This list has no demons or evil spirits, just beings with a physical, earthly form. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movie beasts that deserve bigger reputations.
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00:00 What is that? Oh my god!
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the movie beasts that deserve bigger reputations.
00:09 No demons or evil spirits, just beings with a physical earthly form.
00:13 They're totally blind, and judging from what we've seen, I'd say they use sound to hunt with.
00:18 Number 20. Dimeagin. Dimeagin franchise.
00:23 I'm going to kill you!
00:25 [Explosion]
00:29 A spirit may reside within the stone statue that is Dimeagin,
00:33 but it's this physical form that has helped make this film series so unique.
00:37 Dimeagin differs from other kaiju creatures, despite its initial origins as an unrealized antagonist for the space turtle Gamera.
00:45 There's a god-like reverence for Dimeagin in its giant samurai statue form.
00:50 The sight of its scowling face is enough to make just about anything cower in fear.
00:55 While Dimeagin's mental and physical fighting prowess is nearly unstoppable,
00:59 only an act of human kindness can return Dimeagin to a dormant state, waiting for the next time he is summoned.
01:06 [Shouting in Japanese]
01:13 Number 19. Cil. Species franchise.
01:16 Created a monster with some kind of formula you got from outer space.
01:22 The damn thing got away, and now you want us to hunt it down and kill it.
01:25 There's no denying that Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger's creature design
01:30 will always draw comparisons between the species and alien franchises.
01:34 This isn't a bad thing, however, as Giger's work on the creature that would become Cil,
01:38 a combination of human and alien DNA, is excellent.
01:43 Cil is a violent yet tragic character, a creature that didn't ask to be born,
01:48 yet which is compelled to mate and propagate at all costs.
01:51 You don't know what we're dealing with here. She can have a dozen babies. She can lay a thousand eggs.
01:57 This results in a lot of carnage along the way,
02:00 as well as a weaponized sexuality that's brought to the screen by Natasha Henstridge.
02:05 Some of the film's sexual politics and its male-focused gaze haven't aged well,
02:10 yet Cil remains a captivating character study and an intriguingly designed movie monster.
02:16 Number 18. Giant octopus. It came from beneath the sea.
02:20 I mean, something came up out of the water and grabbed our ship and pulled it under, just like that.
02:24 The 1950s were a golden era for monster movies,
02:27 and those that feature special effects from Ray Harryhausen perhaps best live on today.
02:32 The giant octopus from 1955's It Came From Beneath the Sea was one of Harryhausen's earlier jobs,
02:38 but the maestro's creative magic is already evident.
02:42 The stop-motion effects feel remarkably fluid, such as during the octopus's attack on San Francisco.
02:48 Harryhausen's noted ability to give his creatures defining mannerisms or traits can be seen here as well,
02:54 together with a sound design that lends the giant octopus a lurching, foreboding presence.
03:00 That's it.
03:10 Number 17. Burrowers. The Burrowers.
03:13 You hear that?
03:17 It's almost like...
03:17 Combining horror and western tropes, the film also features subtext concerning the slaughter of buffalo
03:25 during the early settling of North America.
03:28 Because their normal food source has been made scarce,
03:31 the titular burrowers have been driven to hunt and feast upon human victims.
03:35 This may lend the creatures a reason for their behavior,
03:39 but it doesn't make their attacks any less gruesome.
03:41 The burrowers paralyze their victims and bury them in holes,
03:45 aware of their surroundings, yet absolutely helpless.
03:48 The creatures' physical design is also nightmarish, with gaping mouths,
03:53 no external ears, and an unsettling gait when they attack.
03:57 All combined, these burrowers are a unique and uniquely disturbing sort of movie monster.
04:02 It didn't work.
04:08 Number 16. Underwater mutant, Leviathan.
04:11 What is this?
04:15 Tom, what's going on down there?
04:17 Ask the average movie fan what their favorite underwater horror movie is,
04:21 and you'll probably receive many different answers.
04:24 The Abyss and Deep Star Six are two excellent examples of the genre,
04:28 as is Leviathan, all of which were released in the same year.
04:32 This latter entry featured special effects and creature design by Stan Winston, however,
04:37 which gives it a leg up on the competition.
04:39 The underwater mutant of Leviathan is the result of a virus that assimilates its victims.
04:44 The end results are an aquatic nightmare,
04:47 a human-marine mutant with physical elements from both worlds.
04:51 Leviathan has often been referred to as "John Carpenter's The Thing, but underwater,"
04:56 and this feels very accurate, particularly thanks to the monster.
05:06 Number 15. The Falk Monster, The Legend of Boggy Creek.
05:10 Before the creature finally wandered off,
05:12 he smashed flower pots and overturned everything in sight.
05:15 It's one of the most financially successful and legitimately scary
05:19 G-rated horror movies of all time.
05:22 The crew behind 1972's The Legend of Boggy Creek managed to capture,
05:27 lightning in a bottle with this film, an atmospheric slice of cinema
05:30 that's based upon the real-life Arkansas folktale of the Falk Monster.
05:35 There's nothing in the way of graphic violence in Boggy Creek,
05:38 nor is the Falk Monster displayed in any grand fashion.
05:41 Instead, this mythical cryptid lurks within the shadowed recesses of our imaginations.
05:46 As Boggy Creek crafts a narrative that's heavy on docudrama glimpses of its appearance,
05:52 yet the execution is so compelling that our mind's eye connects the dots
05:56 in a way that further extends the life of the Falk Monster's legacy.
06:00 Normally, he never comes out of the woods before dusk, and then moves very cautiously,
06:05 staying within quick return to the shelter of the trees. But tonight, he's on a rampage.
06:11 Number 14. Mary Beth Louise Hutchinson, The Faculty
06:15 There's nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. We're everywhere.
06:20 There are a lot of nods to classic horror tropes in Kevin Williamson's screenplay
06:24 to Robert Rodriguez's The Faculty.
06:26 Mary Beth Louise Hutchinson is an invader from space, there's one.
06:30 Who shifts her shape in order to blend in with humanity, there's another.
06:34 Hutchinson's plan to infect and control the world is eventually revealed
06:38 thanks to an experimental drug from the local dealer, which plays like a scene right out of the thing.
06:43 Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. We're everywhere.
06:48 Meanwhile, it's a special effects bonanza when Hutchinson's alien form is revealed later on in
06:52 the film, setting the stage for a classic Monster Mash finale.
06:58 Guaranteed to jack you up.
07:00 Number 13. Water Worms, Deep Rising
07:03 There's nothing down here but you and me.
07:08 A combination of both practical and computer-generated effects went into creating
07:12 the memorable Water Worms from 1998's Deep Rising. The end results are a mixed bag,
07:17 with some excellent digital effects being utilized for Billy's death scene,
07:22 while other reaction shots feature some fairly shoddy CGI work.
07:26 That said, the backstory of these creatures as an evolutionary offshoot of some Cambrian-era
07:31 worms is unique, while their underwater attacks are tense and shocking. We'd love to see what
07:36 these movie monsters would look like with a fully practical application in the modern day.
07:40 Now there's something you don't see every day.
07:47 Number 12. Bigfoot, Night of the Demon
07:50 I saw this terrible, terrible face right over us.
07:55 You wanna tell us what it looked like?
07:59 You all just gotta trust us when we say that there's never been a cinematic Sasquatch quite
08:05 like the one highlighted in Night of the Demon. Two different directors shot footage for the film,
08:10 James C. Watson's original feature, as well as all of the exploitation gore footage shot by
08:15 the film's producer, Jim L. Ball. The latter footage features Bigfoot ripping off sensitive
08:21 body parts, disemboweling victims, and even utilizing a hot stove for a shocking attack.
08:26 All of these scenes are shot in grotesque, living color, with nothing spared in terms of boundary
08:32 pushing and edge-stepping bad taste. This Bigfoot isn't merely content with lurking around in the
08:38 forest, but will come get you if his hunting grounds are disturbed. So beware.
08:43 Bigfoot's not playing games anymore. Maybe next time he won't be happy just to scare us.
08:48 Number 11. Rettasaurus, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
08:53 There he is!
08:53 It's unbelievable! He's tremendous!
09:04 Godzilla wasn't the first tyrant lizard to take down a city. In fact, it was the Ray Harryhausen
09:10 creature design for 1953's The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms that would serve as an inspiration for
09:16 Godzilla only a year later. Harryhausen's Rettasaurus saw its origins within The Foghorn,
09:21 a short story by legendary writer Ray Bradbury. The film version is a unique design, one that
09:27 feels more like a dinosaur-lizard composite than anything that actually walked the earth.
09:31 This freedom makes the Rettasaurus more menacing and aggressive, which works wonders as it tears
09:37 down lighthouses and attacks cities. The Rettasaurus was hugely influential, and remains
09:42 a crowning achievement within the art of stop-motion animation.
09:45 No one knows where the monster will strike next. It was last seen on Wall Street,
09:50 close to where it came ashore.
09:51 Number 10. Graboids, Tremors Franchise
09:55 Jesus Christ! I smell like that 'cause it's dead.
09:59 Never underestimate the power of a good gimmick. The Tremors franchise has had some serious legs
10:04 over the years, which is no mean feat considering the Graboids don't have any to speak of.
10:09 These subterranean worms have been making life hell for their victims throughout history,
10:13 from their 1990 debut to various sequels, prequels, and TV series.
10:18 One thing remains constant, however, the Graboids' determination and unpredictability.
10:23 Their creature design is gross and memorable, from their triple tongues to the mandibles in
10:28 their maws. The Graboids can slither and burrow their way into just about anything,
10:33 including the imagination of horror fans around the world.
10:36 You hungry? 185 pounds of lean meat!
10:39 What are you doing?
10:39 You know you want it!
10:41 Number 9. The Kothuga, The Relic
10:44 The plot and setting of The Relic, from 1997, is somewhat unique, featuring a hybrid monster of
10:50 South American origins that runs rampant within the confines of a Chicago museum.
10:55 This relic is the Kothuga, a hormonally chaotic beast that takes the human form of
11:00 anthropologist John Whitney before revealing its true nature.
11:03 Are you telling me that thing's part human?
11:05 No, I'm saying more than that. According to this data, that thing started out as a human.
11:10 This final form is somewhat similar to a chimera,
11:13 since it combines physical features of multiple animals.
11:16 Specifically, the Kothuga melds together humanity, lizards, fish, insects, and felines
11:22 into one toothy monster, one that eventually goes on a killing spree.
11:26 The end results are uniquely designed, fearsome, and genuinely interesting,
11:31 and help make The Relic a film that deserves rediscovery.
11:34 You gotta help!
11:37 Number 8. Kaiju, Pacific Rim Franchise
11:40 And then the third one hit Cabo, and then the fourth, and then we learned
11:46 this was not gonna stop. This was just the beginning.
11:50 We just couldn't narrow down our picks to just one specific Kaiju from Pacific Rim,
11:54 but have instead decided to celebrate the monsters as a whole.
11:57 This is thanks primarily to how fans of the Pacific Rim franchise have taken to these
12:02 interdimensional beasts, and how fights between these Kaiju and humanity's Jaeger Corps have
12:06 entertained over the years. Just keep up, Bessie, from human!
12:09 Their creature designs may not be as idiosyncratic or unique as, say, Godzilla's rogues gallery,
12:20 but examples such as Ootachi, Slattern, Knifehead, and Leatherback have all earned a cult following.
12:26 The design of Knifehead in particular feels indebted to that of Giron from the Gamera universe,
12:31 helping connect old Kaiju history with the new.
12:34 Number 7. Blade, Puppetmaster Franchise
12:38 A lot of different puppets have come and gone within producer Charles Ban's Puppetmaster
12:43 franchise. Many of them are cool as heck, but perhaps none of them possess the same
12:48 enduring cult status as the Puppetmaster OG, Blade. This living puppet was created by one
12:54 André Toulon, a French puppeteer and sorcerer who imbued Blade with the soul of a renegade surgeon
13:00 on the run from the Nazi army. This leader of Toulon's tiny puppet army is a keen spy,
13:06 and also quick with a knife, cutting down his enemies with precision. Blade also possesses
13:11 tons of personality, and a distinctive look thanks to his trademark hat and trench coat.
13:16 He may be small, but never count Blade out of a fight.
13:19 Number 6. Cooper, Super 8
13:29 The creative stamp of producer Steven Spielberg was all over this creature feature from 2011.
13:41 This isn't a bad thing, mind you, as writer-director J.J. Abrams was able to combine his
13:46 own sci-fi pedigree with a little of that family-friendly Spielbergian magic. Cooper
13:51 is the central monster here, a highly intelligent alien creature that crashed on Earth and after
13:57 escaping from government captors, attempted to rebuild his spacecraft. Cooper's desire to escape
14:02 from Earth is understandable, even if he does eat more than one person in pursuit of that aim.
14:07 Additionally, his creature design is scary, but also human enough to make Cooper somewhat relatable,
14:13 and this ultimately helps Super 8 succeed as a film.
14:16 Number 5. Trolls, Troll Hunter
14:34 The CGI technology in Troll Hunter is nothing short of extraordinary. The crew behind this
14:39 found-footage film knocked it out of the park when it came to developing modern-looking trolls
14:44 that appear every bit the stuff of nightmares. Don't go looking for any good luck toys here.
14:49 Instead, the beasts here in Troll Hunter feel more carved from monstrous myth,
14:54 out for blood, and causing destruction at every turn. The found-footage style of filmmaking also
14:59 allows for the trolls to be witnessed from a proper perspective, as we receive a first-person
15:04 view of what an attack might look like. In other words, it's terrifying.
15:08 Number 4. Belial Bradley, Basket Case Franchise
15:17 What's in the basket? This is a question that's asked often of Dwayne Bradley,
15:27 yet the answer is truly stranger than fiction. That's because inside the basket is the sentient
15:33 remains of his brother, Belial. The pair were formerly conjoined, but have since gone insane
15:39 and seek out the doctors that split them up. Writer-director Frank Hennenlauter has created
15:44 other movies such as Brain Damage, but it's Basket Case that's probably his most well-known work.
15:55 Belial's misshapen design is disturbing, to say the least, while Hennenlauter employs both
16:00 practical effects and stop-motion in order to bring the monster to life. A word to the wise,
16:05 if you ever see Dwayne Bradley on a subway train, just leave him alone.
16:09 Number 3. Clover, Cloverfield
16:12 Fans have long speculated about all of the Easter eggs contained within the various forms of
16:22 Cloverfield-related media. What they can all largely agree on, however, is the impact of
16:27 Clover's debut in the original 2008 film. Director Matt Reeves and screenwriter Drew Goddard helped
16:33 create the film in a found-footage style, and Cloverfield largely stays its hand in regard to
16:38 its monster reveal. The end results, while perhaps not unique, are certainly gigantic
16:43 and impressive. Clover's underwater origins don't necessarily predicate an aversion to land attacks,
16:50 as evidenced by the iconic sequence featuring Lady Liberty's decapitated head.
16:54 That said, we'd love to see more of Clover for future franchise entries.
16:58 Number 2. Crawlers, The Descent Franchise
17:08 The original film in The Descent franchise was also quite patient when it came to revealing
17:16 its monsters. The first half of the film is mainly centered upon character development
17:21 as well as the establishing of its claustrophobic underground setting.
17:25 Then, almost without warning, the Crawlers strike. The sight of their hideous visages in the darkness
17:31 almost feel like a dream, while the practicality of their design lends them weight and heft.
17:37 The Descent is a film that benefits greatly from restraint and old-school moviemaking,
17:42 and the impact of the Crawlers feels so much more earned as a result.
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18:03 Number 1. Gamera, Gamera Franchise
18:09 "Hey Chief, it's time for you to come home. But it's Gamera!"
18:13 Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. This old saying could be applied to the cinematic legacy
18:19 of Gamera. Sometimes a giant monster, sometimes guardian of the universe,
18:23 this Japanese kaiju has starred in numerous films over the decades. Yet his public profile has never
18:29 risen to the heights of fellow giant monster stars like Godzilla. This could perhaps be due
18:35 to the fact that many Gamera films were largely aimed at the children's market. Still, there's
18:40 no denying that this space turtle possesses tons of charm and charisma. He also faces off against
18:46 a cool rogues gallery, with battles against kaiju like Jiger, Giron, Gauss, and Barugon.
18:53 We'll say it here and now, give it up for Gamera! "Hey Gamera!"
19:01 What's your favorite movie monster? Let us know in the comments.
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19:16 [Music]