TOP 5 BEST MONSTER MOVIES

A Quiet Place (2018)

This excellent and inventive horror movie established the already-beloved John Krasinski as a horror filmmaker to watch. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been overrun with deadly sightless creatures that hunt using hyper-sensitive hearing. The Abbott family, who are at the center of the film, survive by leading a life of relative silence; a single loud noise could mean the difference between life and death. Fast and ferocious, the monsters are undeniably terrifying, but it's Krasinki’s alternating use of sound and silence throughout the film that really makes “A Quiet Place” such a remarkable and effective creature feature. With solid character development and excellent performances all around, this is also a horror movie with a ton of heart.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Planning a monster movie marathon with a focus on fun? Then consider pairing “Attack the Block” with this riot of a film. Directed by Drew Goddard and produced by Joss Whedon,“The Cabin in the Woods” is a supernatural horror comedy - but it’s so much more. In the off-chance that you haven’t seen it and have managed to avoid spoilers, we’re not going into detail. All you need to know is that the plot is far more elaborate than the initial setup would have you believe. By the time the credits roll, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for horror tropes, you’ll be drenched in figurative blood and you will have met one of the wildest collections of monsters to ever grace the screen.

It (2017)

“The Mist” is a great film, but when it comes to monster movies adapted from the works of Stephen King, “it” doesn’t get any better than this. With the first film in this two-part adaptation, director Andy Muschietti absolutely nailed it. The young cast delivers great performances all around, giving the film an emotional core, while Pennywise delivers one great scare after another. Bill Skarsgård deserves much of the credit for making “It” such a colossal success. His performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown is both terrifying, and terrifyingly good. He wholly inhabits the role, and in doing so manages to instill audiences with a pervasive sense of dread that it is hard to shake, even long after the credits have rolled.

Godzilla (2014)

Make a great movie on a small budget, and a studio may just hand you the keys to a major franchise. After proving his mettle with “Monsters,” the aforementioned Gareth Edwards launched Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse with 2014’s “Godzilla”. And it’s safe to say he was facing a lot of pressure to get it right. Some people were disappointed with the titular kaiju’s modest screen time, but there’s no complaints about the action when it does kick off. Atmospheric, beautifully shot and grounded by its human drama, this is a thoroughly self-serious monster movie. And despite the odds, Edwards makes it work. The film’s success even inspired Toho to do their own Japanese reboot in the form of “Shin Godzilla”.

The Babadook (2014)

“If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook.” It sounds like a load of nonsense, right? But for anyone who’s seen “The Babadook”, this little rhyme is enough to send shivers down your spine. Each year, horror fans are given dozens of movie monsters and killers to fear. After audiences get over the initial jump scare, however, most are quickly forgotten. But every now and then, a monster comes along and instantly becomes an icon - the Babadook is one of them. In this tense psychological thriller, trauma, anxiety, grief, loss, depression, denial and repressed anger all come together to give life to the titular creature. Don’t let the outfit fool you, he’s a monster through and through