Alex Scharfman's 15 Favorite Creature Features

"Writer Nigel Kneale and director Val Guest bring a lot more thoughtfulness to this Hammer horror than you’d expect, following a Peter Cushing-led science expedition into the Himalayas in search of, you guessed it, the Yeti in a story that bears some similarities to the events in 'Unicorn.'"

"Ridley Scott's indelible 'monster in the house but the house is a spaceship' movie is perfect and an all-time favorite."

"James Cameron's ingenious genre shifting sequel trades scares for action and brings the anti-capitalist undertones of the original to the surface by amplifying the military-industrial complex’s presence. A popcorn movie delight that had a behind-the-scenes featurette that I watched countless times in my youth."

"John Landis’ horror comedy is all types of weird and a great reminder to heed locals’ advice when told to keep off the moors and stick to the road."

"Contained, funny, action packed and with a dynamite discovery performance from John Boyega, plus totally inventive creatures brought to life through impeccably executed practical effects that are perfectly augmented digitally. What a ride!"

"Another [James] Cameron and, for my money, the extended cut, with its additional footage of the wonderful non-terrestrial intelligences (NTIs), is the one to watch. I love me a semi-benevolent creature and that’s what we get here: wise beings that could kill us if they want to, but it’s on us to make sure they don’t want to."

"My favorite Spielberg movie and what seems like the first of his to tap into his trademark awe and wonder. A deeply personal story about obsession and belief in something that others can't see, this features some of special effects wizard Doug Trumbull’s best work and is an annual rewatch."

"Jack Arnold’s classic is in the canon for a reason. It’s another 'science expedition encounters an unknown and ancient presence' type movie and certainly was a reference that helped figure out some of the mechanics of Unicorn’s plotting, especially in the homestretch when the Gill-man traps the explorers in the lagoon."

"It’s tough to pick a favorite between the first and second movie in this series because if you watch the first one, it’s hard to think that Raimi is holding anything back… but then you watch the sequel, where he goes fully off-the-walls and seems to embrace a comic tone that lands so well for me."

"Bong Joon Ho’s decidedly idiosyncratic monster movie does it all, somehow opening with absurd physical comedy and ending with poignant tragedy, with a satirical story of a disjointed family of adult siblings trying to hold it together on a monster hunt through the middle."

"Check out this undiscovered gem."

"Ken Russell's camp horror comedy features a great cast and loosely adapts medieval folklore into a contemporary creature feature. Why the hell not."

"Are zombies creatures? Let’s say yes because Romero’s seminal film seamlessly suffuses genre tension with social commentary that feels perfectly of a piece with its ensemble-of-strangers-in-a-siege structure. No notes!"

"Not a traditional 'creature feature,' but a feature with creatures and one that I love, especially in its treatment of the Deer God as embodying the spirit of nature and as parable about capitalism and industrialization."

"John Carpenter’s masterpiece has swagger and incredible effects and palpable paranoia and I don’t know what else you’d want in a creature feature. Famously released two weeks after 'E.T.' and bringing the exact opposite vibes that the American public, in its foolishness, didn't want at the time."