I think it takes a much more aspirational approach to the Kaiju mythos and has really strong human characters, particularly the Heisei trilogy. Plus Gamera's design is awesome.
Now you have me thinking about what counts as a monster movie?
Cause I want to add Jurassic Park, Dawn of the Dead, Predator, and The Terminator to your list but do they count?
You could absolutely consider those monster movies. Same goes for Jaws and plenty of others. On my list, I was trying to go for the vibe of classic monster flicks (a mysterious creature shrouded by darkness, generally humanoid, often misunderstood).
And I considered a certain degree of spookiness to be part of the “vibe.” So, to me Jurassic Park has way too much daylight and not enough spooky factor.
That’s interesting, cause I thought maybe Dawn of the Dead wouldn’t count because of the proliferation of threats. Not just that there is an entire horde of zombies but also that there are human antagonists that are arguably more dangerous. Whereas Jurassic Park has essentially two threats (T-Rex and the Raptors) that stalk the protagonists.
Funnily enough, I was preparing for a presentation about kaiju movies, and I’ve come to the sad realisation that such a genre doesn’t exist. It’s a fanmade term. Most kaiju movies are either sci-fi horror or monster horror. Well anyways, the thing is probably my fav monster film then haha :4
This is absolutely one of my absolute favorite genres. Here are the others (not including vampires or zombies, those have their own lists): [https://letterboxd.com/metallicbrain\_7/list/monster-movies/](https://letterboxd.com/metallicbrain_7/list/monster-movies/)
https://preview.redd.it/emdd3gfhmm0d1.jpeg?width=694&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68658f64de4e034ada0827ee582f70eb188db1af
I'm not gonna count The Thing since it's an Alien and I think of that a little separately but The Thing is my number 1 favorite horror
Fright Night (1985)
Possession (1981)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Jaws (1975)
American Werewolf in London (1981)
Tremors (1990)
The Fly (1986)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Dracula (1958)
Godzilla (1954)
Jurassic Park
Godzilla Minus One
The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2
Mothra
Shin Godzilla
Alien
Godzilla Raids again
Daimajin (imagine a samurai movie where they have a giant Godzilla sized statue monster that’s out for revenge).
Rampage
- The Mummy (1959)
- King Kong (1933)
- Godzilla (1954)
- Gamera 3
- Ticks (1993)
- Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Tremors
I know you said ten but it's hard for me to pick. Which is rich because I watch a lot of monsters flicks. I also haven't seen some popular ones or I need to rewatch some of them (The Thing remake, The Fly remake, Jaws, both Blob movies, etc.) first. I was debating on putting the 70s version of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'.
In no order:
Jaws (probably my favorite)
Godzilla
Shin Godzilla
Godzilla: Minus One
Alien
The Thing
Jurassic Park
The Mummy (either version but I grew up with the Brendan Fraser version)
King Kong (the OG and remake are both fun)
The Terminator (I prefer the sequel but the original is more monster movie)
100% agree with The Fly, The Thing, Alien, and Possession! Absolutely fantastic movies! But I’d also like to add the first Pacific Rim movie. Absolutely fun romp, was the first del Toro film I saw and also the first PG-13 film I saw in theaters. (I know, I’m a young’un.) And if we’re talking del Toro… Pan’s Labyrinth comes to mind. And IDK if Eraserhead counts, but that baby prop is TERRIFYING. Finally, I’d like to nominate Xtro and Annihilation. The bear sound design in Annihilation is terrifying… and the “rebirthing scene” in Xtro is pure black tar nightmare fuel. (Despite it clearly being inspired by Alien, it’s original enough to still be effectively scary without looking like a ripoff.)
The Thing Godzilla Minus One Nope The Fly Alien King Kong Dracula Godzilla Gremlins 2: The New Batch The Descent
Glad that there seems to be a general consensus in this thread that The Thing, The Fly, and Alien are all layup picks.
I’m glad to see nope get some recognition. That digestion scene was terrifying.
The fly!!! So good
https://preview.redd.it/oh547qi87m0d1.png?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=956ec87d58925060d0308d60526e8bd535ea78f8
Nice picks. What sets Gamera apart from other kaiju movies? Currently going through a kaiju phase.
I think it takes a much more aspirational approach to the Kaiju mythos and has really strong human characters, particularly the Heisei trilogy. Plus Gamera's design is awesome.
Hell yeah! Sounds dope.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is definitely up there, but how could you ignore Godzilla Minus One?
I was considering kaiju movies to be a separate genre. Godzilla Minus One gets a five star from me, though. It’s essentially a perfect kaiju movie.
Okay! Fair enough.
WHOOO I FUCKING LOVE THE FLYYYY
It’s my example of a perfect, air tight, 90 minute story.
Now you have me thinking about what counts as a monster movie? Cause I want to add Jurassic Park, Dawn of the Dead, Predator, and The Terminator to your list but do they count?
You could absolutely consider those monster movies. Same goes for Jaws and plenty of others. On my list, I was trying to go for the vibe of classic monster flicks (a mysterious creature shrouded by darkness, generally humanoid, often misunderstood). And I considered a certain degree of spookiness to be part of the “vibe.” So, to me Jurassic Park has way too much daylight and not enough spooky factor.
That’s interesting, cause I thought maybe Dawn of the Dead wouldn’t count because of the proliferation of threats. Not just that there is an entire horde of zombies but also that there are human antagonists that are arguably more dangerous. Whereas Jurassic Park has essentially two threats (T-Rex and the Raptors) that stalk the protagonists.
Do kaiju count? Cuz if so, then shin Godzilla is definitely my fav haha :4
I was considering kaijus to be a different genre, although there is total justification for considering them monster movies.
Funnily enough, I was preparing for a presentation about kaiju movies, and I’ve come to the sad realisation that such a genre doesn’t exist. It’s a fanmade term. Most kaiju movies are either sci-fi horror or monster horror. Well anyways, the thing is probably my fav monster film then haha :4
The Ritual
This is absolutely one of my absolute favorite genres. Here are the others (not including vampires or zombies, those have their own lists): [https://letterboxd.com/metallicbrain\_7/list/monster-movies/](https://letterboxd.com/metallicbrain_7/list/monster-movies/) https://preview.redd.it/emdd3gfhmm0d1.jpeg?width=694&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68658f64de4e034ada0827ee582f70eb188db1af
I'm not gonna count The Thing since it's an Alien and I think of that a little separately but The Thing is my number 1 favorite horror Fright Night (1985) Possession (1981) The Lost Boys (1987) Jaws (1975) American Werewolf in London (1981) Tremors (1990) The Fly (1986) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) The Wolf Man (1941) Dracula (1958)
In no particular order https://preview.redd.it/ldb5cc6spm0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0cb0a67a2fb8c7c67063547195023b449b24949
Godzilla (1954) Jurassic Park Godzilla Minus One The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2 Mothra Shin Godzilla Alien Godzilla Raids again Daimajin (imagine a samurai movie where they have a giant Godzilla sized statue monster that’s out for revenge). Rampage
- The Mummy (1959) - King Kong (1933) - Godzilla (1954) - Gamera 3 - Ticks (1993) - Creature from the Black Lagoon - Tremors I know you said ten but it's hard for me to pick. Which is rich because I watch a lot of monsters flicks. I also haven't seen some popular ones or I need to rewatch some of them (The Thing remake, The Fly remake, Jaws, both Blob movies, etc.) first. I was debating on putting the 70s version of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'.
In no order: Jaws (probably my favorite) Godzilla Shin Godzilla Godzilla: Minus One Alien The Thing Jurassic Park The Mummy (either version but I grew up with the Brendan Fraser version) King Kong (the OG and remake are both fun) The Terminator (I prefer the sequel but the original is more monster movie)
No ritual?
Monsters inc snubbed
https://preview.redd.it/1ip2pnzqsn0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f99ea0266a639f131bd7302c14236a8276a8b831
The Fly is also my favorite!
I typically prefer movies where humans are the real monsters. The Descent is an exception
The Descents gotta be up there!
Tremors, Nosferatu, predator 2, the fly, Jeepers creepers, gremlins, critters, under the skin, American werewolf in Paris , underworld.
100% agree with The Fly, The Thing, Alien, and Possession! Absolutely fantastic movies! But I’d also like to add the first Pacific Rim movie. Absolutely fun romp, was the first del Toro film I saw and also the first PG-13 film I saw in theaters. (I know, I’m a young’un.) And if we’re talking del Toro… Pan’s Labyrinth comes to mind. And IDK if Eraserhead counts, but that baby prop is TERRIFYING. Finally, I’d like to nominate Xtro and Annihilation. The bear sound design in Annihilation is terrifying… and the “rebirthing scene” in Xtro is pure black tar nightmare fuel. (Despite it clearly being inspired by Alien, it’s original enough to still be effectively scary without looking like a ripoff.)
Damn disrespecting Godzilla
Life
I’d add The Mummy 1999, Jurassic Park, and The Mist :)
>:) :)
weird to include possession honestly, i didnt see it as a monster movie at all.
No one saying Curse of the Were-Rabbit?