The 20 best creature features

The 1950s was a golden age for creature features of various kinds. One of the most enduring is Creature from the Black Lagoon. The creature itself remains a remarkable achievement, and the sight of it moving through the water still has the power to evoke chills. What is remarkable about the film is that it never tries to be something more than what it purports to be. This simplicity helps explain why its atmospheric approach to horror is still so effective, and it has inspired many subsequent filmmakers, including none other than Guillermo del Toro. 

In some ways, the found footage film is the easiest type of horror film, but it is remarkably hard to do well. This is what makes Cloverfield so refreshing. As the film unfolds, a group of people try to survive an unfolding cataclysm in New York City spawned by a largely unseen monster. The fact that the beast remains out of sight of the camera for so much of the film makes it all that much more terrifying. Moreover, Cloverfield also has a remarkably bleak ending, showing that not every horror film ends with the world restored to its natural order. 

When it comes to classic creature features, few have attained the status of the original King Kong. Released in 1933, it is part horror movie and part adventure film, focusing as it does on a group of adventurers who go to the remote Skull Island, where they counter the giant ape of the title. Even today, nearly a century after its release, the film retains its power, and there is no denying that Kong’s death at the end of the film is one of the most tragic ever put to celluloid. Uprooted from his home and taken to an utterly familiar place, he is ultimately slain by the humans who make no attempt to understand him. Contrary to the film’s final lines, it really was the planes that got him.

If the mark of a good creature feature is the number of sequels it produces, then that alone would be enough to elevate the original Godzilla to the realm of greatness. However, it is also a remarkable piece of filmmaking, and Godzilla truly does loom large in the cinematic imagination. Not only does it perfectly express the profound nuclear fears of post-war Japan, but the monster himself is also a technological marvel. Since the original movie’s release in 1954, he has become one of the most recognizable creatures ever put on celluloid, and his presence continues to be felt today.

Though many of Hollywood’s best creature features focus on animals of various sorts, one of the best-known creature films is James Whale’s Frankenstein, released in 1931. This is truly one of the few movies that can be considered a classic since it has had such an immense impact on popular culture and on the reception of Mary Shelley’s novel. Whale was at the height of his directorial powers in this film, and he also managed to get a strong and surprisingly moving performance from Boris Karloff, who portrays the monster. Even today, there is something beautiful and tragic about this story, which helps to explain why it remains so popular among horror enthusiasts. 

Cat People remains one of the most compelling and disturbing horror films from the 1940s. Its story about a young woman, Irena Dubrovna, who is descended from a group of "Cat People," who turn into panthers when they experience sexual desire, is one that has long lent itself to various subversive readings. It is also tightly paced and deeply suspenseful, thanks to the masterful direction from Jacques Tourneur. And, in the tradition of the best horror movies, it is also more than a little tragic, as Irena finally succumbs to her dark desires and loses her life.

The Bay takes place on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, focusing in particular on the mayhem that erupts when it is discovered that a species of tongue-eating lice have mutated and are attacking humans, while the government has done everything in its power to cover up the outbreak. The film’s mockumentary style gives it a visceral potency, as does its quite believable parable about the dangers of industrial agriculture. It’s the kind of horror film that manages to be not only frightening but also troubling and thought-provoking, and its ability to accomplish both elevates it above many similar (and lesser) found-footage horror films. 

Based on the bestselling novel by Michael Crichton, the hit film Jurassic Park  follows a group of scientists and others as they take a tour of the titular park, only for the dinosaurs to get loose and go on the rampage. Its special effects remain awe-inspiring even 30 years after the film first hit theaters. As a whole, the movie remains a testament to Steven Spielberg’s tremendous talent as a filmmaker. The T. rex, in particular, retains its power to astound and terrify. While the film doesn’t shy away from the horror aspects of its story, it also speaks to humanity’s ongoing fascination and fear of its power. 

The 2010s was the decade of big. Many films of the period brought titanic monsters to the big screen. Of these, The Meg remains one of the most entertaining because it never tries to be anything more than a film about a giant prehistoric shark that starts devouring people. It clearly draws much of its plot beats from films like Jaws,  but there’s something pleasant about its predictability. Moreover, Jason Statham delivers one of his usual dependable performances, and the film more than earns its place among the more notable examples of the shark horror genre. 

There’s something endearingly campy and fun about the aptly titled Night of the Lepus. As the title suggests, it focuses on the murderous mayhem unleashed by a group of murderous rabbits. Part of the film’s enduring appeal stems from the fact that bunnies are probably the last kind of creature one can imagine turning murderous. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that the film never really tries to make its rabbits appear even remotely frightening. Though it might not have been intended to be so ridiculous, it has subsequently become the very definition of a cult classic.

There’s a good reason that Alfred Hitchcock is known as the master of suspense, for he had an almost uncanny ability to use his films to tap into humanity’s collective unconscious and produce truly unsettling films. In The Birds, he gave viewers a world turned upside down, in which birds assault a small seaside town. There’s never really an explanation given for why the avians suddenly turn murderous, and this is part of why the film retains its power to chill and unsettle. Sometimes, nature cannot be controlled, and there is no point in trying to explain it rationally.

The late Michael Crichton was one of the most talented writers of his generation. In Congo, he gave readers a classic adventure story featuring a hybrid species of killer gorilla, one trained to guard a mine of precious diamonds. The film is decidedly old-fashioned, but there’s much pleasure in a story about a group exploring the jungle and finding a menace they cannot defeat. They’re truly menacing and terrifying creatures, though the costumes can look a bit dated from the point of view of 2023. 

If there’s one name that has come to be associated with the genre of horror, it would be Stephen King. In Cujo, he gave readers — and later, moviegoers — a villainous beast that was, in fact, man’s best friend. The title creature is an unfortunate St. Bernard infected with rabies who torments a mother and her son. Horror and mayhem ensue until the climactic showdown between mother and dog leads to the latter’s death. Even dog lovers might find themselves looking at their pets askance after watching this one. It’s peak 1980s horror cinema, and it remains one of the best adaptations of King’s work. 

Along with snakes, spiders manage to be one of the most unsettling animals that humans regularly encounter. The title of Arachnophobia gives the game away, and the film is indeed about a particularly venomous and aggressive spider that finds its way into a small town. Chaos ensues as it mates with the local species and starts biting anyone it contacts. It’s filled with humor and genuine terror, particularly for anyone who has ever felt creeped out by a spider in their house. It also doubles as an homage and tribute to earlier decades' many great creature features. 

There’s no question that Steven Spielberg is one of his generation's most respected and successful directors. With Jaws, he not only gave the world a true blockbuster but also created one of the most terrifying creature features ever made. After all, who hasn’t experienced a moment of panic in the water at the thought that a great white shark might be approaching? The director’s true genius, however, lies in his choice to keep the shark off the screen for long periods of time, and the film preys on the viewer’s abiding fear and dread of the unseen and the unknowable. 

While Richard Harris might be best known these days for playing Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, he was known for appearing in a number of thriller pictures in the ‘70s — one of the most interesting of which is Orca. As its title implies, it focuses on Harris’ Captain Nolan, who is hunted by an orca seeking vengeance. It might be a bit derivative of similar horror movies — most notably Jaws — but there’s still much to enjoy about the film, which manages to be suspenseful. And Harris more than delivers as the beleaguered captain trying to escape his fate.

The 1950s was a decade obsessed with creatures of all kinds, but one of the best killer animal films of the decade was Them! Focusing on a group of giant radioactive ants, the film perfectly distills many of the anxieties and concerns of the period, particularly surrounding atomic technology and its impact on humans and the natural world. Even today, the film manages to hold up, and its propulsive narrative grabs hold of the viewer and doesn’t let go until the very end. Like all of the best horror movies, it uses the terrifying and the unsettling to provide insightful commentary on the period that produced it.

Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine Bear is one of those films that truly balances the hilarious and bloody elements of its story. As its title implies, it focuses on a bear that consumes a significant amount of cocaine and proceeds to go on a rampage. There’s no shortage of blood and gore in this film (as one would expect), but it also features some strong performances. Of particular note is the usual strong showing from beloved character actress Margo Martindale, the no-nonsense park ranger who is one of those who meets her death at the bear’s paws. Cocaine Bear is one of those films that takes a fun premise and makes the most of them. 

At first blush, Lake Placid  is your typical killer animal creature feature, focusing on a giant crocodile inhabiting a lake in Maine. To be sure, there are a number of frightening scenes featuring this killer croc, but the real highlight of the film is the late, great Betty White. She portrays the irascible Mrs. Delores Bickerman, who not only feeds the creature but also watches her husband get eaten by it and still defends it. It’s one of those moments that demonstrates why she deserved her reputation as one of the finest comedy actresses of her generation, and she helps to elevate the film into the realm of greatness. 

It’s no secret that humans have a deep-seated fear and distrust of many reptiles, particularly snakes, so it makes sense that they would take center stage in many horror films. Anaconda follows a group of filmmakers as they encounter a sinister snake hunter and the giant green anaconda he pursues. However inaccurate it might be when it comes to snake biology, there’s no denying that the film has its fair share of thrills, and the snake is a truly ravenous beast, willing and able to crush and devour any human that crosses its path. Equal parts absurd and terrifying, this is the perfect creature film.