Scariest Movie Monsters

We all can easily recognize Hollywood's biggest actors and actresses but none of them stand out in our minds the same way as the scariest movie monsters in cinema history. Movie monsters, like the Xenomorph from Alien or Crawlers from The Descent leave a lasting impression in our minds, and our nightmares. Not all movie monsters are created equal, however, some are able to haunt us for years after seeing them. The mere mention of certain movie monsters can cause chills to run down our spines as memories of their bone chilling actions come rushing back. Those are the monsters that have made it onto our list, the aliens, creatures, and beasts that make you want to sleep with the lights on at night. We can guarantee that after reading this list your mind will be flooded with so many haunting memories that you won't want to go bed alone tonight. Be sure to let us know if your favorite beastie made our list of the scariest movie monsters if you can't sleep!

Xenomorph from Alien

Making their first appearance in Ridley Scott's movie Alien, Xenomorphs have become one of the most recognizable and terrifying movie monsters of all time. These parasitic horrors launch themselves at potential hosts, grabbing hold of their faces impregnating them with larva that soon burst out of the victims chest. After killing their host as they exit the creatures quickly grow into the massive adult forms we've all come to know. They are full of strength and weaponry, sporting a dense exoskeleton, acidic blood, and a whip like tail with a jagged edge. Yet their most horrific feature lies in their throats that shoot out a secondary mouth lined with razor sharp teeth that devours its victims.

Tooth Fairies from Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Seen in the 2011 remake by Guillermo del Toro, these are not the kind creatures who leave a quarter under your pillow at night. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark flips our thinking of Tooth Fairies on its head, with dark mischievous monsters that prey on children in the night. The horrifyingly misshapen creatures are also known as homunculi, beings that can transform into the image of different people to lure their unsuspecting victims. They use their shape shifting abilities to turn their human victims, usually children, into homunculi to continue building their numbers. The way that these grotesque monsters appear suddenly from the dark, as well as coming upon their victims in human disguises, makes them easily one of the scariest movie monsters to ever hit the silver screen.

The Thing from The Thing from Another World

The starring monster of this black and white classic was an inspiration for both Ridley Scott and John Carpenter. This plant-based movie monster is found by the Air Force frozen near a downed alien space craft and taken to a research center where it's accidentally revived. Once its loose, it begins terrorizing the researchers trapped in a storm, using the blood of animals to reproduce and heal itself. The Thing proves to be incredibly tough to kill, taking being shot and set ablaze with ease as it's would be human victims attempt to kill it.

The Blob from The Blob

The original movie monster. Few creatures have become as famous in pop culture as the Blob, making its movie, also called The Blob, an instant cult classic. This shapeless grotesque beast is an alien amoeba that falls to Earth within a meteorite. It continuously grows as it consumes everything in its path. This spine tingling beast from another world is able to devour anything and everything by simply latching on, allowing its corrosive body to dissolve its victims, helping it to grow. The Blob's only weakness is cold, leaving the people of the small town that it is quickly devouring with only fire extinguishers to fight back with. The town's people are finally victorious when the Air Force delivers the Blob to the Antarctic, but no one knows if that will stop the Blob forever. This open ended fate is what helps to make the Blob one of the scariest movie monsters ever. It could return at any time.

Crawlers from The Descent

Described by director Neil Marshall as "cavemen that never left the caves," these freaky beasties are a human subspecies that adapted to live in deep underground caves. The grotesque, yet humanlike, monsters are naturally blind resorting to echolocation to move through their subterranean home. They boast long fang-like teeth, bat like ears, and eerie white skin. The crawlers are masters of their environment with unbelievable climbing abilities. The Descent Part 1 and 2 leave it up in the air as to whether or not these frightening denizens of the deep hunt above ground.

Belial from Basket Case

Despite the fact that Basket Case is meant to be a comedy-horror movie, its main villain, Belial, is anything but funny. Belial is mutant human with a hideously misshapen body who was once conjoined to his twin brother Duane. Following their separation, Belial turns psychotic and begins a bloody quest to kill the doctors that separated them and be rejoined with his brother. Belial is well equipped to complete his goal with razor sharp teeth, claws, immense strength, and telepathic abilities. Because of his horribly misshapen body Belial often hides himself away in a wicker basket, waiting patiently to attack his victims when they look inside.

The Garbage Pail Kids from The Garbage Pail Kids Movie

Many of us remember The Garbage Pail Kids as trading cards that depicted kids with all manner of disgusting habits and deformities. The cards were designed as a spoof of the popular Cabbage Patch kid dolls and in 1987 they made their way to movie theaters. The Garbage Pail Kids descend to earth from outer space in a garbage can that is soon discovered by an antique collector and his assistant. They accidentally release the grotesque, diminutive, creatures on an unsuspecting world. What makes these disgusting monsters stand out is the uproar that the release of their movie caused among parents.

Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth

When you think of Pan's Labyrinth you probably can't help but think of the Pale Man, one of the most haunting monsters to ever appear on the silver screen. Even in a movie that is famous for its shocking creatures, the Pale Man stands out. Played by Doug Jones, who also portrayed one of the movies other main characters the Faun, this disgusting creature stands guard over a magnificent banquet that he jealously hordes. This immortal monster possesses immense strength, disgustingly elastic skin, and worst of all, eye sockets that are located in his palms. The Pale Man's eye balls are actually kept on a platter as he slumbers, keeping an eternal watch over his banquet.

Brundlefly from The Fly

It only takes a quick glance to see why Brundlefly has made it on our list of the scariest movie monsters. Brundlefly starts out life as meek but brilliant scientist known as Seth Brundle who is devising a teleportation device. During an experiment with his teleportation pods, Seth unknowingly crosses himself with a common housefly which is fused with his DNA. This accident begins his steady descent into becoming a horrific monster, possessing fly like abilities, such as spewing digestive enzymes onto his food.

The Rich from Society

As much a mockery of high society as it is a horror flick, Society and its antagonists, The Rich, are the most horrific monsters of all: human beings. Throughout the movie, protagonist Bill Whitney, attempts to expose the murderous, incestuous, acts of his family members and the rest of Beverly Hills' high society. What makes The Rich so terrifying in society isn't just the disturbingly creative ways they think up to kill people. Rather it's the question they plant in the viewers mind about whether or not they're actually human. The film largely leaves it up to the viewers to decide if The Rich are human or not, suggesting that humans are, in fact, the scariest movie monsters of all.

In the end this is only a small sample of the scariest movie monsters in cinema history, there are many others that have left us quaking in our shoes as we left the theater. What makes these monsters special, however, is how they have ingrained themselves into movie history, becoming cultural icons that we all can easily recognize. Several of them, like The Rich, also make us wonder about what actually makes a horrifying monster. Yet, no matter if they are an alien from a distant world bursting out of someone's chest or members of high society on a gut churning murder spree, the one thing all of these monsters have in common is that we will never forget them. They will always linger in the back of our minds as we go to bed at night, that is what makes them the scariest movie monsters of all.