The Top Creature Films You Need to See

"Frankenstein" (1931) (Gene pick)

The Frankenstein monster is one of the most recognizable characters in all of horror, subject of countless cartoons, films, comic books, and films. This was not the first movie adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, but it is the most imitated, and most successful, and it made actor Boris Karloff an instant star.

"The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) (Gene pick)

The original film "Frankenstein" was a huge success, so the original cast and director were brought back for this sequel, in which the monster, not wanting to be alone, demands that Dr. Frankenstein make him a mate. That happened in the original novel, but in this film, Frankenstein succeeds. The story plays out so well that future adaptations nearly always include the character of the Bride. There are other installments in the Universal series, but the only two truly great ones are the first two, directed by James Whale.

"The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954) (Gene pick)

Most of the iconic Universal monsters were introduced in the 1930s and early 40s, but this late-comer still made the list in the 50s, when the trend of films was away from horror and toward sci-fi. Not as terrifying as some of the other Universal monsters, the Creature (also known as "The Fish-Man") is nonetheless unique, frightening, and sympathetic, as it didn't ask to be bothered, and he wants to be loved.

"The Blob" (1958 ) (Gene pick)

Steve McQueen stars as a rebellious teen who has to defend himself and his town from this horrific creature, released from a meteorite. Essentially a giant amoeba, The Blob absorbs any living tissue it comes in contact with - plants or animals, growing each time it absorbs something. The concept of this monster is terrifying, as it can go anywhere, flowing up walls, under doors, and all it has to do is touch you. Other monsters have to stomp you, crush you, eat you, but any contact with the Blob seals your fate, and it keeps getting bigger. It also can't be stopped by bullets, bombs, blades, blows. You can't hurt it, and it keeps on coming.

"The Gorgon" (1964) (Gene pick)

Having both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee is usually a good recipe for success. Having them in color, featuring a monster rarely seen in films, makes the likelihood of a great horror film a near-certainty. As with the Blob, the Gorgon (basically the mythological creature most people are familiar with as Medusa) is a more terrifying creature than average because she doesn't even have to touch you. One look from her and you turn into stone.

"Jaws" (1975) (BOTH pick)

Not only is this a great film, it's a landmark film. While it wasn't his first movie, this was the film that put director Steven Spielberg on the map. It was also the first "summer blockbuster", setting the trend for films for years to come. And it had a huge cultural impact, making people to this day nervous to swim anywhere, for fear of being eaten, while also spawning countless movies of similar themes, from its own 3 sequels to films like "Tentacles," "Piranha," "Orca," and "Shark Night."

"Alien" (1979) (Gene pick)

Some may argue this is a science-fiction film, because it's set in space, on a spaceship and on another planet. But really, it's a horror film set in space, complete with jump scares, high tension, chilling music, gore, and high suspense. Directed by Ridley Scott and featuring an outstanding cast, the film has inspired multiple sequels, as well as books, comics, toys, and video games, but nothing is quite like the masterpiece that is the original.

"The Thing" (1982) (BOTH pick)

A remake of "The Thing from Another World", which was inspired by the classic story, "Who Goes There?" by John Campbell, this movie is rightfully regarded as one of director John Carpenter's best efforts. With an excellent cast, including Kurt Russell in his second film with Carpenter, the effects are as mind-blowing and stomach-churning today as they were 40 years ago.

As with "The Blob" and "The Gorgon", the concept of "The Thing" is horrifying. The Thing is an alien that can look like any living creature or animal, absorbing all of the traits of what it has come into contact with. So it can be anyone, while it can also spontaneously sprout tentacles, spider legs, extra heads, whatever it needs to survive. And it's almost impossible to kill.

"Basket Case" (1982) (Gene pick)

This unique low-budget film has gained a cult-following, resulting in two sequels, all of them disturbing, but the other films in the series have higher levels of comedy, while this film sticks mainly two horror. The plot involves a normal-looking young man who comes to New York carrying a large basket. Inside the basket is a horrific creature, who happens to be his formerly conjoined, disfigured twin brother, and the brothers want revenge on the doctor who separated them.

"Christine" (1983) (Dandy pick)

A dorky high school kid (Keith Gordon) buys a vintage car that has a mind of its own and can regenerate any damage done to it. His life, as well as his friends’ lives are in jeopardy the more obsessed the car becomes with bloodlust.

"The Terminator" (1984) (BOTH pick)

As with "Alien" you could argue that this is a science-fiction film. It's about a robot (actually a cyborg) who comes to our time from the present in order to kill the woman who will give birth to the man who will lead the humans as they battle for survival after machines try to wipe them out. However, just by looking at the description on the original movie poster you can see the intent was to create a chilling, unstoppable creature who is hunting down a woman and killing anyone who gets in its way. And the Terminator is indeed fearsome. Arnold Schwarzennegger has never looked bigger on-screen, dwarfing the rest of the cast, and the violence he dishes out is brutal. While later entries are more action-oriented, at its core, this is a horror film.

"Gremlins" (1984) (BOTH pick)

If your memory is selective, you may only recall Gizmo the cute Mogwai who is the tiny, furry star of the film, alongside Zach Galligan and 80s icon Phoebe Cates. However, Gizmo is only one of several Gremlins in the film, and the most pure-hearted of them, the rest eventually becoming quite mischievous, if not evil, particularly their leader, Stripe, and the evil Gremlins have not only the potential to be lethal, they are dispatched in frequently gory, horrible ways, such as blowing them up in the microwave. Sure, there's cuteness and fun, which Executive Producer Steven Spielberg went on to specialize in, but there's also significant terror involving tiny beings, which director Joe Dante also went on to specialize in.

"Maximum Overdrive" (1986) (Dandy pick)

A cheesy, but fun Stephen King adaptation, directed by King himself, in which a group of people fight for their lives as machines, vehicles, and electronics become homicidal.

"Chopping Mall" (1986) (BOTH pick)

Security robots in a mall malfunction into killing machines, going after a group of teens partying after hours.

"Killer Klowns from Outer Space" (1988) (BOTH pick)

There are many films on this list, and our other lists, that we mention are unique. That's usually a big part of the reason they're on our list. This film, certainly, is one of those films. They're aliens, who happen to look like clowns, who come to Earth to capture and eat people. From their ship to their weapons, everything about them seems like a creepy, warped version of something you'd expect from a carnival or circus - a tent, popcorn, cotton candy, cream pies, and they're all deadly. Brilliant warped, creepy, and funny, like nothing else.

"Tremors" (1990) (BOTH pick)

Enormous worm-like things burrow beneath the ground and come up to chomp on prey. Some scariness, a whole lot of fun. Imagine "Jaws" but on land.

"Troll 2" (1990) (Dandy pick)

Unlike its darker predecessor, this sequel is so bad it’s great in B-movie horror comedy goodness. A family vacationing in a small town soon realizes it’s inhabited by goblins looking for food, which happens to be humans.

"Leprechaun" (1993) (Dandy pick)

A scary twisted Leprechaun torments a group of teens looking for his pot of gold. This movie has made me hate basements.

"Jurassic Park" (1993) (Dandy pick)

A scientist discovers cells that can be reproduced to clone dinosaurs. The madman decides to make his findings into an amusement park. After inception, a paleontologist (Sam Neill) and friends are invited to see the park, amazed at what has been accomplished. A dodo brain trying to be stealthy and steal embryos turns off the power at the park resulting in the dinosaurs getting loose. Then it’s a race and panic of survival while trying to outrun these not-so-prehistoric beings.

"Mimic" (1997) (Gene pick)

Similar to "The Thing", the creature in "Mimic" can make itself look like other things. However, this creature isn't an alien, it's an evolved creature already among us now, and while some creatures use camouflage for protection, these creatures are also using the ability to blend in with their prey (humans) and replace us as the dominant species.

"The Faculty" (1998) (Dandy pick)

First the teachers and then their fellow students start to act strange, alerting a group of teens that something is terribly wrong within the student body. As they team up and try to find the queen of the parasites infecting their peers, it becomes a race of survival as their trust in one another becomes an even bigger issue.

"Jeepers Creepers" (2001) (Gene pick)

This would seem to be a standard serial killer film, with a bit of a Texas Chain Saw Massacre feel, as there is a killer who is dismembering human bodies for odd purposes, but this film is entirely different. The killer is "The Creeper", an ancient, possibly demonic being that hibernates, then comes back every 23 years to kill again.

"Jeepers Creepers 2" (2003) (Gene pick)

A direct sequel to the original, this film takes place three days later, but it has a different feel. The original starts off seeming like a serial killer film, which turns into a creature film. This one is a killer creature all the way. Both are scary.

"The Village" (2004) (Gene pick)

As with all of his film, this early film from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan has a surprise twist. But before the twist, the plot involves a village of people living in 19th century Pennsylvania, plagued by a group of features living in the surrounding woods.

"Silent Hill" (2006) (Dandy pick)

Based on the popular video game of the same name, Rose (Radha Mitchell) knows something is off about her adopted daughter. When her daughter disappears into an abandoned town named Silent Hill, Rose realizes she’s not in a normal place, but in an alternate universe with ominous occupants and dark forces.

"The Hills Have Eyes" (2006) (Gene pick)

The original version of this film involved a family of cannibals in desert Southwest, killing and eating travelers, and it was one of Wes Craven's first films, with an iconic villain. This remake goes a step further - the names of the clan are largely the same, the plot is very similar, but this time they're actually mutants, deformed and warped by inbreeding and radiation from atomic weapons tests near where they live. And, not only are the family cannibals, they're also in need of unmutated humans to breed with.

"Pan's Labyrinth" (2006) (BOTH pick)

This masterpiece from Guillermo del Toro is technically a fantasy film, detailing a hidden world full of bizarre creatures, but it's a very dark fantasy, with some of the creatures being quite disturbing or scary, such and the one seen above.

"The Mist" (2007) (Gene pick)

Based on a novella by Stephen King, this movie details what happens to a group of people when they're trapped inside their local supermarket after a mysterious mist descends upon their area. Giant, horrific creatures are in the mist, and some of them are trying to get in. That's horrifying enough, but the stress of the situation brings out the worst in some of the people inside the store, making it dangerous inside and outside. Warning: You should see the film, it's excellent, but it has very possibly the most depressing ending of any film in history.

"Cloverfield" (2008) (Gene pick)

In this found footage film, a group of people tries to get out of New York City when there's an attack from mysterious monsters ranging from human size to truly enormous. The city is under martial law and the military is trying to evacuate people, but there's a limited time to get out before the city is bombed to keep the monsters from getting out.

"The Ruins" (2008) (Dandy pick)

Two college couples are vacationing in Mexico when they meet another tourist heading out to an archaeological site to find his missing brother. The ruins of the site are covered in plants and vines that have their own agenda, with no human life visible around the grounds—except the locals who won’t let them leave the premises.

"Shark Night" (2011) (Dandy pick)

A group of college friends go to a summer home to spend the weekend, only things take a turn when the saltwater lake is infested with sharks.

"Pacific Rim" (2013) (BOTH pick)

Both a science-fiction and horror film, the movie details a period in the future when giant monsters are emerging from a dimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean. The monsters typically are drawn to and destroy cities, so a specially trained team of people piloting giant robots are used to stop the monsters.

"Frankenstein's Army" (2013) (Dandy pick)

Russian soldiers get stuck in a lab with a mad scientist where they have to fight against mutated flesh-and-machine monsters in order for survival.

"Llamageddon" (2015) (Gene pick)

This sci-fi/horror/comedy mash-up is so absurd, yet so brilliant, the only film that really compares is "Killer Klowns from Outer Space." In this film, a member of a race of intelligent alien llamas crash-lands on Earth, killing every human it sees, except for the one it impregnates. Find it. See it. Share the experience.

"The Monster" (2016) (Gene pick)

Sometimes the most basic plot can help make a movie good. That was the case in "The Monster," in which a mother and her teenage daughter are driving through the woods at night when they hit a wolf. Their car is damaged, so they call a tow truck, but when the truck arrives, they're attacked by something much worse than the wolf.

"Colossal" (2016) (Gene pick)

You may or may not be a fan of Anne Hathaway, but you have to give her credit for working in a wide variety of films. Rather than sticking to rom-coms or dramas, she mixes it up, and this film is an excellent example. Putting a new spin on the giant monster genre, Hathaway's character finds out she's somehow bonded to a giant creature that has been appearing on the other side of the world.

"The Shape of Water" (2017) (Gene pick)

This academy-award winning film by Guillermo del Toro updates "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," making it more of a story of forbidden love than a horror story, and like the best monster movies, it shows that the real monsters are often humans.

"A Quiet Place" (2018) (Gene pick)

In this post-apocalyptic film, a family tries to survive attacks from creatures with super-sensitive hearing, attracted to sound. The family must communicate with sign language or writing because any gasp, sneeze, or word could bring a lethal attack.

Gene Lass and Dandy J. West are lifelong horror fans and film buffs. They are the former editors of the blog "So Good It's Scary."