Thursday, January 15, 2009

Top Ten Giant Creature Movies

...as chosen by me. You don't have to agree, of course, and I'd be glad to entertain dissenting comments.

10. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2003

Anyone afraid of giant spiders? Shelob is, in my humble opinion, the most terrifying of the eight-legged freaks on film.

9. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Giant squids are awesomely frightening. I look for them (and sharks) every time I swim in the deep end.

8. The Blob 1958

Don’t watch the remake; the original features Steve McQueen. Steve McQueen. The blob, in some ways, is the ultimate giant monster, growing larger as it ingests more…um…food.

7. Ghostbusters 1984

Weird. Funny. Scary. Best movie of the 80s. “This Mister Stay-Puft is okay. He's a sailor, he's in New York. We get this guy laid, we won't have any trouble…”

6. Jason and the Argonauts 1963

I (heart) Ray Harryhausen. Talos is scary. The Hydra is scary. The skeletons, although normal size, are scary (until they fall off the cliff).

5. Clash of the Titans 1981

Did I mention I (heart) Ray Harryhausen? Obviously the Kraken is one bad monster. Remember the giant scorpions? The best parts of this movie feature all those very special creatures created by Mr. Harryhausen (really the only reasons to watch Clash…).

4. Jaws 1975

Okay, not technically a “giant” shark, but a pretty damn big one. “Farewell and adieu to ye fair Spanish ladies…”

3. Them! 1954

I love schlock and cheese. Them! starts out as 50s noir, then flirts with goofy sci-fi, finally staking its claim to great giant creature feature. The image of the giant ants dropping tiny human remains outside their mound scared the poo out of me as a kid.

2. King Kong 1933/2005

Both incarnations are awesome, for different reasons. The mid-third of Peter Jackson’s take on Kong is pure monster-lover orgasm. The giant bug sequence is truly shiver-inducing.

1. Godzilla (Gojira) 1954

He is the King of the Monsters, and he doesn’t even need that much screen time. Before Godzilla became a joke, he was a scary, scary incarnation of humankind’s atomic fears.



So, what are your favorite big brute movies? What did I miss?

12 comments:

Jamie Eyberg said...

I guess the big bug scene was in teh original 'Kong' but they took it out for fear it would panic the audience of the time. "Leave in the giant gorilla but bugs, (shudders) that will freak people out."

Rebecca Nazar said...

The creature in Cloverfield was interesting. Very gangly appendages, perfect for strolling through New York.

Katey said...

And I <3 your Ray Harryhausen love, because those are up there for me.

I really like Gamera, because he's so cute. Also, having been fed throughout my formative years on MST3K, I always want to sing:

Gamera is really sweet,
he is filled with turtle meat!


But he's not scary, so I guess he doesn't count. :/

Aaron Polson said...

Jamie - I've heard of this bug scene...I'd like to see it.

Rebecca - The Cloverfield critter had a lot of potential...but the movie :( At some point I figured they would put down the camera.

Aaron Polson said...

Katey - I grew up with claymation!

Cate Gardner said...

I have so not seen enough monster movies.

That 'Stay-Puft' fellow in Ghostbusters was and still is so creepy.

Fox Lee said...

Don't hate me, but I love the blob remake. However it probably says something that it's the only horror movie Ying can watch. In the mean time, I hope they make "Meg" into a movie. Now that's a giant shark!

Aaron Polson said...

Natalie - I don't hate the remake, I just love the original sooo much. McQueen is such a goof.

Jamie Eyberg said...

Natalie- (sorry to take over your post Aaron:)) They are making a Meg movie. I am very excited. I just hope they don't use carrots for teeth in this shark.

K.C. Shaw said...

Ooh, good list! I haven't seen all the movies, but I definitely agree with your picks on the ones I have seen. The bug scene in the new King Kong was almost too much for me. I DO NOT LIKE BUGS.

Jeremy D Brooks said...

I have to admit, I haven't seen many giant monster flicks. I did see the new King Kong; I am scared poopless over bugs, and I thought that scene was great.

I also remember really liking Clash of the Titans when I was a kid, but, conversely, I have to say that I thought the Kraken in Pirates of the Carribean was weak. Sure, it was a big ship-crushing monstrosity, but other than the great CGI, it just wasn't scary. The guy with his brains stuck the hull was way more frightening.

Anonymous said...

I always try to include The Neverending story in this. While there were no BAD giant creatures, there was the Rock Guy and that HUGE turlte (okay so I haven't seen this in a while and can't remember their names).

Oh and the racing snail.