Monster movies are distinctly B-tier, but when the right filmmaker gets their hands on the right material, the A-list can beckon.

They are:

  1. Godzilla Minus One (Takashi Yamazaki, 2023)
  2. The Host (Bong Joon-ho, 2006)
  3. The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005)
  4. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)
  5. The Mist (Frank Darabont, 2007)
  6. A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018)
  7. Trollhunter (André Øvredal, 2010)
  8. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008)
  9. Prey (Dan Trachtenberg, 2022)
  10. Attack the Block (Joe Cornish, 2011)
  • ChocoboRocket@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    4 months ago

    Gotta disagree about the Mist.

    The monsters absolutely were the point, and something like a storm/flood/fire wouldn’t flip that many people to religious human sacrifice or electing a religious leader to decide who gets sacrificed within 3 days. (the reason she was being believed was also monster related)

    The monsters are what caused panic, fear, loss of humanity, and desperation. The movie makes a point to illustrate this when the generator stops working - the people needed something they could understand, and resolve, and refused to acknowledge monsters would be possible until they see part of one and some flip from impossible to act of god/devil, which doesn’t really happen with fire or rain or snow.

    The variety, size, and mysterious origins of the monsters are absolutely the centerpiece and couldn’t be replaced by any natural disaster, as the whole point was how unnatural everything became.

    I would say that Prey isn’t so much a monster movie as a movie with an ‘ugly’ powerful humanoid. I would definitely put “The Thing” on this list, but it’s not exactly modern.

    • andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      4 months ago

      I disagree and I hear you.

      Yeah, The Thing is too old. But it’s hard to put something there if not digging too low or inspecting regional scenes.