If you don’t know this already, I’m a horror movie fan.
Supernatural horror is my milieu, but I do have a penchant for the old creature features of the past. One of my all-time favourite movies, period, is Jaws.
It may be my interest in cryptozoology that has led me to catch some old-school creature features. I wanted to compile my list back in October, but time was in limited supply.
Additionally, I didn’t include one of my all-time favourite thrillers, involving homicidal beasts, due to the fact it’s based on real-life events and is more of an action flick: The Ghost and the Darkness.
Without further ado, my Top 25 Creature Features.
| 25. |  |
Movie: Willard Year: 2003 Monster: A rat named Ben (Michael Jackson sang about him). Why: If you’re queasy about when cats meet their Waterloo, then the 2003 version of Willard is certainly not for you. Scully, the orange tabby gets taken out by the rodent hordes who follow Ben (and Willard). |
|---|---|---|
| 24. |  |
Movie: Willow Creek Year: 2013 Monster: Bigfoot Why: This found footage flick, directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, is an intriguing take on the Sasquatch mythos. |
| 23. |  |
Movie: Cujo Year: 1983 Monster: Rabid dog Why: Stephen King. Dee Wallace. And a St. Bernard hell-bent on getting into that Ford Pinto Wallace was driving. (He just didn’t hit the right spot, in my opinion). |
| 22. |  |
Movie: The Bay Year: 2012 Monster: Giant isopods Why: Oh, there is pretty legit evidence that there are giant isopods. But coming out of the mouths of humans, well that’s just different. And cool. |
| 21. |  |
Movie: Super 8 Year: 2011 Monster: Alien Why: Smalltown Ohio is invaded by an alien that jailbreaks during a train crash. |
| 20. |  |
Movie: The Mist Year: 2007 Monster: Take your pick Why: One several tales from Stephen King on this list, The Mist provides that Lovecraftian horror that is omnipresent in his universe. |
| 19. |  |
Movie: The Blob Year: 1988 Monster: Killer slime from outer space Why: Though it was a box office failure, The Blob has aged like a fine wine. Who could forget that telephone booth scene? |
| 18. |  |
Movie: Eight Legged Freaks Year: 2002 Monster: Mutated spiders Why: Like a cheesy ’50s B-movie, Eight Legged Freaks has that novelty and self-deprecating humour. It knows it’s cheese. Side note: It was one of Scarlett Johansson’s first films. |
| 17. |  |
Movie: Cloverfield Year: 2008 Monster: Big, honkin’ monster Why: It’s a little more than just a glorified Godzilla-esque flick. It has dimension: love, friends and little parasites feeding on people. |
| 16. |  |
Movie: Prophecy Year: 1979 Monster: Mutant bear Why: Talia Shire gives use a romp through the woods with a mutant bear savagely attacking campers, right in their sleeping bags. |
| 15. |  |
Movie: Leviathan Year: 1989 Monster: Shapeshifting beastie Why: I know what you’re thinking. It’s The Thing, only underwater. Yes, it is. But it has Robocop, one half of the Wet Bandits and Winston Zedmore in it. |
| 14. |  |
Movie: Them! Year: 1954 Monster: Giant ants Why: Life was so much easier in the 1950s when horror was a simple fabrication of the overt fears of America: nuclear radiation. |
| 13. |  |
Movie: Bug Year: 1975 Monster: Fire-starting cockroaches Why: It’s an old-school classic from William Castle himself. This time he perpetuates the fears of mutation combined with the disaster theme that was as common in the ’70s as superhero flicks are now. |
| 12. |  |
Movie: The Relic Year: 1997 Monster: Kothoga Why: My undergrad was steeped in anthropology and archaeology classes. I love myth, legend, and history, so this was right up my alley. |
| 11. |  |
Movie: The Monster Squad Year: 1987 Monster: Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, Mummy, Wolfman and Gillman Why: Much like Super 8, a bunch of kids team up to bring down Lord Alucard and his evil henchmen. |
| 10. |  |
Movie: Tremors Year: 1990 Monster: Giant subterranean wurms Why: Kevin Bacon. Fred Ward. Reba with a gun. This has it all, and in a desolate landscape too. |
| 9. |  |
Movie: Gremlins Year: 1984 Monster: Something you don’t feed after midnight Why: Classic Christmas movie. I mean come on, there are lights, carols and flying grandmas. |
| 8. |  |
Movie: The Thing Year: 1982 Monster: Shapeshifting alien Why: There is so much awesome about this film, especially its up-in-the-air conclusion. Isolation is the greatest catalyst for craziness. |
| 7. |  |
Movie: Graveyard Shift Year: 1990 Monster: Giant bat Why: The atmosphere is just so wasteland-esque. This is another Stephen King short story adaptation that just brings to life our fear of rats, blue-collar work and the darkest depths of our souls. |
| 6. |  |
Movie: Arachnophobia Year: 1990 Monster: Spider Why: The early ’90s were great for creature features. South American spiders, the size of Huntsmans are pretty frickin’ freaky. |
| 5. |  |
Movie: Squirm Year: 1976 Monster: Electrified worms Why: This is a guilty pleasure that dates back to my dad watching late-night horror and me sneaking in a few movies. |
| 4. |  |
Movie: Critters Year: 1986 Monster: Alien fur balls Why: This is so much camp in such a little ball of E.T. that it’s incredibly hilarious. It’s ’80s comedy-horror at its finest. |
| 3. |  |
Movie: Lake Placid Year: 1999 Monster: Giant crocodile Why: More campy humour with Oliver Platt playing a self-absorbed, rich croc enthusiast and Bridget Fonda playing a paleontologist. The two investigate a giant reptile in a New England lake. Watch it for a foul-mouthed Betty White. |
| 2. |  |
Movie: Creature from the Black Lagoon Year: 1954 Monster: Gill-man Why: While visiting my uncle in Whitby — before we moved there — he would always set me up in their house watching old horror films. This was one of my favourites. |
| 1. |  |
Movie: Jaws Year: 1975 Monster: Great White Shark Why: One of the best films for a rogue beast going on a killing spree. Too bad the shark had to die at the end. |