At the mention of a monster, our mind conjures up images of grotesque beings that are larger than life, capable of ripping us to shreds.
These are the beasts that scare us at night. They make us want to check under the bed or inside the closet and attics.
These monsters can be man-made, in a laboratory, as a result of an experiment gone wrong.
They can be naturally evolved, prehistoric or mutated beings that have come out to hunt humans.
However they may be created, these monsters are capable of making a hardened criminal or soldier cry for their mother.
Hollywood monsters are not the easy kind of monsters that hide under your bed and come out only at night to scare you.
They do not just steal your cookies but, they are intent on chewing us up like cookies.
They could, very easily, become the cause of our phobia to go for a swim in a placid lake or a fun day at the beach.
Camping trips with family could end up with more than just scary stories around the campfire at night.
In our list today, ENTOIN brings you a collection of classic, hardcore, scary creature features and monster movies that have excited us and stood the test of time to become classics.
If you have a weak stomach, then these grotesque creatures may not be your kind of entertainment.
Being unimaginable, scary, and capable of wiping out cities is a requirement for any good monster.
For this list, we have not considered any vampires, zombies, ghosts, demons, etc. We have tried to keep the list up to creatures only.
DramaFantasyWar
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Release Date:
Fri Jan 19 2007
Star Cast:
Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López
Budget:
$19,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$83,862,032
"Pan’s Labyrinth" is a masterpiece of fantasy horror directed by Guillermo del Toro. Set against the backdrop of the Francoist era during the Spanish Civil War, this Spanish-language film weaves a dark, enchanting tale.
Celebrated for its breathtaking cinematography, stunning visual effects, and standout performances, the movie immerses viewers in a hauntingly beautiful world.
The story centers on a young girl who moves in with her stepfather, the formidable Captain Vidal. During her stay, she stumbles upon a mystical labyrinth filled with enigmatic fauns, magical fairies, and terrifying monsters.
Charged by these mythical beings with daunting tasks, she must prove herself as the lost Princess Moanna of the underworld. Meanwhile, outside the maze, Captain Vidal ruthlessly pursues rebels, leading to a world filled with brutality and peril.
This film is equal parts mesmerizing and unsettling, blending fantasy and reality with spellbinding artistry. "Pan's Labyrinth" is a must-see for all fans of monster movies and dark fantasy.
Recommended:
HorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Ridley Scott
Release Date:
Fri Jun 22 1979
Star Cast:
Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Budget:
$11,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$106,285,522
When it comes to terrifying, relentless, and dangerous creatures, the Alien film franchise is always a top contender. The original 1979 film, directed by Ridley Scott, launched this iconic series and redefined the monster movie genre.
The story follows the crew of the Nostromo, a space tug returning home with seven crew members in stasis. Their journey takes a drastic turn when they receive a mysterious distress signal from a nearby moon.
The ship’s computer awakens the team, prompting them to investigate the source of the signal. This decision leads to a terrifying encounter with the infamous alien creature.
What begins as an investigation quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival against a deadly extraterrestrial threat. The film earned critical and commercial success over time, although it initially faced criticism from some, with one reviewer calling it an “empty bag of tricks”—a claim later overshadowed by its enduring legacy.
DramaHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
James Whale
Release Date:
Mon May 6 1935
Star Cast:
Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive
Budget:
$397,024 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$10,493
"The Bride of Frankenstein" picks up immediately after the events of the original "Frankenstein" film. The monster has come to life and Dr. Frankenstein is presumed dead, but his fiancée soon discovers him alive and cares for him as he recovers.
Meanwhile, the monster roams the village, feared and rejected by the townspeople who see him as a threat. While fleeing from an angry mob, the monster encounters Doctor Pretorius, who promises to create a companion for him.
This intriguing premise shapes the direction of the film. Although the monster is given a bride, he does not receive the affection he so desperately seeks, as she, too, is terrified of him.
"The Bride of Frankenstein" became a commercial success, earning praise at the box office. Critics lauded the film as a masterpiece, praising both its compelling story and the stellar performances by the cast and crew.
Recommended:
AdventureMysteryThriller
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Release Date:
Fri Jun 20 1975
Star Cast:
Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Budget:
$7,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$476,512,065
"Jaws" tells the terrifying story of a killer great white shark that preys on unsuspecting swimmers in a seemingly idyllic beach town. As panic spreads, the local sheriff, Brody, must act quickly to protect both residents and tourists.
This summer blockbuster not only became a cultural sensation but also inspired a wave of remakes and sequels. It remains one of the most successful film franchises in cinema history, second only to "Star Wars."
The film is set in a popular summer resort town, where the shark’s relentless attacks trigger growing fear and urgency. After several brutal incidents, Sheriff Brody teams up with a marine biologist and a seasoned shark hunter to take on the deadly predator.
Their pursuit quickly turns into a suspenseful and dangerous battle, as the shark proves smarter and more formidable than expected. The tension builds to a thrilling climax, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.
Breaking box office records, "Jaws" grossed over $460 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of its era until surpassed by "Star Wars" in 1977. The film earned critical acclaim for its iconic music by John Williams, as well as its stellar editing and sound design. The haunting theme song, in particular, set the tone for the shark's ominous presence and remains legendary to this day.
Recommended:
DramaHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
James Whale
Release Date:
Sat Nov 21 1931
Star Cast:
Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff
Budget:
$291,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$1,626
Frankenstein stands as Hollywood’s most renowned monster, captivating audiences for generations.
This classic film adapts Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel, "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus," bringing its haunting tale to the big screen.
Iconic performances include Boris Karloff as the unforgettable monster and Colin Clive as the determined Dr. Henry Frankenstein.
The story follows Dr. Frankenstein, an obsessed scientist fixated on the idea of reanimating the dead. With the help of his assistants, he exhumes bodies and conducts daring experiments.
Ultimately, Dr. Frankenstein succeeds in bringing a man back to life, but his creation emerges as a misunderstood and tormented creature lacking knowledge or direction.
Feared and reviled by those around him, the creature is shunned as a monster. The film received universal acclaim and holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics praised it as a chilling, expertly crafted drama, lauded for its intelligent production, outstanding camerawork, and striking photography.
AnimationAdventureComedy
Director:
Pete Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich
Release Date:
Fri Nov 2 2001
Star Cast:
Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs
Budget:
$115,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$579,707,738
"Monsters, Inc." is a delightful animated film set in a vibrant world where monsters live and work much like humans, blending imagination with everyday routines.
The movie features an all-star cast, including the comedic talents of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, and James Coburn, who bring the lovable characters to life.
In the bustling city of Monstropolis, energy is produced at a power plant that collects the frightened screams of children to keep their world running.
Sulley and Wazowski, the plant’s top employees, stumble upon a stray child who unexpectedly enters their world through an open door, setting off a wild chain of events.
What follows is a fun-filled, heartwarming adventure as Sulley and Wazowski race to return the child safely, tackling chaos and challenges along the way.
The film also introduces a sinister subplot involving a coworker’s elaborate scheme to extract screams from children using a menacing machine.
Praised by audiences and critics alike, "Monsters, Inc." was lauded as clever, funny, and utterly delightful. The New York Times noted it showcased creative energy rarely seen in animated films.
DramaHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
John Krasinski
Release Date:
Fri Apr 6 2018
Star Cast:
Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds
Budget:
$17,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$340,952,971
"A Quiet Place" is the riveting first installment of a two-part film series directed by John Krasinski.
Set in a chilling post-apocalyptic world, this monster movie centers on an Earth overrun by deadly extraterrestrials that hunt solely by sound. The terrifying alien creatures, encased in impenetrable armor and completely blind, rely on their acute sense of hearing to stalk survivors.
In this treacherous environment, silence is the only survival strategy. The story follows Lee Abbott, a resourceful engineer and determined father, as he fights to protect his family and keep them together.
"A Quiet Place" became a global sensation, earning over $350 million at the box office and securing an impressive 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics hailed the film for its clever concept, pulse-pounding suspense, strong performances, and smart storytelling.
The film garnered multiple award nominations, including the Golden Globe Awards, Academy Awards, and Writers Guild Award, in categories such as Best Original Score, Screenplay, and Sound Editing.
DramaFantasyRomance
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Release Date:
Fri Dec 22 2017
Star Cast:
Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon
Budget:
$19,400,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$195,243,464
"The Shape of Water" is a visionary film by Guillermo Del Toro, inspired by his childhood memories and admiration for classic monster movies.
Del Toro drew inspiration from "Creature from the Black Lagoon," particularly imagining what might have happened if the Gill-man's relationship with Kay Lawrence had blossomed into romance.
The story unfolds in a top-secret research laboratory, where a mysterious humanoid amphibian has been recently captured and is being studied.
A mute janitor working at the facility secretly befriends the creature, forging a unique and heartfelt bond with him.
As the authorities plan to destroy the amphibian man, the janitor—now deeply in love—becomes determined to save him.
With the help of her friends, she devises a daring plan to free the amphibian man and return him to the ocean, granting him a chance at freedom.
The film received widespread critical acclaim for its powerful performances, stunning direction, gorgeous cinematography, and evocative music. Garnering 13 Academy Award nominations, it won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.
DramaHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Bong Joon Ho
Release Date:
Fri Mar 30 2007
Star Cast:
Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-il
Budget:
₩12,215,500,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$89,433,436
"The Host" is a Korean monster film that follows a family's struggle for survival when their lives are upended by a terrifying, man-made creature.
Inspired by true accounts of mutated fish in the polluted Han River, the movie draws on real-world environmental issues to craft its thrilling narrative.
The story begins when an American pathologist working in Korea carelessly dumps a large quantity of formaldehyde into the Han River, setting off disastrous consequences.
The resulting pollution kills several aquatic creatures, while others mutate, giving rise to a monstrous being that terrorizes those living and working along the riverbanks.
The Parks family finds themselves in grave danger after their daughter is abducted by the creature and trapped in the sewers.
Upon release, "The Host" became the highest-grossing film in Korea and later found success internationally, eventually reaching audiences in America through home video and Blu-ray releases.
HorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Ishirô Honda
Release Date:
Fri May 7 2004
Star Cast:
Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada
Budget:
$175,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$562,711
Godzilla (1954) marks the beginning of the longest-running film franchise, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. This groundbreaking film introduces Godzilla, a creature inspired by dinosaurs and brought to life through innovative special effects.
Pioneering the suitmation technique, Godzilla featured an actor inside a monster suit, setting a standard for future monster movies. The story unfolds as a mysterious giant emerges, destroying ships and devouring fish off the coast of Odo Island.
As investigations proceed, the beast is identified as the ancient monster Godzilla, mutated into a radioactive threat after repeated nuclear bomb tests in the area. The film captivated Japanese audiences in 1954, becoming the ninth highest-grossing movie of the year in Japan.
Godzilla was later released on a limited basis in the United States and the United Kingdom, expanding its global influence and solidifying its legendary status in monster cinema.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Release Date:
Fri Jun 11 1993
Star Cast:
Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
Budget:
$63,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$1,114,429,886
Jurassic Park, based on Michael Crichton's bestselling novel, marks the thrilling beginning of this iconic film trilogy.
The story centers on a visionary attempt to resurrect dinosaurs and showcase them in a cutting-edge theme park as the main attraction. Set on Isla Nublar, an isolated island off the coast of Costa Rica, genetic engineering brings these prehistoric creatures back to life.
Trouble erupts when a group of guests tours the facility and a deliberate act of sabotage triggers a total power failure.
The security breakdown allows the dinosaurs to escape, turning the once-spectacular island into a perilous hunt for survival as the creatures stalk the visitors and staff.
Jurassic Park became a massive box-office success and was lauded by critics for its suspenseful narrative, groundbreaking cinematography, and revolutionary visual effects. The film garnered three Academy Awards for its technical achievements and earned widespread acclaim.
ActionAdventureRomance
Director:
Peter Jackson
Release Date:
Wed Dec 14 2005
Star Cast:
Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody
Budget:
$207,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$556,906,378
"King Kong" (2005) is Peter Jackson's ambitious and visually stunning remake of the classic 1933 monster film. With a massive $207 million budget, it was one of the most expensive productions of its time, showcasing groundbreaking special effects and epic storytelling.
The film follows a daring movie director who persuades his crew and cast to join him on an expedition to film on the enigmatic and dangerous Skull Island. There, they encounter the mighty King Kong and a host of other mythical creatures that push their survival to the limit.
Kong becomes fascinated by the leading actress, setting off a chain of dramatic events. The director ultimately captures Kong to exhibit him in a Broadway show, hoping to profit from the giant ape's infamy.
Despite the actress's reluctance, Kong is paraded before a stunned audience. However, overwhelmed by the bright lights and chaos of the theater, Kong escapes, wreaking havoc as he desperately searches for the actress through the streets of New York.
The haunting climax unfolds atop the Empire State Building, where Kong, tragically misunderstood, is ultimately shot down by Navy fighter planes. Despite going over budget, "King Kong" was Universal Studios' fourth highest-grossing film of 2005 and received both commercial success and critical acclaim, ranking among the year's top earners.
AdventureDramaFamily
Director:
J.A. Bayona
Release Date:
Fri Jan 6 2017
Star Cast:
Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones
Budget:
$43,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$47,309,313
A Monster Calls is an adaptation of Patrick Ness’s acclaimed novel of the same name, bringing a powerful story to the screen with imagination and emotion.
The film features a unique monster—an anthropomorphic Yew tree voiced by Liam Neeson—within an international collaboration between Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
At its heart, the story centers on Conor O'Malley, a young boy struggling to cope as his mother faces terminal cancer.
While his mother undergoes chemotherapy, Conor’s grandmother steps in to care for him, a change that only adds to his distress and reluctance to leave his mother’s side.
Dealing with bullying at school and the weight of his mother’s illness, Conor finds solace when the ancient Yew tree from his yard magically comes alive, vowing to tell him three stories.
In return, the monster asks Conor to share a fourth story—his own truth. Through these tales, the Yew tree helps Conor face the pain and fears lurking deep within him.
The climactic fourth story forces Conor to confront his greatest fear and accept painful realities.
A Monster Calls received widespread critical acclaim and earned multiple awards, though its box office performance barely covered the production budget.
AnimationAdventureComedy
Director:
Enrico Casarosa
Release Date:
Fri Jun 18 2021
Star Cast:
Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman
Box Office (Worldwide):
$49,750,471
"Luca" is a 2021 Pixar film set along the picturesque Italian Riviera, centering on the adventures of young sea monster Luca Paguro as he discovers the world above water.
During an unforgettable summer in the vibrant town of Portorosso, Luca befriends Alberto and Giulia. Together, they navigate thrilling escapades while exploring themes of friendship, growing up, and self-acceptance.
Although initially planned for theaters, "Luca" was released on Disney+ due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with select locations receiving limited theatrical screenings.
The heart of the story is Luca's yearning to explore life on land and the challenges he faces hiding his true identity in the human world. With touching moments and uplifting messages about inclusivity, "Luca" warmly embraces individuality and the enduring power of friendship.
AdventureDramaHorror
Director:
Alex Garland
Release Date:
Fri Feb 23 2018
Star Cast:
Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson
Budget:
$40,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$43,070,915
"Annihilation" is a science fiction horror film that explores alien phenomena and features a constantly evolving monster. The creature mutates by merging and overlapping the DNA of any living being it encounters, leading to unpredictable transformations.
The film initially premiered in the USA and China but struggled at the box office. Subsequently, it found a larger audience worldwide after being released on Netflix.
Critics and viewers alike praised "Annihilation" for its compelling story, powerful performances, striking direction, and unique conceptual approach. The screenplay is adapted from Jeff VanderMeer's 2014 novel of the same name.
The story centers on a group of five researchers sent to investigate the mysterious Area X, a secret government facility surrounding a region known as the Shimmer, which formed after a meteor impact.
Within the Shimmer, bizarre anomalies cause all living things to absorb, imitate, and mutate each other at the DNA level. The result is the emergence of new life forms—strange hybrids created from a mixture of multiple species.
HorrorMysteryRomance
Director:
George Waggner
Release Date:
Fri Dec 12 1941
Star Cast:
Claude Rains, Warren William, Lon Chaney Jr.
Budget:
$180,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$420
"The Wolf Man" stands as one of Hollywood's pioneering depictions of werewolves, following the first werewolf movie, "Werewolf of London" (1935).
Written by Curt Siodmak and directed by George Waggner, the film centers on Larry Talbot, an honorable man who returns to his hometown to bury his brother and mend his relationship with his father.
Soon after his return, Larry hears chilling tales of a local legend: the werewolf, a man cursed to transform into a wolf each full moon.
Attempting to help a fellow villager, Larry is bitten by a werewolf. He gradually succumbs to the curse and transforms into one himself.
Tragically, Larry, despite his good nature, becomes a danger to others and attacks people without control. Unable to see his son suffer, Larry's father ultimately ends his misery by killing him.
"The Wolf Man" was met with critical and audience acclaim, hailed as one of the best horror films ever produced.
AnimationComedyDrama
Director:
Tim Burton
Release Date:
Fri Oct 5 2012
Star Cast:
Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short
Budget:
$39,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$84,247,681
"Frankenweenie" (2012) is a visually distinct Tim Burton film that puts a charming twist on the classic Frankenstein tale, using stop-motion animation to tell its story. Instead of reanimating a human, this version centers around a devoted boy and his beloved pet dog.
The film reimagines Burton's own 1982 short of the same name, expanding the narrative with rich animation and emotional depth.
After the tragic loss of his loyal bull terrier, Sparky, a young boy is unable to let go. Driven by love and scientific curiosity, he devises a way to bring Sparky back to life in a nod to Dr. Frankenstein's iconic experiment.
Soon, the boy's extraordinary achievement captures the attention of those around him, eager to perform similar miracles for their own pets. This leads to spirited, sometimes hilarious consequences.
The film earned praise for revitalizing the art of stop-motion animation, blending nostalgia with heartwarming storytelling. "Frankenweenie" stands out for its energetic, touching narrative and memorable characters.
AdventureHorrorThriller
Director:
Neil Marshall
Release Date:
Fri Aug 4 2006
Star Cast:
Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid
Budget:
£3,500,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$57,130,027
"The Descent" (2005), directed by Neil Marshall, is a gripping horror film that plunges viewers into an unforgettable underground adventure. The plot centers on a group of adventurous female friends who set out to explore a remote cave system deep in the Appalachian Mountains.
As they progress, the team encounters a series of claustrophobic and terrifying obstacles. The suspense intensifies when they realize they are not alone, facing off against terrifying, bloodthirsty creatures lurking in the darkness.
The film expertly blends elements of survival, horror, and psychological thriller to deliver an intense and nerve-wracking cinematic experience. "The Descent" is celebrated for its powerful female cast, compelling character development, and relentless sense of dread. Its chilling themes of fear, friendship, and primal survival instincts unfold in an atmosphere that's as suffocating as it is suspenseful.
ComedyFantasyHorror
Director:
Joe Dante
Release Date:
Fri Jun 8 1984
Star Cast:
Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton
Budget:
$11,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$153,898,890
Released in 1984, "Gremlins" is a horror comedy that draws inspiration from British folklore, featuring mischievous and destructive creatures known as gremlins. These creatures are notorious for causing chaos and mayhem wherever they appear.
The story follows a father who, while Christmas shopping, discovers a mysterious furry creature called a mogwai at a Chinese gift shop. Believing it would be a delightful pet, he brings it home for his son.
Unbeknownst to the family, the mogwai multiplies rapidly, giving rise to more mischievous creatures. These mogwais eventually turn into gremlins, unleashing havoc on the town and endangering its residents.
"Gremlins" was cleverly marketed as a Christmas special, with its dark humor resonating well with audiences. The film received positive critical acclaim, earning ratings between 3 and 3.5 stars, and achieved an 85% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Horror
Director:
Andy Muschietti
Release Date:
Fri Sep 8 2017
Star Cast:
Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard
Budget:
$35,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$704,242,551
"It" (2017) is a chilling adaptation of Stephen King's renowned supernatural horror novel. The central creature, known only as "It," terrifies the small town of Derry, Maine by taking the menacing form of Pennywise the dancing clown.
Pennywise preys on the town’s children, luring unsuspecting victims into the sewers and unleashing unspeakable horrors upon them. The story begins with the harrowing disappearance of a young boy, setting the stage for a tale of fear and courage.
Devastated by his brother's disappearance, the boy’s sibling assembles a group of friends to search for him. As they embark on their quest, they not only confront relentless bullies but also their own deep-seated fears, making the journey both a physical and psychological battle.
Together, the children face Pennywise and manage to defeat the monster—at least temporarily. Before parting ways, they vow to reunite and fight again should "It" ever return.
The film received widespread acclaim from both audiences and critics, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon. Not only was it a box office sensation, but it also became the highest-grossing horror film of all time and the fifth highest-grossing R-rated movie ever released.
HorrorMysterySci-Fi
Director:
John Carpenter
Release Date:
Fri Jun 25 1982
Star Cast:
Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$19,862,346
The Thing is an alien sci-fi horror about an alien life form that can reshape itself.
It can become any being that it has devoured. A scientific research team sent to Antarctica encountered this monstrous being.
The team of researchers finds themselves in a quandary, unable to locate, identify or fight back the alien.
In fact, they can not trust their own team members as the being shapeshifts into the being that it has killed.
Upon release, the film was severely criticized by all. Described as instant junk, a wretched excess, the film became the most hated film of that time.
It performed very poorly at the box office. Later with its release in the home video market, the film picked up popularity.
It created a cult following for itself. The film was also reappraised and deemed one of the best science fiction movies.
ComedyHorror
Director:
Ron Underwood
Release Date:
Fri Jan 19 1990
Star Cast:
Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter
Budget:
$11,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$16,668,084
Tremors is a monster comedy movie that brings back memories of old creature features from the 1950s.
The film is the first installment of the Tremors series that is followed up with six more movies.
The film stars Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward as two friends who desperately want to escape town.
They are bored with the boring and mundane life of the small town and seek the thrills of the big city.
But, their escape is thwarted by the sudden appearance of a monster. The creature had already killed a few residents of the town.
The sudden rise in seismic activity and irregular pattern of activity attracts a seismologist. The two friends, along with a survivalist couple and the seismologist, have to figure out the monster and get rid of it before they can move out.
The movie was well-received by critics who appreciated the mix of humor, horror, and the cast.
One critic said that the cinema has minimal character development, it is a slacker of a monster movie, but it is so bad that it is fun to watch it.
ActionAdventureFantasy
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Release Date:
Fri Apr 2 2004
Star Cast:
Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Selma Blair
Budget:
$66,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$99,378,985
Hellboy is another monster film from the stables of Guillermo Del Toro. The film is loosely based on the Dark Horse comic book hero by the name of Hellboy.
At the end of World War II, the Nazi party starts to dabble in dark arts.
Using the help of the infamous Russian monk Grigori Rasputin, they try to raise a demon from hell, the Hellboy.
Although they successfully bring him to this world, the Allied forces thwart their mission. They take possession of Hellboy. 60 years later, the original rescuer, Prof. Broom, is dying.
Rasputin is back to raise more demons from hell. The government has to take the help of the Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and his team to contain a particularly dangerous creature called Sammael.
The film received a B- grade from CinemaScore. The critics also praised the film and Del Toro’s work.
The fantastic visuals, excellent direction, witty dialogue, and engaging narrative make the picture worth watching.
ActionDramaHorror
Director:
Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi
Release Date:
Fri Jul 29 2016
Star Cast:
Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara
Box Office (Worldwide):
$78,053,145
Shin Godzilla is the third reboot of the Godzilla franchise from Toho Production house which owns the Godzilla franchise.
It is also the 31st Godzilla movie to be made starring the monster. The film was inspired by the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku.
In a similar situation, the Japanese coast guard encountered the monster Godzilla. The problem is that every time it is attacked, the creature evolves and comes back stronger.
The story highlights the government’s apathy and lackadaisical recovery and rescue plan in situations of disaster.
Every time the Gojira appears, the slow response from the officials aggravates the problems. The movie was well-received in Japan.
It was nominated for 11 Japan Academy Prizes and won seven of them. It won the award for Picture of the Year and Director of the Year.
ComedyHorror
Director:
John Landis
Release Date:
Fri Aug 21 1981
Star Cast:
David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher
Budget:
$10,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$30,794,462
An American Werewolf in London is a monster film that is a horror-comedy. The film was written and directed by John Landis based on a script written in 1962.
Back then, most producers felt that the story was too frightening to be a comedy and too humorous to be a horror film.
The story follows a pair of American backpackers hitchhiking through the English countryside. At the Slaughtered Lamb pub, they have a meal and set out again.
Despite the warning of the patrons at the pub, the pair ignore it. They enter the moor on the night of the full moon.
The pair are attacked by a werewolf that kills one friend and severely injures the other.
Having been bitten by the werewolf, the other friend becomes a werewolf and goes on a killing spree.
With no other way to control him, the police finally kill him when he goes on another killing spree.
The film was made on a budget of approximately $ 6 million, and it earned more than $ 60 million at the box office.
Critics praised the film for being terrifying and funny in equal measures. The makeup artist was applauded.
John Landis, the director/writer, garnered wide acclaim.
ActionAdventureFantasy
Director:
Matthew Robbins
Release Date:
Fri Jun 26 1981
Star Cast:
Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson
Budget:
$18,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$14,110,013
Dragon Slayer is a collaboration between Disney pictures and Paramount pictures. As a result, we get a balanced dose of fantasy, realism, adventure, drama, and magic.
The film tells us a story about an imaginary kingdom of Urland, where a dragon has been terrorizing everyone into sacrificing two virgin girls every year.
To escape the lottery, a young girl disguises herself as a boy and sets out to find a wizard who can kill the dragon.
While the boy requests the wizard to help the kingdom, the corruption and ill will stop him.
The King and his general kill the wizard. They also imprison the apprentice who tries to help.
Another sinister deed is exposed by the princess, that the lottery to select virgins is rigged to exclude wealthy and influential families.
The church also tries to claim the dragon as a demon from hell. It can be punished only by God.
The film was not very successful when it was released. However, it became a cult classic over the years.
Critics appreciated the fabulous portrayal of the dark ages. The world was flooded with superstition, corruption, greed, and suffering.
HorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Jack Arnold
Release Date:
Fri Mar 5 1954
Star Cast:
Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning
Box Office (Worldwide):
$275
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a black-and-white film that was released in 3D format.
It is about a prehistoric monster that has been dwelling secretly in the Amazon jungles.
A team of researchers finds fossils. They are identified as the monster that they call Gill-man and set out to research it.
The team unexpectedly finds a live Gill-man and has difficulty escaping the monster. Though they initially plan to research it and capture it, they end up killing it.
Otherwise, they cannot get away with their lives. The film was met with 3 stars out of 5 from critics.
The film may not be an original idea, but the technical superiority of the camerawork, photography, and more make the film worth watching.
The film was included in the American Film Institute list of 100 years...100 heroes and villains list, in 2003.
ComedyDramaFantasy
Director:
Nacho Vigalondo
Release Date:
Fri Apr 21 2017
Star Cast:
Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$4,531,320
Colossal is unlike any other monster movie on this list. The film is a black comedy that involves a monster and a giant robot that wreak havoc on the city of Seoul.
The film starts with an out-of-work and alcoholic writer, Gloria. Her boyfriend is fed up with her drinking binges and kicks her out of the apartment.
She returns to her hometown, only to start work at her best friend's bar. Gloria's drinking problem deteriorates, and she discovers that she is linked to a monster.
It has appeared in Seoul, and it seems to replicate everything Gloria does at the park.
Surprisingly, her best friend, too manifests, in Seoul as a giant robot, as long as he is in that park.
The reason behind this phenomenon and how they resolve it makes up the movie. The film was positively received by critics.
The performance of Anne Hathaway as Gloria is particularly praised. However, it was not successful at the box office.
HorrorSci-FiThriller
Director:
Matt Reeves
Release Date:
Fri Jan 18 2008
Star Cast:
Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan
Budget:
$25,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$172,394,180
Cloverfield is the first film in the Cloverfield series. The movie introduces us to the first encounter with the monsters that attack New York.
The events are explained through the experiences of a group of friends who were partying when the creatures came.
The entire movie is shot as a documentary based on found footage of a group of friends.
They were partying when the invasion started. The group could not escape before the city of New York was locked down and bombed as a part of the military containment procedure.
The film received, generally, positive reviews for the cinema-verite style. Many critics praised the direction of Reeves.
The film also grossed $ 172 million across the world. Keeping in sync with the found footage format, the entire film, excluding the credits, is 80 minutes.
That is the exact amount of filming time available on a camcorder device.
AdventureMysterySci-Fi
Director:
Ridley Scott
Release Date:
Fri Jun 8 2012
Star Cast:
Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender
Budget:
$130,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$403,354,469
Prometheus is considered an unofficial prequel to the Alien series. The movie explores how the monstrous alien came into contact with us and its motive to kill us.
Sometime in the future, while conducting explorations in Scotland, a team of researchers finds a star map that leads to a distant planet.
The researchers come to the conclusion that this star map was left behind by the predecessors of humans.
An aging CEO of Wayland Corp decides to follow the star map and make contact with them.
He commissions a spaceship, Prometheus, to send the team to LV-223, a distant planet. What happens next and what they encounter there to make up the rest of the movie.
Some have considered the movie as man’s quest for God. To find the reason why he created the Earth.
The leader of the mission is Shaw, who is a religious believer. She wants to find God and the answers to creation.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Release Date:
Fri Jul 12 2013
Star Cast:
Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi
Budget:
$190,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$411,002,906
Pacific Rim is the precursor to Pacific Rim: Uprising. The film was directed by Guillermo Del Toro and based on a story by Travis Beacham.
The film is set in the future where mysterious otherworldly monsters called Kaiju have emerged from an interdimensional portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
To defeat these Kaiju, man has built giant humanoid mechas that can be guided and controlled with a mind link.
These mechas are called Jaegers. A team of specialized fighters set out in their Jaegers to fight and defeat the Kaiju and close the portal permanently.
The film borrows heavily from the Japanese anime culture of mecha, humanoid, and fighting machines. The story is flimsy without much scope for character development, etc.
But, the direction is super-stylized. The cast and the stylized mechas make the film thoroughly entertaining.
The film did not gross much in the American market. It had box office earnings of just over $100 million.
But, the film earned big in the overseas market, making the total earnings shoot up to over $ 400 million.
ActionAdventureHorror
Director:
John McTiernan
Release Date:
Fri Jun 12 1987
Star Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$98,268,458
Predator is the first film of the Predator series, and it is directed by John McTiernan.
The film’s main character is an alien hunter that comes from an unknown planet and hunts humans.
The predator is an advanced alien being with many sophisticated weapons and devices on its person.
The film starts with a secret government mission to flush out insurgents backed by the Soviet Union from the jungles of Central America.
However, after locating the first group of insurgents and killing them, the US team realizes that they are being hunted by something more sinister than the Soviets.
Initially, the film opened to mixed reviews. The film was described as grizzly, dull, and a heavily militarized muscle movie by critics.
However, in retrospect, reviewers have described the film as a masterful creation that is fast-paced and keeps us on the edge of our seats.
ActionAdventureFantasy
Director:
Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Release Date:
Fri Mar 10 2017
Star Cast:
Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson
Budget:
$185,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$568,652,812
Kong Skull Island is the second film in the Legendary Monsterverse. After an introduction to Godzilla in their first movie, Legendary Pictures introduces us to the next creature, King Kong.
He is first seen when two fighter planes involved in a dogfight crash land on skull island.
Years later, we are taken back to the island on an expedition. They have to locate King Kong as part of research on the ancient creatures.
The expedition team soon discovers that Kong is not the only monster on this island.
In fact, he is the guardian who is saving everyone from another, a more evil monster called Skincrawlers.
The local tribe there worship him as their god and warns the team to be careful about Skinscrawlers who hunt on anything living.
The film did good business internationally and earned more than $550 million at the box office.
The critics, too, were pleased with the movie for its fast-paced narrative, solid acting, and cast.
They opined that Kong: Skull Island has earned itself a spot on the best monster movie list.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Gareth Edwards
Release Date:
Fri May 16 2014
Star Cast:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston
Budget:
$160,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$524,976,069
This version of Godzilla goes back to the earliest one. It was created by the Japanese production house, Toho.
It is the first movie in the monster universe created by Legendary Pictures in Hollywood.
The film introduces the premise that Godzilla is one of the titans and tries to humanize the creature and all the characters.
An earthquake in Japan had destroyed a nuclear plant and in an attempt to reduce radiation leaks, the plant supervisor Brody, locked down the plant despite his wife and team still stuck inside.
This leaves him traumatized, and he spends his life looking for reasons for the radiation breach.
In his search, Brody discovers the existence of the MOTUs that have absorbed all the radiation and become monsters.
They now start attacking other nuclear plants. The world will have to turn to an unlikely hero, Godzilla, to stop all such disasters in the future.
The film was very successful worldwide and raked in good profits. The critics were also pleased with the balance between human drama and monster fight sequences.
The director, Gareth Edwards, specifically requested Godzilla to display extensive scarring on its body to represent the radiation burns, as seen in the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
HorrorSci-FiThriller
Director:
Frank Darabont
Release Date:
Wed Nov 21 2007
Star Cast:
Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden
Budget:
$18,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$57,470,220
The Mist is a monster film that was inspired by a novel written by Stephen King.
The book, The Mist, has a different ending as given by Stephen King. The director, Frank Darabont, wanted a darker ending.
He discussed the same with King and created an alternate ending in the movie. The film is about a small town where freak weather creates dense mist that completely covers the entire place.
Hidden in this mist is a scary monster. It is bloodthirsty and seeks humans to kill.
A group of them hide in a supermarket and plan to bide time till rescuers come.
The film received 71% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is having a tense, gripping plot.
It has just enough gory scenes to make it a horror. It was well-praised for its direction and narrative.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Colin Trevorrow
Release Date:
Fri Jun 12 2015
Star Cast:
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins
Budget:
$150,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$1,671,537,444
The dinosaurs returned, to Jurassic World, in 2015. The film starts 22 years after the last Jurassic Park movie.
The island Isla Nublar has been converted into a theme park with cloned dinosaurs kept in display cages.
An experimental new dinosaur, Indominus Rex, has escaped its prison and wreaked chaos on the theme park.
This new dinosaur is a genetically modified new species and has garnered new skills to escape confinement.
The film was hugely successful and earned over $1.6 billion worldwide. The critics rated the movie 71% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
The CinemaScore gave the movie an average grade of A, while The Telegraph gave the film a 4-star rating.
Critics described the film as a popcorn thriller, savvy, visually thrilling, summer spectacle, and more.
Many critics opined that the film lacked the suspense, and novel excitement that the first Jurassic Park had, but it was awe-inspiring and visually pleasing in its own way.
ActionSci-FiThriller
Director:
Adam Wingard
Release Date:
Wed Mar 31 2021
Star Cast:
Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall
Budget:
$200,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$470,116,094
Godzilla Vs. Kong is an American monster movie about a face-off between two of the greatest monsters in Hollywood.
This cinema is directed by Adam Wingard as part of the Monsterverse from Legendary Pictures and a follow-up to Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King Of The Monsters.
At the start, the plot appears to be an expedition to Hollow Earth. This place is considered the home of the titans and the source of power.
After they reach Hollow Earth, it is discovered that there is another ploy by Apex Cybernetics to steal the power source to restart the Mechagodzilla that is linked to the head of King Ghidorah.
Although in the fight between Godzilla and King Kong, Godzilla vanquishes Kong, he later has a face-off with Mechagodzilla.
He is controlled by King Ghidorah. To save Hong Kong city and all humans, Kong and Godzilla work together and kill Mechagodzilla.
Godzilla Vs. Kong grossed over $460 million worldwide, and it was the highest streaming movie on HBO Max.
The audience gave it a grade of A, but the critics were not very kind to it.
One critic said that the film was a forgettable fare without much of a plot.
However, the choreography between the two great monsters is mesmerizing and makes us forget the world while watching the film.
HorrorMysteryThriller
Director:
David Bruckner
Release Date:
Fri Feb 9 2018
Star Cast:
Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier
Box Office (Worldwide):
$1,785,977
The Ritual is about a monster called Jotunn, and it is based on Norse mythology.
It is inspired by the novel, The Ritual, written by Adam Nevill in 2011. The film speaks of a group of 4 friends who set out on a trek in Sweden and end up being sacrificed to the Jotunn.
A group of 4 friends loses another of their dear friends to a botched robbery.
One of the friends feels very guilty for this as he could prevent, or save his friend from dying.
To honor the dead friend, they go on a trip to Sweden. Here, they run into a remote village that performs ritual sacrifices to the Jotunn.
The villagers and the monster hunt down the four friends, one after another. The sacrifice is performed to gain immortality for the village.
This British film was released worldwide on Netflix. Only the British audience viewed it in theaters.
The original tagline of the film was set as They should have gone to Vegas.
However, after the Vegas massacre, they immediately changed the tag to They should have gone to Ibiza.
AnimationActionAdventure
Director:
Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Release Date:
Fri Mar 27 2009
Star Cast:
Reese Witherspoon, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert
Budget:
$175,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$381,509,870
Monsters vs. Aliens is an animated film. It shows a world where the government has gathered all the monsters they have encountered over the years and sent them out to fight an invading alien force.
The fun animated film has a parody list of all Hollywood monsters. Ginormica is a parody of Attack of the 50-foot woman, Dr. Cockroach is from The Fly, BOB is a parody of The Blob, Missing Link is the monster from Creature from The Black Lagoon, etc.
The film got an approval rating of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. Some critics felt that the film was not the best animation work ever, but there are enough fun moments to make it enjoyable.
Other critics commented that as a kids' film, it was entertaining enough. But for adults, the movie is not funny enough.
DramaFantasyHorror
Director:
Fritz Böhm
Release Date:
Fri Apr 13 2018
Star Cast:
Bel Powley, Brad Dourif, Liv Tyler
Box Office (Worldwide):
$504,718
Wilding is a film that follows the life of a strange child. She lives in the attic with her caretaker, who claims that there are man-eating monsters in the outside world.
The child has a mysterious illness for which the caretaker regularly gives her injections. Once the caretaker is hospitalized, the child comes out of the house.
She soon realizes the reality of the outside world and the lies that she has been fed.
It turns out that the caretaker has been keeping her confined on false pretenses. The film portrays the fight of the girl against an oppressive father.
Hence, it has been dubbed as a feminist-themed movie. Many critics have strongly praised the performance of the girl/wilding, portrayed by Bel Powley.
Despite the lack of a gripping narrative, the acting and the direction have made the movie entertaining and worth watching.
ComedyHorror
Director:
Alexandre Aja
Release Date:
Fri Aug 20 2010
Star Cast:
Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O'Connell, Richard Dreyfuss
Budget:
$24,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$83,188,165
Piranha 3D is loosely based on the 1982 monster horror film by the name Piranha.
This film is a monster horror-comedy about a school of prehistoric piranhas who create chaos.
They unleash death on a bunch of spring breakers. The film shows a violent earthquake occurring near lake Victoria.
This releases a previously unknown and hidden school of killer piranhas into the lake. This prehistoric monster piranha is a ruthless killer that has an unquenchable appetite for blood and gore.
A group of kids on spring break become the unsuspecting victims of this killer monster.
The film opened on the 6th spot at the box office in US markets. In the UK, the film opened at the 4th spot.
The film made total worldwide earnings of over $83 million. The movie was certified fresh with a 74% approval rating.
The critics said the film was just what we can expect from a monster movie about killer fish.
As per another critic, there was just the right amount of gore and guffaw.
AdventureComedyFantasy
Director:
Raman Hui
Release Date:
Fri Jan 22 2016
Star Cast:
Baihe Bai, Boran Jing, Wu Jiang
Box Office (Worldwide):
$387,053,506
Monster Hunt is set in Ancient China, where monsters and humans lived together at one point in time.
Soon a power struggle broke out, and they were driven out of the world. They are back among humans to escape a civil war that has broken out in the monster world.
Now a righteous mayor and a monster hunter have to work together to protect the child of the monster queen and restore the power hierarchy in the monster world.
The film was very successful in China, and it became the highest-grossing local film. However, its reach did not spread far in the US markets.
The critics described the movie as a film with the potential to become an epic but fell short.
Another UK critic called the movie a commentary on eastern culture rather than a monster film.
HorrorMysterySci-Fi
Director:
Susanne Bier
Release Date:
Fri Dec 21 2018
Star Cast:
Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
Bird Box is based on a novel of the same name written by Josh Malerman.
It is about a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious entity has caused most humans to randomly commit suicide and die.
The film follows a mother and her two children, traveling across dangerous terrain, from their home to a safe community where the mysterious entity is not present.
The small family has to blindfold themselves and move around blindly to avoid being affected by this monster.
The film chose to release on limited cinema screens and moved to Netflix straightaway. It received mixed reviews.
A critic said that the film never quite reaches the potential it promises. Good acting, chilling mood, and suspenseful ambiance do not always end with a big reveal.
Netflix disclosed the viewership figures for Bird Box and said that this film was the most-watched film ever.
It had a viewership of over 45 million in the first seven days of its release.
ActionAdventureFantasy
Director:
Stephen Sommers
Release Date:
Fri May 7 1999
Star Cast:
Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah
Budget:
$80,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$416,064,056
The Mummy, released in 1999, faced tough competition from many top-rated movies released that year.
Its toughest competition was The Phantom Menace which was released within weeks of The Mummy.
Yet, the film withstood tough competition and made a palace in the hearts of the audience and critics.
In the picture, they took a cursed and horrific concept of dead mummies. It added light-hearted elements to make an endearing movie that is fun to watch.
The plot revolves around a librarian and her brother. This pair accidentally activates a cursed mummy that could bring the 10 biblical plagues back to Egypt.
The audience lapped up the fun chemistry between the characters like Rick O'Connell, Jonathan and Evelyn Carnahan, Imoteph, or Ardeth Bey, a mysterious Medji.
Critics have given mixed to positive reviews for the film. They said they might not have anything to say about the film, the acting, the direction, or the characters, but the overall feel-good effect that the movie evokes is enough.
ActionHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
David Twohy
Release Date:
Fri Feb 18 2000
Star Cast:
Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Vin Diesel
Budget:
$23,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$53,187,659
"Pitch Black" is a 2000 science fiction thriller directed by David Twohy. The film follows the story of a transport ship crash-landing on a desolate planet. The survivors, including the enigmatic Riddick, soon discover that the planet has three suns, resulting in perpetual daylight.
But every 22 years, a month-long eclipse plunges the world into utter darkness. During this eclipse, the planet's vicious and light-sensitive creatures emerge to prey on any living beings. Riddick, a convicted criminal with exceptional night vision, becomes their best hope for survival.
The film is known for its tense atmosphere, unique setting, and Diesel's iconic anti-hero character. "Pitch Black" combines elements of horror and science fiction, delivering an intense and suspenseful experience for viewers.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Release Date:
Fri May 23 1997
Star Cast:
Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite
Budget:
$73,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$618,638,999
The Lost World is the sequel to the hugely successful film, Jurassic Park. The island or site A as they call it has been abandoned.
A new team of documentaries and researchers is sent to site B to view and document the dinosaurs in the open, where they live without cages.
There is another team that was sent to see if the dinosaurs could be brought to the mainland.
They intended to build a new site in San Francisco. As it always does, life and nature have other plans, and chaos ensues again.
The film was not as great as the first part, but The Lost World has also been praised for its CGI work.
Many critics felt that the film lacked the gripping narrative and compelling plot of Jurassic Park.
They managed to rake in the moolah at the box office. Jeff Goldblum returns to the film, and we also see Juliane Moore.
In an interview, Juliane Moore accepted that she did the movie only to work with Steven Speilberg, and she needed the money for a divorce settlement.
HorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Wes Craven
Release Date:
Fri Feb 19 1982
Star Cast:
Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise
Budget:
$3,000,000 (estimated)
Swamp Thing is based on the DC/Vertigo comic books with the same name. The story is about a monster that is created in a laboratory accident.
The film was also followed up by a sequel called The Return of the Swamp Thing.
The film is about a scientist who is working in a laboratory doing sensitive experiments.
In an accident that has been orchestrated by the evil scientist, Dr. Arcane, the swamp thing is created.
It is, in fact, a fellow scientist, Alec Holland, who has transformed into the Swamp Thing.
There is also a damsel in distress, who attracts the attention of the Swamp Thing, and he fights the evil mastermind to protect her.
The film is a campy monster film with a simple plot and a beautiful heroine to save.
The film received average ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, got 63% approval, and delivered on its budget of $ 2.5 million.
AnimationAdventureComedy
Director:
Genndy Tartakovsky
Release Date:
Fri Sep 28 2012
Star Cast:
Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Andy Samberg
Budget:
$85,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$358,375,603
Hotel Transylvania is stuffed to the brim with all the different monsters that literature has conjured up for us.
It has Dracula, Werewolves, Frankenstein, The invisible man, blob, the Mummy, etc. However, the movie is a comedy and an animation that promises only laughs, not scares.
The premise is that Count Dracula runs a hotel that is the prime vacation spot for all the monsters in the world.
They come here for rest and relaxation. To get away from the stress of humans.
The film was well-received by the audience. The critics, however, felt that the script was too thin and weak.
The film was loud and packed with fun for children, but nothing much for older audiences to watch.
The film was successful and spawned a series of sequels, video games, and TV series.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
J.A. Bayona
Release Date:
Fri Jun 22 2018
Star Cast:
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall
Budget:
$170,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$1,310,466,296
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 science fiction action film and the second installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. Directed by J. A. Bayona, the movie follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they return to Isla Nublar to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from a volcanic eruption.
However, they discover a sinister plan to bring the dinosaurs to the mainland for profit. The film received mixed reviews, with praise for its visuals and darker tone but criticism for its screenplay. It was a commercial success, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide.
The story involves a Senate committee debating the fate of the dinosaurs, the cloning controversy, an auction of dinosaurs, and a thrilling climax at Lockwood's estate. The film ends with the beginning of a coexistence between humans and dinosaurs.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Brad Peyton
Release Date:
Fri Apr 13 2018
Star Cast:
Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman
Budget:
$120,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$428,128,233
Rampage is a monster movie where the monsters are all man-made. The film is based on a video game called Rampage.
The film is not as fun as the game. In fact, fans of it did not enjoy the picture, but it was entertaining and made good profits.
The film is about a research foundation that is experimenting with gene mutations and creating a pathogen.
It accidentally infects 3 different animals prompting a widespread rampage. A crocodile in Florida, a grey wolf in Wyoming, and an albino gorilla in San Diego.
Dwayne Johnson plays a primatologist who belongs to the US special forces that fight poachers.
He is called in to control the gorilla named George. He takes the help of George and stops the rampages of the wolf and the crocodile.
The film has been described as a brainless blockbuster. It has even received a rating of A- from CinemaScore.
HorrorMystery
Director:
Victor Salva
Release Date:
Fri Aug 31 2001
Star Cast:
Gina Philips, Justin Long, Jonathan Breck
Budget:
$10,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$59,371,303
Jeepers Creepers borrows its name from an old song with the same name. It revolves around an ancient monstrous creature that surfaces once every 23 years and stays around for 23 days to kill people.
The film starts with two siblings returning from a spring break when they encounter the monster disposing of its victims.
Despite all the warnings, they track the creature and witness its stash of dead bodies.
From here, it fixates on the siblings and starts to chase them. The film gets off to a promising start that appears to be different from all horror flicks.
The suspense and the thrills are aplenty. But, the film loses steam after a point and falls for the cliched ending.
The movie received mixed reviews with some positive and some negative comments. One critic praised the film as a gory and disturbing but intelligent plot.
While another critic called the film a formulaic potboiler that lacks imagination.
DramaHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
David Cronenberg
Release Date:
Fri Aug 15 1986
Star Cast:
Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$60,629,159
The movie, The Fly is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name.
Both films are inspired by a short story written by George Langelaan. The film is about an experiment that goes wrong and results in the monster.
A young and ambitious scientist is researching the possibility of teleporting objects from one location to another.
He builds a laboratory in his warehouse and continues his research over there. He also starts a relationship with a scientific reporter.
During his experiments, inanimate objects can be transferred. But, the system has trouble replicating the process with living tissue.
At one point, he makes a breakthrough and can transport a living being. He makes a rash decision to transport himself, but things go wrong when a fly enters the telepod.
The film was both a critical and commercial success. It was also included in the list of All-TIME greatest movies.
Much of the praise for the film went to Jeff Goldblum and the makeup and special effects team.
ActionHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
William Eubank
Release Date:
Fri Jan 10 2020
Star Cast:
Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie
Budget:
$80,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$40,882,928
Underwater deals with a mythical monstrous creature called Cthulhu that lives underwater near the Mariana Trench.
A team of researchers is drilling and doing research at the bottom of Mariana Trench when they encounter massive earthquakes that destroy part of their base.
They desperately need to escape to safety or risk dying at the hands of these monsters.
The movie has been dubbed a mix between The Abyss and Alien. It offers nothing new or thrilling in the form of entertainment.
However, one should appreciate the breathtaking visual effects of the deep-sea world. In the movie, you can get stylized direction, good casting, and the overall sense of claustrophobia with monsters added to the mix.
This makes it worth a watch.
AnimationAdventureComedy
Director:
Derek Drymon, Jennifer Kluska
Release Date:
Fri Jan 14 2022
Star Cast:
Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, the fourth and final film in the franchise, was released in 2022. The animated adventure comedy was produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Amazon Studios.
Directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska, the movie follows Dracula and Johnny as they search for a way to reverse their transformations into a human and monster, respectively.
Originally set for an October 2021 theatrical release, the film was sold to Amazon Studios due to COVID-19 concerns and premiered on Amazon Prime Video in January 2022.
The story revolves around Dracula's plans to retire and leave the hotel to Mavis and Johnny, leading to a series of transformations, misunderstandings, and eventual reconciliation.
ActionHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Jon Turteltaub
Release Date:
Fri Aug 10 2018
Star Cast:
Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson
Budget:
$130,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$529,338,515
The Meg is a creature feature about the re-emergence of a prehistoric mega predator of the oceans.
The film claims that in the Mariana Trenches, megalodons have been existing without human knowledge.
Jonas Taylor is a dishonorably discharged naval diver. He discovers a megalodon during his rescue mission which forces him to abandon the mission.
His claims are rubbished, and he is branded as a coward by his team. Years later, the same crew is working in the Pacific Ocean and encounters the Megalodon.
To rescue them and save the team, Taylor is called back. The team also includes his wife.
So, he not only has to rescue them but also kills the predator. Before it can turn on the human population.
The film was blamed for being just another rip-off of Jaws. Despite the excellent premise and cast, the film could not rise above the mundane and cliched plotlines.
HorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Wes Sullivan
Release Date:
Fri Sep 24 2010
Star Cast:
Zach Galligan, Audra Wise, Billy Daydoge
Nightbeasts is a retro-style monster film that is loaded with hairy monsters. The film is a throwback to all the 1970s and 1980s creature features.
The film is currently available on Netflix, and it has a widely polarized fan base.
Some fans find it is a fun, cult classic to be an homage to all the bigfoot movies.
While others feel it is overrated with poor acting and weak characters. The story is about a father-son duo who goes on a camping trip and encounters a group of monsters.
The father is determined to save his son from the attacking sasquatch. In my opinion, the film is a fun monster movie that you can watch with your friends while you chat.
You do not need to concentrate on the plot or characters. Rather than that, you can enjoy the special effects.
ActionAdventureFantasy
Director:
Paul W.S. Anderson
Release Date:
Fri Dec 18 2020
Star Cast:
Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman
Budget:
$60,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$42,145,959
Monster Hunter is a movie based on a video game series with the same name, created by CapCorn.
Paul W. S. Anderson and his wife Milla Jovovich work together to make a movie about a team of US army rangers who are sent to a mysterious new world where dangerous monsters roam free.
The team is severely outclassed by the monsters. However, they meet a huntsman who seems to have found a way to fight these beasts.
The team of Rangers joins forces with him and learns to fight the monsters. The film is big on actions, stunts, and fight sequences.
Mila Jovovich and Tony Jaa wow the audience. Although the plot and dialogues are kept simple and to a bare minimum.
The film topped the charts when it was released. Yet, the box office collections were not up to standard to declare it a hit.
The film initially did well in the Chinese market, but a particular dialogue by one of the soldiers was deemed racist by Chinese social media.
It led to online protests and boycotts of the movie.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Steven S. DeKnight
Release Date:
Fri Mar 23 2018
Star Cast:
John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny
Budget:
$150,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$290,930,148
The Pacific Rim: Uprising is the sequel to Pacific Rim, and it picks up the story 10 years after the first movie ends.
The film is a typical action flick that shows robots vs. kaiju action. It was not appreciated and criticized for this fact, The film works on the premise that there is a portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, through which Kaiju (humongous monsters), called Precursors, enter.
They come to Earth and wage war against humanity. In this installment, the Kaiju have managed to infiltrate the Pacific Rim Shatterdome and incapacitated most of their Jaegers.
They also assassinated Mako Mori. Now Jake Pentecost and Nathan Lambert have to come together to fight the new threat of mega Kaiju.
The film was criticized for overdoing the concept that turned out to be novel in Hollywood.
It was described as mundane, mindless, and uninspired. It was made simply for product placements.
ActionComedyHorror
Director:
Steve Miner
Release Date:
Fri Jul 16 1999
Star Cast:
Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt
Budget:
$35,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$56,870,414
In the sleepy town of Maine, there are incidents of animal attacks in the lake.
In two instances, people were killed after being bitten by an unknown creature. Immediately the Sheriff calls in the fish and game officer and a paleontologist to identify the type of creature.
After many more incidents of an animal attacks, it is discovered that a giant pair of saltwater crocodiles have been residing in the lake.
One of the residents living on the shore of the lake has been secretly feeding the crocodiles till they have grown to be over 30 feet long.
The film did decent business at the box office. The critics gave the movie an average rating and review.
Although most of the critics are in consensus that the performance of Betty White as the bumbling and sneaky old lady was the highlight of the film.
ActionAdventureFantasy
Director:
Yimou Zhang
Release Date:
Fri Feb 17 2017
Star Cast:
Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Willem Dafoe
Budget:
$150,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$334,933,831
The Great Wall is a mythical fantasy movie about a secret society of Chinese warriors who defend China from an army of monsters and other mythical beings.
A group of European mercenaries join the group and fights to protect China. A group of mercenaries played by Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal encounters the secret army in hopes of learning about the explosives they use.
Here, they meet Willem Defoe, learn about the mythical warriors, and decide to help in hope of future gains.
The film received mixed reviews from western critics who panned the movie for its lackluster martial arts.
They felt the movie had a choppy plotline with many unnecessary sequences. The film was, however, a big hit in China.
It was one of the costliest Chinese films with a budget of $150 million, and it made over $ 200 million in China alone.
The film has worldwide box office earnings of over $ 330 million.
ActionHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Paul W.S. Anderson
Release Date:
Fri Mar 15 2002
Star Cast:
Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Ryan McCluskey
Budget:
$33,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$102,984,862
Resident Evil is the first movie in the film series. It was adapted from a popular video game that had a successful run.
The Director, Paul W. S. Ander, wrote and directed it. In the film, a large corporation called the Hive created a bio-weapon called T-virus.
It turns people into mindless zombie-like monsters. A thief steals the virus and releases it in the corporation, thereby infecting the whole place.
A team of Hive security officers, along with Alice, have to contain the virus. They have to kill all the zombies before it spreads across Raccoon city.
The film was a box office hit. Although, the critics were not impressed. They said that the movie was cheesy, formulaic, and loud.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Ruben Fleischer
Release Date:
Fri Oct 5 2018
Star Cast:
Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Budget:
$100,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$856,085,151
Venom is the live-action adaptation of the Marvel comic book of the same name. The film follows the Life Foundation which uses unethical and dangerous means to integrate an alien symbiote with humans to create superhumans.
The character, Venom, first appears in Spiderman as a villain. But in this film, he is shown as a simple alien life form that agrees to work with Eddie Brock to co-exist peacefully on Earth.
In their attempt to create a bond and peaceful life, Eddie and Venom must end the Life Foundation and the other symbiotes in their facility.
The film was very successful at the box office, despite the mostly negative reviews it received.
Many critics called the movie noisy and chaotic. They said that the film concentrated more on the origin story of Venom than on delivering a good lift-off for the character.
ActionAdventureHorror
Director:
Luis Llosa
Release Date:
Fri Apr 11 1997
Star Cast:
Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Eric Stoltz
Budget:
$45,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$136,885,767
Anaconda has achieved cult status for being so bad that it is good fun to watch the movie.
It is a film about the Green Anaconda that resided in the Amazon rainforests. A team of documentary film crew set out along the Amazon river looking for an ancient aboriginal tribe.
Their crew encounters a stranded snake hunter, whom they rescue and take along with them.
Initially, he acts harmless and helpful. Later, he hijacks the boat and starts to track the reptile.
By the end of the movie, the Anaconda kills most of the crew. However, the docu-film director, her cameraman, and the anthropologist survive and find the tribals for the film.
The film was generally panned by critics for the bad acting, forgettable characters, and boring script.
The movie also has many scientific inaccuracies. The film was nominated for many Golden Raspberry Awards, and it won two Stinkers Bad Movies Awards.
AdventureHorror
Director:
John Guillermin
Release Date:
Fri Dec 17 1976
Star Cast:
Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange
Budget:
$24,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$52,614,445
This 1976 movie is a remake of the 1933 King Kong. Universal and Paramount Pictures were initially approached to make the movie, but Dino De Laurentiis, the producer, went behind their back and bought the movie rights from RKO-General.
De Laurentis and Universal, along with the movie, were stuck in a court battle for 2 years before its release.
The film is about an oil expedition team that unexpectedly finds a gigantic gorilla. After failing to find any quality oil wells on the island, they decided to bring back the giant gorilla called Kong.
In New York, Kong is put on display as the beast that stole beauty. In an attempt to escape its prison, Kong climbs The World Trade Center towers.
In the iconic scene, the gorilla falls from the WTC tower and dies. The film was a commercial hit.
It was the only King Kong film where he climbs up the WTC towers and not the Empire State Building.
ActionAdventureFantasy
Director:
Stephen Sommers
Release Date:
Fri May 7 2004
Star Cast:
Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh
Budget:
$160,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$300,157,638
Van Helsing is a movie filled with every Christian mythological creature. It has demons, Dracula, Werewolves, Frankenstein’s monster, angels, and more.
The film was flooded with mostly negative reviews for being weak in plot and heavy on CGI works.
The story goes as follows, Van Helsing is a warrior for the Heavenly order. He protects mankind from evil.
Van Helsing has lost his memories before becoming a warrior for this order, so he fights for redemption from past sins.
In Transylvania, the last remaining members of a Romanian family request help from the order to fight Dracula and his ever-growing army.
Van Helsing came to the rescue. But, in the end, he loses the love of his life and gives up his chance to recover his lost memories.
The film did well at the box office despite the mostly negative reviews. The audience was entertained by oodles of action, CGI, fight sequences, and damsels in distress that the film offers.
DramaHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
John R. Leonetti
Release Date:
Wed Apr 10 2019
Star Cast:
Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto
Box Office (Worldwide):
$2,325,977
The Silence is based on a science fiction novel of the same name, written by Tim Lebbon.
It is about a prehistoric animal that hunts by its sense of sound. It lived in deep caves all this while, and it escapes the cave when a research team locates them.
The film follows a family that tries to survive this monster scare by escaping into the countryside.
New cults are created as a result of this fear. They realize that these cults are a bigger problem.
The film was released on Netflix and played at only 7 centers on the cinema screen.
It received negative criticism for its bland plot, lackluster performance, and general lack of enthusiasm.
It was also compared to A Quiet Place which did much better on a similar premise.
The deaf community also did not appreciate the casting of a hearing actor as a deaf person.
It was pointed out that many occasions were inaccurately portrayed from a deaf person’s perspective.
ActionHorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Release Date:
Fri Oct 21 2005
Star Cast:
Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, Dwayne Johnson
Budget:
$60,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$58,072,119
Doom is based on a successful video game series with the same name. The filming rights were held by The Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures studios, but after the rights expired, the Warner brothers took it up and made the film in 2005.
The film is about a man-made monster created using Martian DNA to add an extra 24th chromosome.
Using the C24 serum, the researchers on the Mars facility have created an unstable bunch of monsters and superhumans.
A SWAT team of marines is sent to clean up and retrieve the data. As the team uncovers the mystery behind the chaos and starts to clean up, they are targeted.
Soon, they start to fall one after another. Many stars were considered for the role of Reaper, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, etc.
Johnson chose to play Sarge instead of Reaper, and finally, Karl Urban was cast in that role.
Ultimately the film was not successful with the critics and the audiences. It failed to make a mark despite a talented cast and crew.
ActionAdventureDrama
Director:
Shinji Higuchi
Release Date:
Sat Aug 1 2015
Star Cast:
Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongô
Box Office (Worldwide):
$30,810,658
Attack on Titan is a 2 part movie based on the famous Japanese manga series of the same name.
It was created by Hajime Issayama and has been adapted as an animated TV series as well.
The film story introduces us to Eren Jaeger and his childhood friends Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman.
Their hometown has been destroyed by a group of colossal titans that are humanoid beings.
They join the Military corps to fight these titans and avenge the destruction of their home.
The film is a hugely successful Manga series, and it made good earnings at the box office.
The first part was more successful than the second part, yet the combined earnings were pegged at $ 46 million.
The film was plagued by technical difficulties at the screening at theaters in Kentucky, Ohio, San Francisco, etc.
The subtitles froze within the first ten minutes and remained frozen for the entire film.
ComedyHorror
Director:
Wes Craven
Release Date:
Fri Feb 25 2005
Star Cast:
Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg, Portia de Rossi
Budget:
$38,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$29,621,722
Cursed is a werewolf movie that seems like a mash-up of earlier Werewolf movies with predictable CGI work and choppy work.
It seemed like the film was cursed to fail despite the fine cast, great director, and promising story.
The film was supposed to be an homage to all those great werewolf movies like An American Werewolf in London, Wolfman, and more.
It was, in fact, slated to be an R-rated, gory, werewolf movie, but most of the scenes were chopped off and made into a PG-13 movie, that failed to impress everyone.
Enough complaints, let me tell you the plot of the movie. Two siblings are returning home after a party, and their car meets with an accident on Mulholland dr.
As they get out of the car, to help the other car, a scary and huge Werewolf comes out and attacks them.
The two siblings are injured by this werewolf, and they later realize that they might turn into this werewolf if they do not kill the creature themself.