Ghost, zombie, cannibal, mother-in-law—monsters come in many shapes. Monster movies are a vital subsection of the horror genre, one with ties to the earliest days of storytelling. Ahead of spooky season, we’re taking a moment to honor the monsters of yore, and while there are numerous nameless monsters who walk among us, today we’re talking about the fictional ones. From killer sharks, to murderous extra-terrestrials, to scientists turned flies, these are the 25 best monsters, and their associated movies, of all time.
I Saw The TV Glow
This instant cult classic from A24 is too weird to explain, but we’ll give it a shot. Produced by Emma Stone and her husband Dave McCary, and written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw The TV Glow follows two friends obsessed with a strange '90s TV show. The show inside the movie follows two teenagers who fight monsters using a psychic connection. Weird horror is A24’s wheelhouse—need we say more?
It Follows
This horror is the little engine that could. The small indie, made with just $1.3 million, earned more than $23 million at the box office and a reputation as one of the most terrifying movies of the last decade. Released in 2014, It Follows presents a unique possession tale, following a demonic force that is passed through sexual intercourse. Should this horror be considered sex ed? The jury’s still out.
The Village
M. Night Shyamalan is considered by many to be the GOAT of the horror genre. He gave us The Sixth Sense, The Visit, Split, and today’s subject, The Village. This 2004 horror stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Sigourney Weaver and more as 19th-century villagers living in fear of a humanoid monster in the surrounding woods.
The Babadook
This Australian thriller landed well with American audiences upon its 2014 release and continues to be remembered as a highly frightening monster tale. Well that, and an absolute meme legend. The Babadook follows a widowed mother and son haunted by a mysterious monster inside their home.
Under the Skin
Another A24 flick is on deck. After all, this is their arena. Under The Skin comes from The Zone of Interest writer and director Jonathan Glazer, and stars Scarlett Johansson as an extraterrestrial being disguised as a woman. Her mission on earth? Seduce men and throw them into an alternate dimension as slabs of meat. There’s a feminist narrative here somewhere, and we appreciate that.
The Thing
This 1982 sci-fi comes from the horror legend behind Halloween, John Carpenter. The eponymous “thing” in The Thing is introduced in the remote tundra of Antarctica, where a group of researchers encounter a shapeshifting foe which takes the shape of its victims. In short, this monster is as scary as its last meal.
King Kong
Like a few of his friends on this list, King Kong is not emblematic of any single movie, but rather an entire entertainment franchise. That said, the best one came in 2005 and starred Naomi Watts, Jack Black, and Adrien Brody and was written and directed by Lord of the Rings’ Peter Jackson. In this iteration, King Kong is a giant, mountain-crushing ape living on the mysterious Skull Island, which is inhabited by prehistoric creatures.
Alien
This 1979 sci-fi horror is an ode to a murderous alien who terrorizes a crew of space explorers, led by Miss Sigourney Weaver. In terms of monsters, the alien from Alien is one of the best and the winningest, with his biopic (Alien) entering the United States National Film Registry and being deemed significant by the Library of Congress.
The Fly
Jeff Goldblum, the monsters’ monster. The Fly stars Goldblum as a mad scientist who morphs into a fly-like creature after an experiment gone wrong. If this film doesn’t sound familiar, maybe this will. “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”
Bride of Frankenstein
It’s about time we saw some female representation on this list of monsters! This 1935 classic is the first (of many) sequels to the original Frankenstein, and follows the origin story of the classic monster’s mate.
Jurassic Park
More Goldblum! But he’s not the monster this time. This 1993 classic from Steven Spielberg centers around a wildlife park of dinosaurs on an island near Costa Rica, following a group of visitors who find themselves trapped on the island when the park’s power and security is sabotaged. The monsters at play here are prehistoric, of course.
An American Werewolf in London
This comedy horror film follows two American backpackers who encounter a werewolf while traveling across England. When one of the backpackers gets bitten, he begins transforming into a werewolf under the glow of the full moon. Some monstrous film history for you, An American Werewolf in London was the first film to ever take home an Oscar for Best Makeup.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Pan’s Labyrinth is creepy from start to finish, but the head monster in charge is “The Pale Man,” a terrifying creature of the underworld that feeds on children. His loose skin is a Botox ad, and his spiny fingernails a nail tech’s inspo photo. Terrifying.
The Shape of Water
Like Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water comes from fantasy master Guillermo del Toro. The story follows a mute woman working at a high-security laboratory who encounters, and falls in love with, an amphibian-like creature in government captivity. In its year, the film took home the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Hottest Monster.
Monsters Inc.
Probably Pixar’s best movie, Monsters, Inc. follows the lives and times of James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, two factory-working monsters who power the city of Monstropolis through the screams of children. No notes. Pure genius.
Monsters University
Probably Pixar’s second best movie, Monsters University is a prequel which sees Sully and Mike through their college years. At MU, our monster besties begin as fraternity rivals, competing in collegiate scaring competitions. Again, no notes.
Cloverfield
This found footage horror follows a monster called Clover, which takes over all of New York City, terrorizing a few young New Yorkers along the way.
Little Shop of Horrors
This classic horror comedy (musical) follows two employees at a flower shop who discover one of the plants is feeding on human blood. The monstrous plant, Audrey II, convinces one of the workers to kill someone and feed them to the plant. All of this plus a musical score, what more could you ask for.
A Quiet Place
A great movie with a great monster, A Quiet Place follows a family surviving a post-apocalyptic world overtaken by blind monsters who hunt what they hear. The film and its monsters were nominated for a slew of awards in its year, and inspired a sequel which was released in 2020.
It
Anytime Bill Skarsgård is wearing the monster mask, it makes a “best of” list. In this 2017 adaptation of the hit Stephen King novel, Skarsgård plays the killer clown who terrorizes a group of outcast children. Upon release, It broke a number of records and became the highest grossing horror film of all time. That’s that on It.
Barbarian
This 2022 horror follows a woman who arrives at her Airbnb to find another person already inside, but spoiler alert, he’s not the monster. Take a guess where the monster lives. In the basement of course! That’s all we’ll say about this one, but give it a watch its some of Justin Long’s best work.
The Blob
The Blob was a real movie, and “The Blob” a real monster. This 1958 horror follows a small Pennsylvania community enveloped by an extraterrestrial goo-like creature that arrives via meteorite and grows in size and aggression.
Godzilla
The original monster from Godzilla is the best Godzilla. The lore of Godzilla began with this Japanese film from 1954, which follows a battle between Japanese authorities and a giant monster whose sudden appearance and attacks seem to warn of nuclear holocaust.
Jaws
The marine mammals activists are gonna hate this one. Jaws is one of the most iconic monster movies, and no, not every shark is a monster, but Jaws certainly is. We’ve named the shark Jaws, right? This 1975 thriller follows a small town ravaged by shark-infested swimming waters. Much more than a mere monster movie, Jaws is certified cinema history, we just wanted an excuse to talk about it some more.
Hellraiser
It doesn’t get better than 1987 Hellraiser, the original. The story begins with a puzzle box that, when opened, summons a group of spooky sadomasochists led by a wicked leader by the name of Pinhead. If you like it, there’s (much) more where that came from. Hellraiser was followed by nine sequels and a franchise reboot which was released in 2022. Strap in, there’s plenty more monsters ahead.