Blogtober Day 22: Most Creative Movie Monsters

There are plenty of monsters out there. Some are good, some are bad, and some are a little bit of both. While every film needs a bad guy and thus, depending on the genre, a monster to defeat. However, not all horror monsters are created equal. Some are, for lack of a better term, boring. Vampires and werewolves and ghosts have kinda been done to death, as have zombies.

Today, I want to talk about some creative monsters, mostly in horror. Some are considered horror classics by now, others are new to the genre, but they have something in common, they're unique. As a side note, I'm using the term "monster" literally. No human characters, or characters who were once human appear on this list because they don't qualify.


Pale Man- Pan's Labyrinth\



This list wouldn't be complete without at least one Guillermo del Toro monster on it. This entire list could just be del Toro characters. While there are plenty I could choose from, the Pale Man is my favorite. There's just something about his design that gives me goosebumps. Pan's Labyrinth is more dark fantasy than true horror but this part of the film really freaked me out. 


Crawlers- The Descent



These humanoid cave dwellers that feast on humans are relatively new to horror. Still, they packed a punch. They were the perfect monsters for a film about people lost, and being hunted, in an unknown cave system.

Sam- Trick or Treat



I won't lie, I thought Sam was just a creepy kid when I started watching Trick or Treat. He's definitely not a kid, but his design made him an instant horror icon when the movie premiered. I also found his motivations to be particularly interesting. In that, he doesn't seem to have one beyond wanting people to follow the rules of Halloween. The design seems simple, but its not, and it's his behavior that makes him such a creative monster.

The Thing- The Thing



I feel like this one doesn't need an explanation. Not only was the design of the monster amazing, but the story behind it was too. Nearly indestructible, able to hide in plain sight, able to assimilate other life forms into itself. Great character design, great backstory, great monster.

Creating a creative monster comes down to a few things in my opinion, unique design being one of them. Having an interesting story/goal/motivation is another. These four creatures pop into mind when I think about movie monsters.

What are your favorite movie monsters?