill scenario was hilarious, even if it wasn’t meant to be! They might have done without the ridiculous climax, but life doesn’t always go your way, does it? However, we did appreciate the twist with the hitchhikertowards the end!
Dagon (2001)
The premise revolves around Paul and his fiancée Barbara following a boating accident off the coast of Spain, and the film is based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. They wash up in a run-down fishing village, where they quickly learn that the settlement is ruled by an ancient sea God and his half-human offspring. Paul appears to be pursued by the entire town, and he must flee these demon-worshipping people for his life.
It is not easy to grab a strange story and put it into a certain pattern, but director Stuart Gordon does a decent job with that. The narrative does well to capture the atmosphere of the creepy storytelling of Lovecraft, and the hero is more of a comedic element in this adventure.
There is a lot of humor, and it is accompanied by ample gruesomeness. Dagon clearly lacks the production values that are required to execute every aspect of Lovecraft, but with a limited budget, they don’t disappoint.
For many fans, this is the best-looking Lovecraftian horror, and that is saying something because there are so many! The film slowly unravels the mysteries, and the more we learn about the spooky town, the stranger it becomes. It is almost like you are in the middle of a terrible nightmare!
The sea monster Dagon is one of the members of the Deep Ones, a Lovecraftian cosmos of monstrosities. The monster effects here do a great job of capturing the behemoth’s individuality and terrorising the small village! If you enjoy H.P. Lovecraft’s classic works, this is a must-see for you.
The Crazies (2010)
Following a plane crash, some strange incidents seem to take place in Pierce County,Iowa. A local named Rory Hamill threatens the community with a gun all of a sudden at a baseball game, and the sheriff has to kill him.
His wife notices another man named Bill acting strangely. Bill confines his wife and son inside the house and burns it down the next night. They soon discover that the plane that crashed was carrying a biological weapon, and that the population had been affected. The army is dispatched, and the population is detained in detention camps.
The sheriff, his deputy, his wife, and her medical assistant, on the other hand, manage to flee the captivity. The party of four tries to break the containment zone and reach the next town despite the fact that there appears to be no cure for those who are being afflicted by the pollution and turning insane.
You would think that remaking a George A. Romero movie is not complicated, and you are right! The charm of this film is in its simplicity, and it is the purest form of horror with funny references or unnecessary sexualization.
The narrative heads straight to the outbreak of insanity, and since then, it simply goes on to portray how the social fabric of the town is shattered quickly. We loved the way this film explored its titular crazies.
Each of them appears to react to the virus differently, and although some appear to be entirely insane, others appear to have some sort of reasoning process. It would have been so easy to turn this into another braindead zombie film, but the director wisely avoided it.
There are a couple of stressful set-pieces and a couple of cheap jump scares put in simply to ruffle your feathers! It is a worthy tribute to George A. Romero’s 1973 classic, and you must set aside time to watch this thrilling and horrifying drama.