Monster movies have been a popular genre among moviegoers since filmmakers pioneered special effects. In other cases, even though there isn’t a clear plot, the monster is the driving force behind the film.
People overlook the imperfections because they are astonished by the monstrous creature’s appearance. These terrible animalistic animals contributed to the improvement of some substandard films and made for a fun watch! This video is all about these terrifying monsters and how their presence and antics helped the films succeed despite their flaws.
Moorwen – Outlander
Kainan is a guy from a distant world who was on a spacecraft delivering the dreaded predator Moorwen. It crashes on Earth, in the Viking-ruled kingdom of Herot. Moorwen, the terrible creature, manages to flee, and Kainan is on the hunt for her. Locals mistake him for the perpetrator of Moorwen’s massacre, and he now has to use his amazing technology to hunt down the deadly predator.
The monster-feature, in this case, has an innovative concept as the makers introduce an alien creature in the land of Vikings! Moorwen was designed as somewhat of a combination of a bull, dragon, and a gorilla. It can run at a great speed and is armed with a set of menacing interlocking teeth like a crocodile.
The makers even added a human touch to the creature, and despite its brutality, you would feel for it like you do while watching King Kong! With a gigantic height of about 15 feet, the visual appearance was perfected with some top-notch lighting and spin VFX.
Patrick Tatopoulos, the artist behind Moorwen, deserves all of the credit, but legendary filmmaker Howard McCain also contributed to the outstanding work. The creature is bioluminescent, and no one can see it till it shows itself when hunting in the woods!
Given that the Vikings lacked sufficient nighttime lighting, the tactic of luring its prey out with light is very intriguing. If the creature hadn’t been so horrifying, the film would not have been as popular as it is.
Kothoga – The Relic
Kothoga, a terrible beast, roams the Chicago Field Museum. A few horrible killings draw the attention of the security forces, and a police officer and a biologist try to spot the creature in the museum’s hallways.
The elusive demonic energy, on the other hand, seemed to have eluded them effectively. They’re racing against the clock as the museum’s gala opening approaches, and the beast must be defeated by then.
Kothoga is literally the worst of your nightmarish creatures served to you on screen. Everything about the creature from the reptilian slit green eyes, the humped back, the scaled body, or the deadly fangs, appeal to the viewer. With the sharp claws and teeth, the creature is quite a handful and almost seems invincible.
Kothoga is nocturnal by nature, and its poor eyesight is substituted by its keen sense of smell that helps it to hunt. This massive monster with reddish eyes was almost 15 feet in length and six feet in height. The sound of its heavy breathing would make your blood run cold! The designing of such a creature demands expertise and in charge of the proceedings was none other than Peter Hyams.
He didn’t want the creature to be just another man in a bodysuit, thus he demanded advanced design! Haugen made sure the creature’s various movements were flawless, and he handled the technical elements with ingenuity and competence.
The filming of various scenes in which Kothoga was to be climbing a wall had significant difficulties. VIFX, based in Los Angeles, created a digital counterpart for these scenes. All we can say is that the end outcome was well worth their time and effort.
The Cave Monster – The Cave
A group of cave divers was examining the remnants of a cave in Romania. They were blocked off from their escape routes and became trapped in the ruins. The only issue is that they aren’t on their own! Down down, there are some ferocious terrible beasts, and the divers must fend for themselves with nowhere to flee.
The best of creature effects depended on the craftsmanship of the artists and special effects teams! Patrick Tatopoulos is one name that inspires faith in this genre, and the man has delivered time and again with some exciting creatures. The script only said that the creatures have to be scary with bat-like abilities to fly around in the darkness of the cave.
The designers put on their thinking caps and put together a horrifying creature with three horns and sensory whisks at the back. The mighty jaws on the gigantic head look fairly intimidating. Not only did the creature look terrifying, but it also had significant intelligence and tactical knowledge.
For the filming of the creatures, they manufactured a total of seven of these monster-suits. Luma Pictures was in charge of the digital effects for the monster’s running and flying movements. One of the most impressive aspects of this monster is the level of attention to detail that went into its design. Finally, because to the outstanding work on the creatures, it turned out to be a fun flick.
Predalien – Aliens vs Predator Requiem (2007)
A spaceship crashes into a small Colorado hamlet, unleashing a swarm of terrifying monsters. Aliens and Predator species strive for dominance, and human life is put in jeopardy in the midst of this otherworldly conflict.
To defeat these animals, the Sheriff and a small group of citizens must work together. The invincible Predalien, the nearly indestructible creature, may be their toughest opponent.
The studio was so impressed with the concept of Predalien that they had the scripts re-written to portray it as the main antagonist. They turned against the initial plans where the Predalien was supposed to be dead before the ship crashes.
The grotesque Predaliaen species had been previously observed in comic books and video games. These creatures are taller than the human-spawned Xenomorphs and also the predators. Their lightning-fast strikes and brute strength make them a force to reckon with.
Their thick hide is so tough that even the most powerful strikes and explosions barely hurt them. The picture fell short of expectations and is often regarded as the poorest in the series. The Predalien, on the other hand, wowed audiences and helped the film earn respectable box-office receipts.
Grant monster -Slither (2006)
An extraterrestrial sickness appears to be taking over after a burning meteorite crashes in the dark woods of a tiny town. The first victim is a businessman named Grant, who has undergone some unexplained physical changes.
He is transformed into an ugly creature with an insatiable appetite for meat by an extraterrestrial onslaught of crawling parasites. Is there any way to stop the Grant monster and his slithering army from beyond the stars?
Unlike most of the entries in this list, Grant is a human who is established as a wealthy businessman. When he gets infected by the alien parasite, he dies, but the resulting entity that made him live also preserved some of his characteristics.
He still loves his wife although the transformations make him a monster. The appearance is somewhat like a giant bloodthirsty, meat-eating squid with dreadful tentacles.The way his slimy physique sucks in innocent villagers into his stomach is comical at times.
Despite the limited resources, the makers did a great job with the special effects. The sequence in which Grant slithers across the field, oblivious to the fact that he is being pursued, was shot with the assistance of multiple puppeteers, who were later digitally removed from the shot.
James Gunn is a Troma Studios veteran who has worked on a number of creature pictures. As the viewer sinks deeper into this fun-filled B-movie with the antics of the Grant monster, he assures that the lack of a decent storyline scarcely concerns them.
The Humanoid Crawlers – The Descent
Due to a rockfall, a cave expedition goes horribly wrong as the explorers become trapped in the tunnel network. Worse yet, they discover that the caves are home to an unusual race of carnivores.
These humanoid, savage crawlers can be found in the caves’ deepest and smallest crevices. These animals are attempting to hunt them down as they suffocate in the confined environment kilometres beneath the Earth.
The director, Neil Marshall, described these creatures in the simplest of terms. He called them cavemen who never left their caves. The humanoid crawlers are basically human subspecies that adapted themselves for the cave environment.
They evolved and bred in the dark of the caves and are completely blind with zero exposure to light. These creatures are stealthy and ruthless hunters who torment the explorers throughout the movie.
The humanoid crawlers aren’t particularly bright, but they do have the instinct to hunt in groups to catch their prey. They are quick and can scale the cave walls at high speeds, making them effective hunters.
The most terrifying aspect of these monsters was the spooky notion rather than the special effects. Even yet, the production team did a good job, and the audience was enthralled by the action as these animals chased the helpless victims.
Psychomatic Offspring, The Brood
Frank’s ex-wife is being treated by a crazed doctor who uses novel ways to break through her psychological barriers. She is converted into a psychopath capable of creating monstrous malformed progeny that harm individuals she despises.
Frank believes there is a link between a few grisly deaths, his wife’s changed behaviour, and the damage marks on their daughter following a visit to her. It’s not easy, though, to put a halt to these psychotic offspring.
When David Cronenberg is the director, you always expect the unthinkable. He does it yet again in this movie, and the psychomatic offspring is quite a sight! These are called the Broodlings and they carry out the murderous actions of their mother’s subconscious.
These dwarf-like creatures are ferocious in their attacks and once they have locked on to their targets, there is no escape. These creatures are color-blind, toothless, and devoid of a naval which indicates that they don’t exist through natural human birth. It is revealed that Frank’s wife parthenogenetically conceived these offspring capable of responding to her fury.
The concept for this film supposedly came to David Cronenberg while he was fighting his ex-wife for custody of his daughter. When Frank strangles the crazy wife to death, the brood dies, putting an end to the madness that had been going on for so long.
Killer Bigfoot – Abominable (2006)
After a tragic event, a guy was left widowed and disabled. In his wheelchair-bound situation, he seeks out the assistance of a therapist in order to return to the site of his trauma. He moves into a cottage in the woods to try to get his life back on track. Destiny, on the other hand, has different ideas for him.
A terrible beast lives in the forest and stalks a group of women who live in the house next door. The man tries to warn them about the Killer Bigfoot, but his condition prevents him from doing so. It’s going to be tremendous mayhem when the beast moves into the women’s residence.
The film Abominable presents a unique take on the Big Foot legend. The dreaded murderer Bigfoot, who appears to be a man-beast, appears in this intriguing creature film. It’s a menacing assailant with excellent stalking abilities. The man tries everything he can to get help as the hairy monster attacks the group of women, but in vain!
The creature-feature has a Hitchcockian twist to it, and it’s a nail-biter from start to finish. Because there is no CGI in the picture, the killer Bigfoot is just a man in a suit. However, the suit was well-made to eliminate the cheap-looking production design.
Some of the facial movements of this creature were achieved through robotic movements. While you cannot compare it to the modern creature-flicks with state-of-the-art special effects, it manages to maintain the eerie ambiance and makes for a thrilling watch.
Monster – The Monster (2016)
A mother-daughter duo’s late-night road journey turns into a nightmare. They collide while driving through deserted roads on a stormy night, causing damage to their vehicle. Things grow worse when they realise they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and discover a terrible wicked monster lurking in the woods. Now they must use all of their wits to get through the night.
If you appreciate practical effects instead of CGI, chances are that you would love the creature effects in this movie. The atmospheric lighting and smart camera movements make things intriguing.
The best thing about the monster here is that you can perceive it to be the psychological monster of the mother who is an addict and vulnerable. Even if you look past the symbolism of the creature, it is still entertaining to watch it in action. For much of the movie, the monster is not revealed and this adds to the suspense.
The visuals depicting the monster’s horrific attacks are graphic and not for the faint of heart. It appears frightening, and the environment adds to the dread. Overall, The Monster isn’t all about the monster, yet it still manages to freak you out with its creepy appearance.
Mermaid – She-Creature (2001)
Mermaids may appear to be beautiful and harmless, but we’ve seen plenty of films that explore the animals’ darker side. A mermaid is kidnapped and taken to America in this film. When the ship loses its bearings, however, all hell breaks loose as the mermaid begins to display her evil side.
When Stan Winston Studio took up the challenging task of managing the special effects for the mermaid, they had one thing clear. They wanted to deviate from the norms and create a creature that would be organic and dangerous.
Even with a limited budget, it didn’t look for once like a woman donning a mermaid costume. The creepiest thing about the mermaid here is that it can transform from its initial appearance to an abyssal creature. Everything from the prosthetic webbed hands and hair designs was perfected by the team.
The mermaid’s split tail design was also quite stunning and something that no one had ever seen before. When the mermaid displays its true horror at the film’s conclusion, the audience is guaranteed to recoil, and their fascination with mermaids will be shattered!
The filmmakers conducted extensive research on mermaid legend, which aided them in portraying the creature in its most terrifying form! After seeing this film, mermaids might not be your favourite Disney character.