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THE MONSTER REALM — The release of “Alien: Covenant” this week has stirred up a lot of emotions in me as I recall watching “Alien” way too young. I can’t pinpoint exactly how old I was, but I know I wasn’t 10 yet, and I was mesmerized and utterly terrified by the Xenomorph in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic.
I believe it was that movie that started my odd fascination with movie monsters. So often monster movies aren’t that great, but I’m usually a sucker for them and I think it hearkens back to chubby adolescent John cowering under his blanket in the living room as Ripley took on the alien. With all this in mind, I figured it was time we put together a list of the best movie monsters.
Before we get into the list, there are a few things that need to be made known. First off, this is my opinion and not a definitive list. I’ve compiled this from personal experiences and so your list will no doubt vary from mine. Also, I went with actual monsters, not scary people or even recreated dinosaurs or terrifying animals. So, you won’t be seeing the shark from “Jaws,” the T-Rex from “Jurassic Park,” or Jason Voorhees on here. I’ve got my rules and I’m sticking to them.
We previously visited this topic in 2014, so here are five more of the greatest and scariest movie monsters of all time:
How could the monster of movie monsters, the Kaiju King himself, not kick off this list?
Godzilla is one of the most iconic movie monster of all time and even if a majority of his movies are campy, silly and downright ridiculous, it doesn’t matter because it’s Godzilla. All other gigantic movie monsters are compared to the terrifying dino-like creature because he is the original, the granddaddy, the one and only. Or is he a she? I don’t know, but if I saw it trouncing around my city I’m pretty sure I’d just give up and accept my fate.
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5 of the greatest movie monsters
“Godzilla” is just a few days away from opening, so in preparation for the big summer flick we thought we’d take a look at five of the best monsters from movies.This may seem like an odd pick, but I don’t care because the Graboids from “Tremors” scared me to death as a kid and I loved it. This isn’t exactly considered a fantastic movie, but it is a fun one and my brother and I used to play “Tremors” in our backyard all the time and argue whether you were actually standing in a "safe" spot or not.
The Graboids did for sand and earth what “Jaws” did for water; it made it terrifying. These things can feel the vibration of you moving and then burrow through the ground at breakneck speeds hoping to break yours. “Tremors” is a good time filled with jump scares and laughs and some pretty great monsters.
Remember earlier when I mentioned that I saw “Alien” when I was much too young? Same goes for “Predator.” I couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8 when I saw this action flick, and even though it scared me to death, I loved it.
The Predator is one of the scariest movie monsters of all time and is now one of the most iconic. Watching the hideous alien hunter take out muscle-bound mercenaries one by one in the jungle is panic-inducing fun with imagery that will stick with you for the rest of your life. All you have to say is the word, “predator,” and people will immediately think of the humanoid stalker and get a chill down their spine.
Frankenstein’s Monster ======================
I’m almost breaking my own rules here, but leaving Frankenstein’s Monster off a movie monster list is just heresy of the highest order. The monster born from the eye of Mary Shelley is a misunderstood atrocity that never asked to be born.
The monster itself is what you think of now when you hear “Hollywood” and “monster” in the same sentence. It is without a doubt one of, if not the most, recognizable and iconic movie monsters of all time.
The monster that spurred the idea for the list is clearly going to be on the list. Not only is the Xenomorph from the “Alien” franchise a staple in the canon of movie monsters, but it’s one of the scariest and most terrifying.
The Xenomorph is immediately recognizable and manages to make your breath catch in your throat and causes the hair on the back of your neck to stand up. The sleek and skeletal design of the alien is fear inducing and is, in my opinion, the most terrifying movie monster. Again, this may be because I saw this when I was way too young and it scarred me for life, but I think it’s deeper than that — I think it’s truly that scary. Or at least that’s what I’m going to tell myself.
What are your favorite movie monsters? Let us know on the comment boards.
