I can’t help but love a good, old-fashioned monster movie. Whether it features a Godzilla-like behemoth stomping through a sprawling metropolis or an insidious extraterrestrial threat, there is nothing quite like queuing up a creature feature with a giant bowl of popcorn in hand.
In a world full of heavy news cycles and real-life stress, escaping into cinematic chaos offers a surprisingly comforting contrast. There is an undeniable joy in watching larger-than-life monsters wreak havoc on screen, especially from the safety of your living room.
This spooky season, if you’re looking for a genuine thrill, this roundup of my all-time favorite classic monster movies is definitely worth adding to your watchlist. They deliver all the fun, terror and chaos of a high-stakes creature hunt, while we stay cozy and safely tucked away on our couches.
‘The Thing’
When we think of director John Carpenter, most minds immediately jump to his 1978 slasher classic, “Halloween”. But true horror aficionados know his repertoire extends far beyond Michael Myers to include masterpiece creature features like “The Thing.”
Set in the frozen, isolated tundra of Antarctica, the story kicks off when a group of American researchers grow puzzled after watching Norwegian scientists frantically try to shoot a dog fleeing toward their base. The chase ends in a helicopter crash, the dog is brought inside, and all seems well—until it very much isn’t. Upon investigating the destroyed Norwegian camp, the team finds the inhabitants dead and brings a grotesque, mysterious corpse back for autopsy. Overnight, absolute hell breaks loose. The researchers quickly realize they are facing a shapeshifting alien organism that can perfectly assimilate anyone it touches, turning every single survivor into a deadly threat.
‘The Blob’
While 1950s black-and-white and early color monster movies can be an acquired taste, the 1958 classic “The Blob” serves up just the right amount of vintage camp to make it a blast. The trouble begins when a mysterious meteorite crashes near a local Lovers’ Lane. Teenage sweethearts Steve (played by Steve McQueen in his very first leading role) and Jane decide to check it out. Unfortunately, a local farmer reaches the impact site first. An oozing, gelatinous mass engulfs his hand, sending him running into the road where Steve and Jane accidentally strike him with their car.
The couple rushes the farmer to the town doctor, but the rapidly growing amoeba makes short work of both the patient and the physician. With the gelatinous terror devouring everything in its path, Steve and Jane race against time to save their town. Keep an eye out for the iconic sequence where frantic moviegoers flee a theater — a moment still lovingly re-enacted annually at the actual theater where it was filmed.
‘Tremors’
It’s always funny to remember how Kevin Bacon once admitted to Entertainment Weekly that taking a role in “Tremors” felt like hitting rock bottom in his career. Little did he know, he was starring in what would become one of the most beloved cult classics of the 1990s.
Set in the tiny, isolated desert town of Perfection, Nevada, handymen Valentine McKee (Bacon) and Earl Bass (Fred Ward) are ready to pack their bags for greener pastures. Their exit is abruptly blocked when local townspeople begin mysteriously vanishing or turning up dead. Trapped and targeted from below, Val and Earl join forces with geology graduate student Rhonda LeBeck (Finn Carter) to uncover the truth: giant, carnivorous, worm-like creatures are hunting by sound beneath the sand. Armed with quick wits and plenty of firepower, the town fights back in a creature feature that has effortlessly stood the test of time.
‘Cloverfield’
Found-footage horror movies seem to be a gamble for a filmmaker, as it’s hard to know how well the movie will be received. But since its release in 2008, Cloverfield has stood the test of time. The movie kicks off with a group of friends having a going-away party for their friend, Rob (Michael Stahl-David). His friend, Hud (T.J. Miller), is called to film the partygoers’ goodbyes until a strange earthquake interrupts the celebration.
They turn on the local news that shares more about what’s happening, including an overturned ship. They rush to the roof to find out what’s happening, and another earthquake hits. That’s when they see a monster go by, and the head of the Statue of Liberty rolls down the street. They make a plan to flee the city, until Rob gets a call from his old girlfriend, Beth (Odette Annable), pleading for his help, sending a group of four friends out into the chaos to find her. There’s plenty of shaky film to create the ambiance of real found footage, which works in this movie. Be sure to watch until the credits roll for the final scene of the movie, too, by the way.
‘The Mist’
Frank Darabont has given us a lot of movies over the years, including the Oscar-nominated “The Shawshank Redemption” and the Oscar-winning “The Green Mile.” So it’s no surprise he manages to pull off a monster movie, especially one adapted from a Stephen King novella. Set in Bridgton, Maine, the movie opens with the town recovering from the aftermath of a storm.
There’s tension between neighbors, with David Drayton (Thomas Jane) clearly at odds with Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), but that doesn’t stop them from burying the hatchet enough to head into town together. They’re not the only ones at the grocery store, either, as everyone else seems to be shopping at the same time. When a mysterious mist envelops the town, they’re trapped in the store. Soon, they hear reports (and eventually see for themselves) of violent creatures within the mist. But what becomes even scarier is the townspeople turning on each other and a cult-like group determined to keep people from leaving. What makes this movie unique is that it’s about the monster outside and the one within.
