20 Best Monster Movies Of All Time

Monsters of all kinds have fascinated humanity for millennia, oftentimes as an explanation for some of the world’s most confounding ills and sources of fear. From sabertooth tigers painted on cave walls to modern horror movies, humans have memorialized the nightmarish bogeymen that have imprinted themselves on history. Contemporary pop culture is now marked by the latest interpretations of vampires, aliens, werewolves, and demons, all of which have proven impervious to the march of time.

As cinema creeps forward with a revamped interest in the horror genre in the 2020s, it’s appropriate to look back on the greatest monster movies of all time. While one could consider any non-human entity a “monster”, this list is an attempt at representing some of the most well-known and highly-acclaimed monster movies from several of the most popular horror sub-genres. While each horror subgenre could be broken out into its own list, a la the 10 best werewolf movies of all time, the list below attempts to collect the best of the best.

20 Infested (Vermines)

The 2023 French Horror Film Features Fast, Deadly Spiders

While much of the list is composed of horror phenomenons and cult classics, it starts with a brand-new entry into the monster movie pantheon. From French director Sébastien Vanicek, the 2023 movie Vermines (known in English as Infested) follows a young man fascinated with exotic animals and insects who buys a spider at a bazaar and brings it back to his apartment complex. The spider escapes the box he keeps it in and grows and reproduces at an astounding rate, with subsequent generations that are far larger, faster, and deadlier.

Plenty of horror movies have preyed on the common fear of spiders, but Infested acts as one of the best depictions of what people hate about the eight-legged insects. The spiders in Infested are extremely fast, extremely large, and have a penchant for entering a person’s body in order to reproduce. This movie is unwatchable for anyone suffering from legitimate arachnophobia, and even if you have no problem with spiders, this one will get under your skin.

19 Attack the Block

The 2011 British Horror Comedy Features Alien Invaders In South London

British horror comedy Attack the Block is notable for its smart social commentary and as the debut movie for John Boyega, but the real stars are the alien invaders. The truly unique, furry, gorilla-shaped extraterrestrials look simultaneously goofy and terrifying, and help make the entire movie more fun. Boyega and Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who‘s Thirteenth Doctor) are both excellent in the movie, and while the movie was considered a box office flop upon its release, the fame of Boyega and Whittaker led to more people revisiting it, earning it true cult classic status.

18 Tremors

The 1990 American Horror Comedy Introduced The Iconic Worm Monsters

The original Tremors kicked off a long-running franchise of sequels and TV shows that were middling at best, but the original has stood the test of time as a great horror comedy. Starring Kevin Bacon and featuring Reba McEntire, Tremors pits its characters against massive, flesh-eating worms in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The 1990 original creature feature has held up well over the years, with entertaining action, a memorable monster design in the “graboid”, and early Kevin Bacon enjoying himself on screen. It’s firmly in the “dumb fun” realm for monster movies, but few movies execute that concept better.

17 The Babadook

The 2014 Australian Psychological Horror Explored Grief And Parenting

The Babadook makes for a watch that is both frustrating and terrifying, but it’s powerful no matter how it is viewed. The Australian horror follows a widowed mother and her young son as they are plagued by a humanoid monster that dwells in their basement and torments them. The Babadook acts as a powerful allegory for grief and the difficulties of parenting, and is driven by the powerhouse performance of its leads, in Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman.

The Babadook is one of the most universally-revered movies on this list, as it has a 98% Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score 10 years after its release. The Babadook himself has grown in popularity as a viral internet meme, and in recent years the haunting creature has even developed into an unofficial LGBTQ icon thanks to a popular internet theory that the creature is actually gay. The Babadook is deserving of a place on this list given its cult status and lasting legacy.

16 Cloverfield

Cloverfield took the internet by storm in 2008, as it leaned heavily on viral internet marketing to build hype around the movie’s mysterious plot and the monster that was ultimately at its center, known as “Clover” colloquially. Nowadays, the found footage horror subgenre can feel played out, but Cloverfield still manages to be as impactful now as it was when it was released thanks to its masterful balance of obfuscated scares, compelling performances, and smart monster mystery. Cloverfield was and is a truly revelatory twist on both found footage and kaiju horror, which is why it’s on this list.

15 The Wolf Man

The 1941 American Gothic Horror Is A Cornerstone Of The Universal Monster Franchise

The Wolf Man is absolutely loaded with stars from the days of black-and-white cinema, and includes iconic horror icons like Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney, Jr. The second-generation actor Chaney, Jr. is captivating both in and out of his Wolf Man visage, which is some of the finest prosthetic and makeup work of the era. Once the claws come out, The Wolf Man is at its best. The now-familiar and oft-referenced story of an evil curse plays out with perfect pacing and just the right amount of dread to create a masterful atmospheric horror.

14 Annihilation

The 2018 Sci-Fi Horror Addresses Humanity’s Inclination For Self-Destruction

An argument can certainly be made for Annihilation as one of the best pure sci-fi-movies of the 21st century, and it’s tough to come up with a better choice for the best sci-fi horror movie of the last few decades. At the heart of what turns out to be an alien movie is an engrossing story from writer/director Alex Garland (Civil War) that features a number of monsters that are distorted versions of typically normal animals. Dripping with tension and dread, Annihilation features powerful performances from its A-list cast and a confounding, haunting finale that will stick with viewers.

13 It Follows

The 2014 American Horror Is A Modern Cult Classic

It Follows features modern scream queen Maika Monroe (Longlegs) in her breakout role as Jay, a young girl who is constantly stalked by a malevolent entity that never moves faster than a slow walk. Monroe is tremendous, but the real star of It Follows is writer/director David Robert Mitchell. The high-concept horror is marked by its nondescript temporal setting, unsettling score, and perfectly earned jump scares, all executed through the lens of Mitchell’s well-defined vision and atmosphere. Even the most seasoned horror veterans will be haunted by the simple yet sinister imagery of It Follows.

12 Creature From the Black Lagoon

The 1954 American Horror Classic Features One Of Cinema’s Most Recognizable Monsters

Although he first surfaced more than two decades after the earliest Universal Monsters, the Gill-man of Creature From the Black Lagoon is one of the most visually recognizable monsters in American cinema. Part of what makes the Gill-man such a lasting and memorable monster is the fact that he is in no way evil; rather, he is a creature lost in time who defends his home from what he perceives to be invaders. The Gill-man’s design and suit still holds up against modern effects scrutiny, and the story stands up spectacularly as a pure representation of 1950s creature horror.

11 The Fly

The 1986 Sci-Fi Classic Is A Foundational Body Horror Movie

David Cronenberg’s sci-fi body horror about an experiment gone wrong is one of the few movies on this list to actually win an Academy Award. Special effects and makeup artists Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis shared the award for the work they did in transforming Jeff Goldblum into the creature known as “Brundlefly”, which is the final form of his character, Seth Brundle, as he slowly evolves into a human-fly hybrid. Body horror has always been hit or miss through the years, but The Fly is the finest example of the subgenre.

10 The Mist

The Underrated 2007 Sci-Fi Horror Film Is One Of The Best Stephen King Adaptations Ever

Somehow, The Mist never gets the recognition it deserves. Based on a Stephen King novella of the same name, Frank Darabont’s adaptation is widely known for its unimaginably bleak ending, which Stephen King himself claimed was better than the book’s ending. The Mist is mostly driven by the increasing fear, distrust, and paranoia of a group of strangers locked in a grocery store by a mysterious mist, which belches forth Lovecraftian horrors every night. The Mist is breathtakingly gory at times, but it’s never extraneous or out of place; each brutal death serves to increase the terror.

The Mist
is the third Stephen King adaptation that Frank Darabont has directed; he was also behind 1994’s
The Shawshank Redemption
and 1999’s
The Green Mile
, both of which received multiple Academy Award nominations.

Thoams Jane stars as Drayton, but the supporting cast is what makes The Mist truly great. Marcia Gay Harden is one of the highlights as the religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody, who develops a literal cult following before demanding human sacrifice to appease the monsters that come out of the mist. The creature designs are imaginative and visually stunning, and their sudden violence makes for a horrifying watch that is impossible to look away from once it starts.

9 The Descent

The 2005 British Horror Film Elevates The Terror With A Claustrophobic Setting

The Descent features an excellent monster in the humanoid cave-dwelling crawlers, but its real weapon is its claustrophobic setting. The movie features six women who explore an uncharted underground cave system, and predictably, a cave-in drives them further into the system than they intended. The Descent doesn’t just pit its all-female cast against the crawlers; they are forced to battle the crushing dark, the close quarters, and ultimately each other for survival. The Descent is truly entertaining and scary, but at the same time it’s so disconcerting that it might be hard to watch more than once.

8 Predator

The 1987 Action Horror Pits Arnold Schwarzenegger Against A Deadly Alien Hunter

The Predator franchise has continued with multiple sequels over the last few decades, but except for Dan Trachtenberg’s recent prequel Prey, none have come close to matching John McTiernan’s over-the-top action horror classic. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his most iconic roles as Dutch Schaefer, Predator combines non-stop 1980s jungle war action with a truly memorable monster, a member of the alien hunter species known as the Yautja.

There is nothing truly deep or thematic that sets Predator apart from other monster movies. It’s become a classic due to its memorable lead character, advanced special effects (for the time period), and the adrenaline-pumping game of cat-and-mouse that unfolds between the Predator and his prey. While not the scariest movie on the list, Predator is certainly among the most fun.

7 Dracula

The 1931 Supernatural Horror Is The Seminal American Vampire Movie

Bela Lugosi’s Dracula is, without a doubt, one of the best movie monsters to ever grace the silver screen. His interpretation of Bram Stoker’s aristocrat vampire is an archetype in the vampire subgenre. The movie Dracula is one of the finest examples of Pre-Code horror, as director Tod Browning created a truly scary supernatural horror atmosphere for Lugosi’s Dracula to play in. Dwight Frye also shines as Dracula’s unhinged servant Renfield, and Helen Chandler has been singled out for her performance as Dracula’s victim, Mina Seward.

Pre-Code Hollywood refers to a time period between 1929 and 1934 before the implementation of the self-censorship guidelines laid out by the Production Code Administration. During this time, after sound became widely adopted in film but before the familiarly known “Hays Code” was truly enforced, many movies were made racier, raunchier, and at times scarier than would be allowed in the years following the code.

Dracula is well within the top ten not only due to its genuinely scary story, but also for its lasting legacy. The entire vampire subgenre of horror was essentially born out of Dracula, and specifically Bela Lugosi’s spell-binding performance. With vampire movies on the rise again, there are plenty of opportunities to count the homages and references to the all-time vampire classic.

6 Alien

Ridley Scott’s 1979 Classic Is One Of The Most Influential Sci-Fi Horror Movies Of All Time

Ridley Scott’s Alien set the benchmark for sci-fi horror, and echoes of its influence can be found throughout science fiction, but in the sci-fi horror subgenre in particular. Ever since Ripley did battle with the original Xenomorph, alien monsters have pervaded horror cinema, with no signs of stopping. The original Alien won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, and it’s easy to see why: many of its effects still hold up nearly 50 years later. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is one of the best sci-fi heroes ever, but it’s Scott’s direction that makes the innards of the Nostromo truly terrifying.

5 The Host

The 2006 Korean Monster Horror Is A Beloved Cult Classic

Bong Joon-Ho won three Academy Awards for his iconic dark comedy thriller Parasite in 2019, but more than a decade earlier he made his mark with one of the most criminally underrated monster movies of the last century. 2006’s The Host carries many of Joon-Ho’s signatures, as he balances comedy and satire with genuine horror elements, all en route to a smart, provocative monster tale that provides enlightening social commentary. The Host is worth seeking out for any fan of Bong Joon-Ho’s work, but any true monster fan will have a blast watching it too.

4 An American Werewolf in London

John Landis’ 1981 Horror Comedy Is Widely Regarded As The Best Werewolf Movie Ever

While The Wolf Man may have initially set the bar for werewolf horror, it was raised in 1981 by An American Werewolf In London, the classic horror comedy that broke many established norms about horror upon its arrival. The movie won the first ever Academy Award for Best Makeup, largely thanks to its mesmerizing werewolf transformation scenes, which combine practical effects and standout performances to conjure a nightmarish body horror experience. More than 40 years later, it’s difficult to find a more entertaining werewolf movie, and even harder to find better practical effects in one.

3 Godzilla

The 1954 Japanese Classic Spawned One Of The Longest-Running Movie Franchises

This list could never be complete without the world’s most famous monster, the indomitable Godzilla. Long before Godzilla X Kong copied Godzilla’s Toho classics, the original Godzilla terrified audiences on both sides of the Pacific. Originally intended to be a conspicuous metaphor about the devastation of nuclear war, the radioactive lizard has undergone many personality and appearance changes in his 70-year history. However, with the exception of Takashi Yamazaki’s recent global smash Godzilla Minus One, no Godzilla movie has matched the original as far as horror is concerned. Godzilla is a cornerstone of not just monster movies, but all cinema.

2 Frankenstein

The 1931 Sci-Fi Horror Is An Iconic Adaptation Of The Well-Known Gothic Horror Story

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus has been adapted, satirized, and re-adapted for more than two centuries, but one version of her classic story stands above all. James Whale’s 1931 Pre-Code masterpiece features Boris Karloff as the iconic Monster and Colin Clive in an unsettling portrayal of Victor Frankenstein, and while it doesn’t follow Shelley’s novel to the letter, in its departure it taps into something much more visually compelling.

James Whale’s 1931 movie is still the gold standard for any story involving a mad scientist seeking to create life from dead flesh.

Like Dracula before it and The Wolf Man a decade later, Frankenstein is notable not only for its expertly crafted narrative and memorable monster, but for its lasting legacy. The scarred, bolt-necked iteration of Frankenstein’s Monster is as iconic as any horror imagery in existence, and despite the many, many satires and reimaginings, Whale’s 1931 movie is still the gold standard for any story involving a mad scientist seeking to create life from dead flesh.

1 The Thing

John Carpenter’s 1982 Sci-Fi Horror Left A Lasting Impression On The Horror Genre

The top spot on the list goes to one of the most complete and entertainingly complex horror triumphs in cinema. John Carpenter’s 1982 adaptation The Thing brings so many classic elements of monster horror into one narrative, including breathtaking special effects, themes of paranoia, unique creature designs, an isolated setting, and smartly-placed gore. The Thing‘s nihilistic ending actually made it unpopular upon its release, and the movie’s initial failure even cost John Carpenter other directing gigs.

However, it has evolved into one of the most beloved horror classics of all time thanks largely to its H.P. Lovecraft-inspired, shape-shifting monster. To this day, John Carpenter still can’t decide how the movie truly ended, and its grand unanswered question about who is and isn’t a real person has haunted horror fans for decades, and generated any number of fan theories. The Thing deserves to be at the top of the list of best monster movies ever, but all 20 movies represented here have helped shaped horror cinema, and cinema in general.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes