Before Godzilla x Kong: 10 Most Iconic Monster Movies That Defined the Genre
We heard you like cinematic monsters, so we brought you some. Huge, big, human-sized, or small — they are all equally terrifying and dangerous to us mortals.
10. The Wolf Man (1941)
It’s funny how the “humans are the real monsters” message is translated through animal forms, isn’t it? Werewolves are tireless, bloodthirsty, and dangerous creatures — when they’re transformed.
But at day, they are just like us. When a young man arrives in a small town, its obsession with werewolves strikes him as a bit odd…
You can watch The Wolf Man on Prime Video.
9. Kong: Skull Island (2017)
The MonsterVerse has always been out and about, and it’s only with Kong that it started its comeback a few years ago. A group of scientists and soldiers makes its way to an uncharted island in the Pacific, but they don’t anticipate that their presence would infuriate the local King of the Jungle: Kong, the giant unstoppable monster.
You can watch Kong: Skull Island on Max, Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.
8. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Scientists really don’t like their quiet lives, do they? Another expedition, this time in black-and-white, sets off for the depths of the Amazonian jungle. There, they encounter a strange prehistoric reptile and want to capture it for study. The beast doesn’t agree with the sentiment: it opts for taking out the overly curious humans.
You can watch Creature from the Black Lagoon on Max, Apple TV, and Prime Video.
7. Tremors (1990)
Just a heads-up: you’re going to love this one if you enjoyed Chalamet’s Dune movies. A small isolated town in Nevada falls victim to a horde of flesh-eating worms that come from the ground and attack humans. One by one, the town’s inhabitants are killed by the insatiable creatures — but they will fight back as long as they can.
You can watch Tremors on Prime Video.
6. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
Kong’s old frenemy, Godzilla’s origins are all the way back in the middle of the 20th century. The nuclear bomb testing near the Japanese coastline awakens a mighty beast that’s been peacefully sleeping at the bottom of the ocean. Such a rude awakening doesn’t put it in the best mood, and the gigantic lizard attacks humans.
You can watch Godzilla, King of the Monsters! on Prime Video.
5. Aliens (1986)
Friend reunions are always sweet, but Ellen Ripley is not excited to meet hers. Decades have passed since the Nostromo incident, and its sole survivor finds herself against the Aliens once again: except the first time around, she barely defeated one of those creatures, and now she has to destroy an entire colony and its Queen.
You can watch Aliens on Hulu, Apple TV, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.
4. Predator (1987)
No matter how big and scary a fish is, there’s always a bigger one somewhere out there. A group of commandos is the perfect anti-human force: that’s why they were chosen to rescue their captured comrades from the jungle. But what they find there turns out to be far worse than humans — the ultimate alien warrior preying on them.
You can watch Predator on Hulu, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.
3. The Thing (1982)
Speaking of “humans are the real monsters,” how terrifying are monsters that can wear your friends and family members’ faces? We’d say, 100% scarier than anything else. Stuck in their scientific outpost in Antarctica, a group of researchers is terrorized by a mysterious alien that assumes its previous victims’ identities.
You can watch The Thing on Max, Netflix, and Prime Video.
2. Alien (1979)
The origin of the iconic story, Alien follows the ultimate killing machines’ first interaction with humans. The team of a spacecraft unfortunate enough to pick up the Aliens’ eggs soon learns exactly what they contain, and the bloodbath in a confined space begins. In the end, only one will survive: the Alien or a desperate human.
You can watch Alien on Hulu, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.
1. Jurassic Park (1993)
But who needs fictional giant monsters when we have giant monsters at home? Well, we used to, anyway. An eccentric billionaire decides to recreate dinosaurs and build the perfect entertainment park. Unfortunately for him, just as the first investors arrive, the beasts break free and explain to everyone exactly why they shouldn’t sponsor it.
You can watch Jurassic Park on Netflix and Prime Video.