Top Ten Best Movie Monsters

To whittle this list down to a certain kind of horror movie monster I’m excluding those monsters based on people real or fictional (such as Hitler or Hannibal Lector) and general groups (like Zombies or Dinosaurs). The goal of this list is to move past just great villains and to zero in on horror monsters. My list, my rules.

10. Freddy Kruger – Nightmare On Elm Street Films
Sure he was a person but then he became the pyscho who invades your nightmares and kills you while you sleep. Robert Englund might have played this character tongue-n-cheek a lot I regardless think he’s a great horror invention.
9. Godzilla - Gojira
I almost didn’t put the ultimate big guy in there because he’s kind of a hero. Then I thought about it and realized anything that can destroy a city needs to be on the list. Seeing a giant lizard emerge from the sea is a terrifying sight. Let's have Godzilla be the stand in for other such giants as King Kong and the monster from Cloverfield.

8. Gwoemul- The Host
It’s a bus-sized bay creature that hunts people down and nests in a gutter. It’s inventive looking and completely horrific when you consider it's really just fish and frog mixed together.

7. Dren – Splice
Some might say the movie isn't that great but I still think Dren is the best Frankenstein-like monster so far put to film. It's really a gruesome and frightful concept. While I don't think films can really be good warnings for future tech maybe we should force all geneticists to view this beautiful yet dangerous she-monster

6. Pale Man – Pan’s Labyrinth

Guillermo del Toro’s frightful creation is a stand-out in an amazing movie. He’s the flesh-eating monster without eyes except for when he opens his palms and fans them out at you. Creepy, surreal and beautiful all mixed into one.

5. Graboids – Tremors
Some might be shocked that I put in these land-worms on this list, especially when you consider the film they’re in is more of a comedy than a scary film. Sorry, those Jaws like worms were designed with freakiest originality and make for great monsters of horror.

4. That Baby – Eraserhead
True, this absurd experimental film by David Lynch isn’t really classified as horror but it might as well be. That baby might not attack people and be as harmless as a planet but it still gives me the heebee jeebees. I swear it gave me nightmares and I can’t explain why. It’s just an eerie movie and that sick little thing needs to die before it does grow up and becomes something worse.

3. Pinhead – Hellraiser

He’s the captain of the Cenobites, monsters who guard the entrance to Hell. Brought to life with awesome commanding presence by Doug Bradley, he’s my favorite former human monsters. I really hope someday someone brings this character back and reboots this trapped-in-B-movie-hell franchise. If not at least we have a couple good films with him in it. Someday I will go to work on Halloween as this guy and scare my co-workers to death.

2. Aliens – Aliens
This list isn’t complete without H. R. Giger’s brilliant creatures in space inventions, constructed by the great Carlo Rambaldi. You know a creature design is brilliant when they’re still effective even in horrible movies (Aliens Vs. Predator). I still remember when I first experienced these guys and I must admit to being overwhelmed. It was a terrifying idea of a monster that uses humans to incubate its offspring.

1. The Thing – The Thing

The above choice would have been here except for the fact this alien from the great John Carpenter remake actually scared me. I remember seeing this mysterious “we don’t know who’s the monster and who’s human” concept unfold and when the mutated monster breaks loose from human (or dog) form, it is a horrible transformation. I truly jumped out of my seat and yelped when this monster appeared. You’ll never get me down there in Antarctica to work at some science station. Not ever after seeing this film.

 

Frankenweenie (2012)

Tim Burton reincarnates his own live-action short as a puppet-animated full-feature film. I adore this film and its quirky wit and feel-good vibe. Only Burton could concoct such a bizarre tale about a boy who brings his pet dog back to life Frankenstein-style. With many wonderful character creations and surprise twists to the plot, this is one to be enjoyed by the entire family all year long, not just on Halloween. I own it on Blu-Ray already, that’s how much I liked it. Grade: A

Profondo Rosso [Deep Red] (1975)

Dario Argento directs and co-writes a story about a musician played by David Hemmings and a psychic played by Macha Meril who try to solve a string of murders all committed by a psycho with a hatchet. Highlighted by a bunch of gruesome murder scenes and some clever investigation work by the two protagonists, this is one of Argento’s best films. I feel with this project all the pieces came together just right for Argento. It has that Argento feel obviously inspired by Hitchcock but you can sense an original voice emerging. It’s a bit dated for today’s audience but it’s still an entertaining film. Grade: A-

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)

The third film in Cho Young-wuk’s revenge trilogy is a strikingly beautiful and poetic story of a woman sent to prison for a crime she did not commit and her quest for revenge on the real killer. Yet it’s also a story of how she reunites with her daughter who she assumed she’d never see again after the girl was adopted by an Australian couple. There are a lot of themes here about crime and punishment and forgiveness. Lee Young-ae gives a remarkable performance and Cho Young-wuk’s direction is excellent. While sometimes the story meanders some, it’s a clever take on the revenge story that I think is worth checking out. I love films that put the audiece right into the driver seat of a moral question: is killing the killer revenge or justice?  This ones does it better than most.  Grade: A-

The Caller (2011)

Rachelle LeFevre stars as a woman who moved into an apartment to escape her abusive husband. She suddenly gets a phone call from a woman claiming to be from the past. At first all is friendly until the woman on the phone turns out not to be just as messed up as the man she's trying to escape. Who knew Time manipulation could be so frightening? I loved this taunt thriller. It’s the kind of film you discover and want to share with all your friends. Is it perfect? No, but it’s still a great little movie. Grade: B+

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Movies like these make me wish I could go back in time and experience it with an audience of that time. I’m sure this William Castle production staring Vincent Price was a scream fest for teenagers back then, a good time at the movies to sit with your girlfriend and jump at dancing skeletons. Of course today it’s purely a historical document with little entertainment value. But that said it’s not all bad, it has some cheesy charm even if it is a complete rip-off of Shirley Jackson’s famous story The Haunting of Hill House (I mean the word Hill is in both titles; that’s about as obvious as it gets). The story is similar: a millionaire invites a bunch of guest to stay at a haunted house and says if they survive the night he’ll give them $10,000. There was a remake made in 1999 that I haven’t seen. Maybe I’ll check it out to see how they took such a story and updated it. Grade: B-

Fritt Vilt [Cold Prey] (2006)

This formalistic slasher film made by Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug follows all the tropes of the genre. Yet has any slasher film of recent years been this well-made? A strong cast led by Ingrid Bolsø Berdal helps make this film really work. Plus the overall mystery about the killer has a satisfying back story that makes for a memorable ending. Slasher horror is generally my least favorite of the genre but when it’s done right, as it is here, it’s a thrilling experience. Grade: B+