Top 20 Horror Movie Monsters Part 2 (10-1)

by Edward Zarnawski
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

10. Gill-Man (Creature From The Black Lagoon). A Seminole Universal monster, Gill-Man is an amphibious killer who stalks a group of people on an expedition through the Amazon. His menacing stare and slow lurching movements add to his frightening appearance. A lethal inhabitant of The Black Lagoon, Gill-Man goes through his victims one by one.

09. Sammael The Hellhound (Hellboy). While not technically a horror movie, this film certainly has horror aspects and plenty of scares. With the undead Russian sorcerer releasing The Ogdru Jahad through an interdimensional portal, and the demon spawn sent to destroy mankind (Hellboy). But none of these are more dangerous than Sammael. With extraordinary power and the ability to multiply by two after every one is killed, he is one of the most horrifying monsters ever.

08. Mist Creatures (The Mist). Creeping in through a portal that allows the military to look at other dimensions, The Mist and its monstrous inhabitants set in on a small town. Unleashing strange entities such as gigantic insect-like creatures, enormous prehistoric pterodactyl-type flying abominations and acid shooting spider-esqe horrors. Their are other appalling behemoths like the towering beast at the end of the film with the characteristics of an elephant, octopus and dinosaur. A truly petrifying ensemble of beasts.

07. Velociraptors (Jurassic Park). Not one but two of the most dreaded dinosaurs ever to roam the earth have been re-animated and are on the loose! What makes these two so chilling is their intelligence. They stalk the protagonists in the film with an eerie intuition. With a smart carnivore on your trail there is almost no escape.

06. Graboids (Tremors). These colossal, underground creatures use motion to find their prey. Just to see the detestable beasts is horrid, but when they grab a hold of you and pull you under that is when the terror really begins.

05. The Crawlers (The Descent). The first time you see these appalling humanoid ghouls you're not sure if your eyes are seeing what they are seeing. With pale white skin, pointed ears and the creepiest sound I have ever heard as their language, The Crawlers are absolutely petrifying. The shock of seeing one behind Juno is one of the biggest scares I have ever had watching a movie.

04. Clover (Cloverfield). The mystery of this monster is the main source of fear. You know so little about this creature. All you know is that there is something destroying the city. And whatever it is it's of epic proportion! The snippets of information and the brief glimpses of the lumbering mass as it demolishes New York are all you get to fuel your terror. As you see more of the being you learn that it has smaller creatures that are attached to it. As the fall off of the massive, enigmatic juggernaut it becomes clear that these too are very deadly. Leaping and attacking soldiers and citizens. The absolute most startling moments are in the subway when the group are viciously attacked by the crab-like parasites. And the scene in which the Clover Monster is Finally fully revealed and eats Hud.

03. Alien (Alien). The Alien appears in four equally unsettling incarnations. The first, 'The Egg' is found on the abandoned ship among other, still unhatched eggs. Unfolding like pedals of a flower it launches the second stage of the Alien 'The Facehugger'. The vile parasitic creature lunges at Kane and attaches to his head implanting its embryo. The most perturbing of the process is the third, 'The Chestburster'. While seemingly unharmed by his ordeal, at dinner a few hours later, Kane begins to violently convulse. Unexpectedly a repulsive being tears open his chest and escapes into the ship. While the crew try to hunt the renegade life form, it undergoes the fourth and final stage of the metamorphosis. An atrocious monstrocity known as 'the Xenomorph', standing over six feet tall and hissing with anger hunts the remaining crew members. One by one they are killed, leaving only Ripley standing. The Alien has been vanquished into space left for dead. But what about the other eggs?

02. The Thing (The Thing). A shape shifting alien sentient uncovered by a Norweigen team of scientists assimilates a sled dog and is taken in by a group of men in a research station. This is one of the most clever monsters in movie history. Placating on the paranoia of the crew, the film doesn't truly identify The Thing until we are all severely on edge. The two most shocking and scary scenes are when the dog handler Clark, upon investigating strange sound coming from the kennel, finds The Thing in mid-transformation. And the point when the crew are attacked by The Thing disguised as Norris killing Copper, has its head detached and sprouts arachnid legs to escape. Who can you trust?

01. Jaws (Jaws). He's a twenty-five foot long, three ton man-eater with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, natural killer instinct and taste for blood! His appetite is insatiable. A predator of the deep who will not stop! Brody, Hooper and Quint are 'Gonna need a bigger boat!'. Terrifying from start to finish, this film truly delivers. Assuring us all that monsters are real, and the most dangerous threat is just below the surface.