There’s nothing better than sitting down on Halloween with a big bowl of popcorn, picking out a cheesy or downright terrifying horror movie, and enjoying the ride. A genre with a mixed bag of entries from downright stupid (grace), pretty much any on this list of the best creature features in movies…
American Werewolf in London (1981)
Praised at the time for its special effects, watching the poor man transform from his normal human self into a terrifying werewolf is such a visceral sight to behold. Mixed with fantastic comedy, it’s the kind of film that will shock you one second and make you laugh the next.
Anaconda (1997)
Both a box office commercial success and a cult classic in recent years, this was always going to be on the list. Following an unwitting documentary crew in the Amazon rainforest, they soon discover they’ve bitten off more than they can chew…unlike the snake.
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Jeepers Creepers (2001)
The first certainly, and much less the following two, Jeepers Creepers is a fantastic example of a creature feature that spends its first half building up tension and hinting at what’s to come, before fully showing off the creature at its disgusting best. This ending with Justin Long is also quite revealing.
Lake Placid (1999)
Starring Betty White as a charming old grandmother kindly feeding her cattle for two gigantic crocodiles (!), Lake Placid goes just like you do for the main cast. With lots of dismembered limbs and half-eaten bodies, you’ll definitely enjoy this if that’s your thing.
The Thing (1982)
Directed by one of the kings of horror John Carpenter, The thing is everything you would want in a creature feature. Disgusting body horror of the shape-shifting menace in Antarctica, tension throughout the film as to who it could be, blood and guts, and absolutely top-notch special effects.
The Mist (2007)
One of countless horrors based on Stephen King’s seminal works, Mist points to a camera and shows us exactly how the average human would react to an unknown threat. It’s also not often that a creature feature ends on such a heartbreaking note.
Predator (1987)
Almost an outlier on the list due to its action genre roots, Predator is a mix of guns, blood, brawn, and a uniquely humanoid alien who just seems bent on hunting down the strongest among us.
Related: How Prey Breathed New Life Into The Predator Franchise
Alien (1979)
At the time one of the scariest films of its genre, Extraterrestrial had people leaving the cinema early, passing out, vomiting and generally hating their experience. No doubt changing the characteristics of science fiction and creatures at the time, this The busting bust scene has long become iconic in pop culture.
Jaws (1975)
Few movies can boast the unfortunate title of being responsible for generations of humans being actively frightened by an animal, but that’s exactly what happened with Jaws. Already a scary prospect with the deep dark ocean below us, throw in a gigantic shark with huge human-eating teeth and it will scare everyone.
This is my pick for the best creature features, and there are probably plenty more I could have added.
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