10 Monster Movies That Are Better Than They Get Credit For
There’s no shortage of great monster movies from cinematic history, and plenty of them are widely celebrated. Look at the likes of King Kong and Godzilla, for example, and primarily if you want to explore giant monster (or kaiju) flicks. But then there are great movies focused on somewhat smaller monsters, too, like (debatably) Jaws and Universal Monster movies like Dracula and Frankenstein.
So, what follows is an attempt to look at monster movies that are either overlooked or somewhat well-known, yet still less appreciated than they deserve to be. It’s a little different from saying underrated, but not entirely. Anyway, what follows is a mix of monster movie deep cuts and films about monsters of particular sorts that might be worth a look, even if they don’t have the strongest of reputations.
10
‘Critters’ (1986)
Directed by Stephen Herek
You could call Critters a knock-off of another 1980s movie about small monsters causing havoc, and you wouldn’t be entirely off the mark by any means. This one is derivative, but that doesn’t stop it from being able to provide a good bit of fun in its own right, especially if you’re starved of Gremlins and have already seen its sequel (more on that one in a bit).
All that doesn’t properly explain the plot of Critters, but do you need the plot explained for a movie like this? It’s a comedy/horror flick about the titular monsters. They do damage, and they need to be stopped. The humor is obvious and the effects are all decidedly B-grade, but the resulting film is nonetheless oddly charming, especially for something that’s not really ashamed of being unoriginal.
9
‘Q’ (1982)
Directed by Larry Cohen
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In contrast to Critters, Q has no problem beating the unoriginal allegations, because it would be foolish to throw such an accusation at Q in the first place. This is like a police procedural except the criminal isn’t a human, and is instead a giant monster that’s terrorizing New York City, basically being a fantastical serial killer that also has wings and is, again, gigantic.
It all unfolds with a certain unabashed sleaziness, and that, coupled with the crude effects, can make Q a potentially difficult pill to swallow, or an otherwise acquired taste. But the entire thing is also so offbeat and weirdly confident that it’s hard not to have at least some begrudging admiration for the film as a whole. If you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to giant monster movies, but are yet to have come across Q, then you really haven’t.
8
‘Splice’ (2009)
Directed by Vincenzo Natali
It’s a little hard to defend a movie like Splice, because even if you approach it with an open mind, you might well still come away disgusted. But it’s a monster movie, and it’s going for a horror kind of thing, some might say, so why be upset about feeling horrified? Well… there’s a very uncomfortable sort of horror found here, so much so that it probably goes beyond PG territory just describing it.
Uh… well, for starters, Splice is about an unusual experiment two people undertake, and how said experiment changes their lives when certain feelings emerge for the brand-new organism they’ve created. If you’re someone who’s watched most of David Cronenberg’s horror movies and thought to yourself, “Yeah, they’re alright, but I want something more provocative,” well, here’s Splice.
7
‘Troll Hunter’ (2010)
Directed by André Øvredal
Troll Hunter can’t count itself among the most important giant monster movies of all time, but it is one of the more interesting ones released in recent memory. It combines the found footage format with a story about a giant monster in an impressive way, marrying those two things more effectively than 2008’s Cloverfield (which did admittedly precede it, but that film’s reputation is largely deserved).
Here, there’s a pretty big emphasis on suspense, starting with a story about a hunter who reveals himself, eventually, to be someone who’s actually after a giant troll who might well be roaming the Norwegian wilderness. It’s not a blockbuster, but it does go big in contrast to other horror mockumentaries that get kind of small/intimate, and the resulting film is undoubtedly interesting to watch.
6
‘Alien: Covenant’ (2017)
Directed by Ridley Scott
If you’re willing to count aliens as monsters, then the movies in the Alien series can be called monster movies. The first two are widely loved, but then after those, people seem pretty divided on the series as a whole. This is seen most dramatically with Alien: Covenant, which is a continuation of the already divisive Prometheus, something of an attempted return to roots, and a film that was setting up a sequel that, as of 2025, has yet to come to fruition.
So, is Alien: Covenant a bit scattershot and messy? Sure, but more of it works than some people are willing to give it credit for. All the Alien movies Ridley Scott has helmed are worthwhile, even if it’s only the first one that feels close to perfect. Inevitably, time will probably continue being kind to Prometheus, and time might well do the same to Covenant, too.
5
‘The Monster Squad’ (1987)
Directed by Fred Dekker
Doing justice to monster movies of old while also being very comforting by horror film standards, The Monster Squad always had – and still has – “cult classic” written all over it. The premise here involves various monsters coming together to find an amulet that’ll let them rule the world, with only a gang of kids being able to potentially stop them from achieving such a thing.
It’s a movie about kids saving the world, sure, but done in an endearing way with plenty of self-aware humor on top to make it all go down a little easier. Some might dismiss The Monster Squad by default for seeming so ridiculous, but it works shockingly well in execution, meaning that by no means does it deserve to be overlooked by anyone who’s fond of movies that combine horror with comedy.
4
‘Them!’ (1954)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
It’s a B-movie of its era, sure, but a “B-movie” isn’t the same thing as a “bad movie,” and Them! ends up being surprisingly essential for something that’s pretty much just about giant ants wreaking havoc. Okay, there’s some stuff here relating to paranoia about nuclear testing, too, given that’s what causes the ants to grow to a harrowing size in the first place.
Them! isn’t the smartest of sci-fi/horror movies, once you get past the social commentary it offers, but also, that’s okay. It’s not pretentious, and it’s willing to deliver thrills more generously and ambitiously than many other hammy sci-fi movies of its era. It ends up being a good deal of fun to watch, and a perfect gateway movie if one wants to start exploring monster flicks from the mid-20th century.
3
‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ (1997)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Sure, The Lost World: Jurassic Park doesn’t hold a candle to the original Jurassic Park, but honestly, what other dinosaur-focused monster movie does? Jurassic Park is perfect in the way that Jaws is perfect. One is about dinosaurs, and the other is about a shark. And hey, wouldn’t you know, they were both directed by Steven Spielberg.
Spielberg did The Lost World: Jurassic Park, too, and successfully went bigger here, albeit not better. But you can’t improve upon perfection, and honestly, if you just want more dinosaur thrills and typically well-directed set pieces, then this sequel delivers the goods more than many give it credit for. Or it delivers… more goods than people give it credit for? Whatever, it delivers, and it’s good. The hate this one sometimes gets is not deserved.
2
‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch’ (1990)
Directed by Joe Dante
Everyone loves the chaotic Christmas classic that is Gremlins (1984), but the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, isn’t quite as widely beloved. That being said, its reputation has seemed to have grown in the years since its release, perhaps because more people have “got the joke,” so to speak, and have successfully viewed this as a takedown of sequels and various other things, proving even heavier on comedy/satire than the first.
If you approach Gremlins 2: The New Batch willing to get some social critiques alongside cartoonish mayhem that makes the first movie seem grounded by comparison (and that’s by design), then you’ll have a good time. It’s the first movie if the first movie drank 300 cups of coffee but then restricted itself mostly to a single building, rather than a single small town. It’s a bit of a mess, but what a glorious mess nonetheless.
1
‘The Mist’ (2007)
Directed by Frank Darabont
Given The Mist is a Stephen King story, it’s not too surprising that it was eventually made into a movie, seeing as it’s generally difficult to find stories of his without adaptations (either movies or TV shows). It’s a grim, eerie, and effective piece of horror, too, focusing on a group of people trapped inside a supermarket when a mist envelops their town, and various creatures start emerging from said mist.
You can call it a monster movie where “the humans are the real monsters,” if you want, but also, the monsters remain pretty monstrous and creatively designed. The Mist doesn’t shy away from violence and trauma, either, with the final act of the film being particularly memorable for more reasons than one. It was a fairly well-received movie, but probably deserves even more love, especially for how accurately it captures both the horror and occasional hamminess found in so many stories King’s written.
