Monster movies have long been a popular horror sub-genre, and how frightening a monster is depends entirely on the movie. The early monster flicks seemed to endow their antagonists with sympathetic qualities, leaving the audience suspended between heartache and terror.

Who didn’t, after all, feel at least a tinge of sadness and despair mixed with humanity while watching Frankenstein? While some movies use the monster to explore humanity and how we approach differences, others use this archetype to explore just how terrifying monsters can really be. The following ten movies are the best of those scary monster films, whose antagonists seem to carry no redeeming value… aside from scaring the pants off of you.

10. Prophecy (1979):

John Frankenheimer’s environmental horror takes place in a town whose paper mill is causing less than appealing effects on the local wildlife. Unfortunately, the impact of the mill’s waste goes beyond giant tadpoles, and the town finds itself in fear of a giant, mutated bear who is out for blood… and who can blame him? Chock-full of everything great about the 70’s, including dated special effects, this movie is an underrated gem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1JeI8Ho2OU

9. Humanoids from the Deep (1980):

In Barbara Peeter’s horror film about what can happen if you add a bit of growth hormone to a salmon, the mutated result of such experiments is a monstrous creation whose only goal is to impregnate human females and destroy all the males. Maybe I chose this film because, being a female, the idea of being impregnated by a grotesque salmon/human hybrid sounds absolutely terrifying. Of course, it’s also just a great movie. It is a classic 80’s monster flick in every way, and not nearly enough people give this little treasure credit for being as great as it is.

8. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978):

Yeah, I am really putting this on here. In what is probably the best iteration of the Body Snatchers franchise, this classic science fiction horror film is based on the novel The Body Snatchers, written by Jack Finney. The “monsters” in this film are actually invisible parasites that enter humans during their most vulnerable moment… sleep. Upon awakening, the host looks the same but is devoid of emotion. Aside from turning into a fairly disgusting pod-like cocoon, these monsters aren’t terrifying because of their appearance; they are terrifying because of their relentless pursuit… and because we can’t stay awake forever, there really is no escaping them. While some horror flicks prefer to offer a bit of hope at the end, this film offers none. With only one protagonist remaining “unreplaced” and alone, the audience is not left with much hope for the future of humanity.

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