While there are plenty of iconic creature films out there, some movie monsters do not get the attention they deserve as they are often overshadowed by other plot elements or characters. Creature features have always been a popular subgenre of horror movies, with several deadly monsters leaving their impact and becoming staples of pop culture for years to come. However, several of these creatures rose to fame without getting that much screen time in their respective movies, mostly hiding in the shadows or only appearing for a few minutes at a time. Plenty of these monsters deserved more time in the spotlight to showcase their creative designs and dangerous abilities.
Most monster movies like to keep their creatures hidden for the majority of the runtime as it creates suspense and leaves the audience in the dark - as soon as the creature appears on the screen, it removes an element of mystery that’s crucial for these stories. But that doesn’t mean these monsters have to be wasted or prevented from achieving their true potential. There are ways to incorporate these inventive creatures into the story with extra screen time without destroying their sense of mystery.
10 Gabriel (Malignant)
James Wan’s Malignant offers a more modernized twist on the classic creature feature, disguising itself as a psychological thriller until the very last moment, when a sentient tumor named ‘Gabriel’ takes over the protagonist’s mind and reveals himself to be the true villain. While the shocking twist is undeniably Malignant’s strongest feature and the reason it’s become so popular, the fact that it’s withheld until the final act means that Gabriel doesn’t actually get much screen time, despite being the highlight of the movie. Although a sequel to Malignant is unlikely, it would be nice to see Gabriel explored in a project that gives him more time to shine.
9 Cloverfield Monster (Cloverfield)
Cloverfield follows a group of friends as they’re forced to rescue each other and evacuate New York City after an extraterrestrial creature lands on Earth and begins a destructive rampage. The reason Cloverfield works so effectively and cemented itself as a modern classic is thanks to its found-footage style, which allows the film to tell protagonist Robert’s journey from his own perspective. Unfortunately, this also means that the Cloverfield Monster is constantly out of frame, with the characters spending most of their time trying to get away from it. There would’ve been plenty of opportunities to use this immense creature more effectively, capitalizing on its powers and design.
8 The Listeners (A Quiet Place)
John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place is an intense thriller that chronicles one family’s post-apocalyptic battle against an alien species that hunts through its enhanced sense of hearing, forcing the protagonists to keep quiet. The creatures have an extremely unique design, with agile forms and large ears that open up on the sides of their heads - but they barely appear in the movie. The focus is instead held on the Abbott family, which ittedly makes for a more exciting story, but it's a shame to keep these creatures’ creative design hidden for the majority of the film.
7 The Pale Man (Pan’s Labyrinth)
The Pale Man has one of the most iconic designs of any movie monster, but many audiences may have forgotten that he only appears for a very short portion of Pan’s Labyrinth. The creature is a pale-skinned creature with eyes in its hands, forcing him to cover his face to be able to see. It’s a very creepy design that fits perfectly into this uncanny universe, making for one of Pan’s Labyrinth’s most horrifying monsters - although his screen time isn’t nearly as high as it deserved to be.
6 The Mutant Bear (Annihilation)
Alex Garland’s Annihilation is a fascinating, cerebral horror that takes place in a mutated universe that’s threatening the existence of our own. Inside this parallel plane, the team of explorers discovers a series of distorted creatures and horrific monsters that resemble Earth’s creatures with unsettling mutations. One of these creatures is the Mutated Bear, a deadly animal that appears in one of Annihilation’s most frightening scenes, though it’s never seen again in the movie. It would’ve been a great creature to explore in more detail, not only because of its creepy design but also because of how well it expands on the movie’s themes of mutation and corruption.
5 Graboids (Tremors)
Tremors tells the story of two handymen living in a small town in Nevada, who stumble across the body of an old friend and soon learn that deadly creatures are living under the ground and hunting the residents of the town. Much like movies such as Jaws and The Thing, Tremors attempts to keep the creatures out of sight for the majority of the runtime in order to build tension and maintain a sense of mystery - but once they’re finally revealed, all the audience wants is to see more of them. They make for a great antagonist, lurking in the shadows and keeping the characters on their toes.
4 The Monster (Possession)
Zulawski’s Possession is a classic horror that tricks the audience into believing it’s a simple thriller before revealing the true nature of the story at the last moment. As with Malignant, this works really well for the shock factor of the twist, but it can understandably leave audiences wishing they’d seen more of the monster. The creature is a shape-shifting predator that adopts the form of the protagonist’s husband, representing her marital guilt and sexual repression.
3 The Host (The Host)
The Host is one of Bong Joon-Ho’s best movies to date, following the family of a young man who’s been kidnapped by a sea monster as they begin a dangerous quest to save him and bring him home. It’s a much more traditional creature feature, never shying away from the destructive nature of this monster and focusing on the brutal kills that it performs as it grows more and more powerful. However, the creature is rarely seen in its entirety since it’s often submerged under the water, keeping away from the characters and disguising its true appearance.
2 The Creatures (The Mist)
There are a variety of deadly creatures included in The Mist, described in the movie as animal species from another universe or dimension. They are all completely different, and while this is great for displaying how varied and diverse this parallel ecosystem is, it prevents any specific creature from taking the spotlight and being as memorable as it should have been. The Mist would’ve worked much better if it had focused on one particular monster, giving it more screen time and allowing the audience to truly grow frightened of it.
1 The Wendigo (Antlers)
Scott Cooper’s Antlers is a modern retelling of a classic folklore tale, exploring one family’s battle against the legendary Wendigo once it forms a connection with a young boy. The majority of Antlers is framed as a mystery thriller, following the police investigation into a series of suspicious deaths, with the Wendigo not actually making an appearance until the final act of the story. It would’ve been much more effective to include scenes of the Wendigo earlier in the film, particularly since the story makes no attempts to disguise what’s really behind the murders.
