Stories about huge, ferocious beasts have captured our attention for generations as far back as storytelling itself, during a time of folklore, myths, and legends. Since the rise of cinema in the 20th century, monsters have continued to fascinate us, and they've been a huge part of our pop culture. There's no shortage of perfect monster movies out there; most are purely terrifying.
The following are such frightening monster movies that they're too hard to ignore. From recent thrillers to black-and-white classics, these ten are iconic and utterly horrifying, instilling fear within audiences with their chilling atmospheres and unique monster designs. Whether they make us afraid to go into the water or worry us about venturing into outer space, these monster movies are eerily brilliant and rank as some of the scariest movies in horror history.
10 'A Quiet Place' (2018)
Directed by John Krasinski
Kicking off this list is A Quiet Place, actor and director John Krasinski's 2018 suspenseful horror film that's today hailed as a modern classic for its nail-biting thrills and fascinating concept. It brings a whole new spin on the traditional alien invasion formula by setting it on a post-apocalyptic Earth where most of humanity has been wiped out by a near-unstoppable alien race that hunts by sound. In the middle of it all, a small family struggles to survive in this hostile new world, trying to work together and overcome a recent tragedy.
This is a raw survival story with heartbreaking deaths and shows characters barely surviving monsters that are almost impossible to destroy. The aliens featured here, the Death Angels, are formidable and unique, having a design that truly makes them out of this world. They're swift and lethal, and able to kill their prey in a second and in terrifyingly gruesome ways. This whole thing is an edge-of-your-seat experience that'll constantly have you worrying if anyone's going to make it out alive. Some unfortunately don't.
9 '28 Days Later' (2002)
Directed by Danny Boyle
We can't talk about monsters without one of the most recognizable and celebrated types of them all: zombies. And, truly, what other zombie movie is more terrifying than Danny Boyle's 2002 disaster flick 28 Days Later? This disturbing post-apocalyptic nightmare is dreadful and incredibly bleak, showing the UK devastated by a lab-generated virus that has turned victims into rage-fueled, fast-running murderers.
It's dark and completely intense, featuring nail-biting chase sequences, shocking deaths, and showing faster, more aggressive interpretations of these iconic creatures than most audiences have become accustomed to. The plot also shows an eerie look at a pandemic and social collapse that gets too realistic at times. 28 Days Later is undoubtedly a disturbing masterpiece that's memorable and nightmare-inducing.
8 'It' (2017)
Directed by Andy Muschietti
One of horror author Stephen King's most chilling and iconic novels is It, a fascinating monster horror tale that has been greatly adapted to film twice. The first adaptation, in 1990, was a miniseries, followed by a feature-length two-parter from 2017 to 2019, directed by Andy Muschietti. The first chapter is widely considered the most frightening version, as it focuses on the most compelling arc of the book, following a young group of teens, "The Losers Club," as they work together to kill a cosmic shapeshifting beast that disguises itself as a circus clown.
It is a roller-coaster ride of terror, featuring intense jump scares and powerful suspense. And it's boosted by a legendary performance by the talented Bill Skarsgård as the monster, Pennywise the Dancing Clown. He steals the show with every moment he's on screen, terrifying viewers with his chilling voice, appearance, and unnatural body and facial expressions. It will terrify you from beginning to end credits, and perhaps make you even more scared of clowns than you probably already are.
7 'The Descent' (2005)
Directed by Neil Marshall
Viewers beware! Those of you afraid of tight spaces and dark places will have much more to fear in this next entry. Released in 2005, The Descent is a claustrophobic survival horror thriller by British director Neil Marshall. One of the darkest horror movies ever made, it follows a group of adventure-seeking women as they go exploring the toughest cave systems in the Appalachian Mountains. But, when one of them unwisely leads the group into an uncharted tunnel, they encounter a terror with an insatiable hunger for flesh.
This film is straight out of a worst nightmare, except there's no waking up from it. It has a great deal of suspense and psychological mystery, with the creatures making their first appearance more than halfway through the story, after the characters have ventured deeper into the cramped cave. Once they do, it is incredibly shocking and one of the most unexpected reveals in cinema. Deeply disturbing throughout, The Descent is a spine-chilling monster movie experience that's truly unforgettable.
6 'It Follows' (2014)
Directed by David Robert Mitchell
The 2010s were a unique, fascinating time for horror movies, especially since they saw genre-redefining game-changers. Take, for example, the most terrifying of these creative films, It Follows, a 2014 supernatural monster thriller that takes viewers on a journey of inescapable terror. With a unique concept and frightening ambiguity, it follows a young woman who becomes targeted by a slow-moving entity that only she can see after she has a traumatic one-night stand.
It Follows has a premise that everyone can universally find terrifying. The idea of an unstoppable monster slowly walking towards someone with no other goal but to kill them is simple but highly effective, and it's made this modern masterpiece stand out so well in recent years. It's deeply psychological and suspenseful, creating a remarkable movie-watching experience that'll leave you incredibly paranoid. For hardcore monster lovers, this one can't be skipped.
5 'Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror' (1922)
Directed by F. W. Murnau
There are some horror films that are so terrifying, they can scare us for decades and perhaps centuries. One of the oldest and still most eerie classics ever made was Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by German Expressionist filmmaker F. W. Murnau. Considered an essential piece of horror history, it is an unofficial retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula, following a centuries-old murderous vampire as he leaves his home in Transylvania to cause a reign of terror in a German village.
From the eerie, unique sets to the nightmare-like feel to German actor Max Schreck's chillingly memorable performance as the dreaded Count Orlock, Nosferatu is an all-time horror movie and has legendary scares and moments that will never be forgotten by fans. It's one of the most influential vampire and monster movies ever made, and will continue to be an inspiration, as, despite its age, it has already remained timeless and unsettling.
4 'Jaws' (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Thrills and excitement have everything to do with this next entry. From the great Steven Spielberg comes his 1975 monster thriller, Jaws, the ultimate high-seas horror movie, and the amazing classics that have defined summer blockbusters. It takes viewers on a journey to kill a vicious aquatic beast as three men set out on the open ocean to hunt down the great white shark responsible for devouring people off the coast of Amity Island.
For fifty years, this exciting monster classic has been the stuff of horror royalty, and continues to be watched and praised for its wonderful scares. From John Williams's chilling score to the nail-biting suspense and creative shark POV shots, Jaws is timeless and full of unforgettable moments that continue to scare and amaze horror fans. After all these years, it still makes most of us afraid to jump into the ocean, and for that, we'll always remember it.
3 'The Babadook' (2014)
Directed by Jennifer Kent
Few films today can match the intensity of The Babadook, an Australian supernatural monster horror drama by director Jennifer Kent. A fascinating standout of modern horror, this is truly unique and darkly atmospheric. Not to mention, it gives audiences a new face of terror in the form of an unstoppable boogie man. It follows a depressed single mother as she struggles to defend her son from a sinister entity that's manifested from her grief over her dead husband.
The Babadook builds in terror with every moment, and it never seems to let up until the very end. It's become praised for tackling subjects of loss and trauma with a monster twist. The Babadook's appearance is the stuff of absolute nightmares. It's got a simple design, but one that is so unsettling and unquestionably terrifying. This will truly have you leaving the lights on at night.
2 'The Thing' (1982)
Directed by John Carpenter
For monster thrills and nonstop terror, where else to look besides the masterpiece that is John Carpenter's The Thing? Truly one of the most suspenseful horror movies ever made, it's a terrifying blast of entertainment that gets scarier and more fascinating the more you see it. Featuring a legendary cast, including Kurt Russell, it sees an American team at an Antarctic research base as they struggle to trust each other after they've been infiltrated by a shapeshifting alien parasite able to mimic other life forms.
It's got everything to create the most perfect horror experience: it's dark, claustrophobic, isolating, and relentlessly suspenseful. Not to mention, it features one of the most unstoppable movie monsters of all time, with the alien presented on screen. It can take over other bodies and add more to its mass. Cutting its limbs off only creates more individual entities of itself. And it can easily disguise itself as anyone, making it quite difficult to root out where it is hiding. The Thing is a paranoia-inducing classic that'll never lose its ability to scare audiences.
1 'Alien' (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
At the end of it, the number one spot goes to a classic that's deeply disturbing and boosted by some of the most unsettling scenes in horror history. I'm talking, of course, about Alien, Sir Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece. With an A-list cast, iconic lines, and flawless visuals, it's often described as a slasher in space, following a group of astronauts as they're picked off one by one by a nightmarish extraterrestrial that has stowed away aboard their ship after a search mission.
A masterclass in atmosphere and visual storytelling, Alien terrifies you with its build-up and slow-growing dread. Combined with its claustrophobic setting and dark tone, it can scare you even before the alien appears. Once the creature does arrive, things are cranked up to eleven, and it becomes even more suspenseful as you don't know where or when it's going to pop out and strike next. This film has kept audiences on their toes for decades and still deserves all its praise. Truly, it's the scariest monster movie of all time.
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