My 50 Favorite Horror / Monster Movies

A couple weeks ago, my cousin forwarded me, and a few others, an article alleging to be a list of the 50 best monster movies. A lively discussion ensued. We wondered why vampires, ghosts, and zombies weren’t allowed inclusion on a list of monster movies. The article claims that supernatural monsters don’t count, but then presents a list full of werewolves, which seem just as supernatural as vampires. We wondered if Predator is really a monster movie. We asked ourselves if Hellboy is a monster movie or a superhero movie. We disliked the inclusion of parody and animated movies, and thought the list included too many giant monster movies. Most of all, we felt the list suffers from recency bias, as nearly 80% of the films listed were made after 1960, and nothing from the silent era made the cut. In the end, we agreed that for what it purports to be, the list is fine, but we felt a better list could be created. I took it upon myself to create that better list.

I expanded the parameters to include pretty much anything scary or monster-y. Vampires, ghosts, zombies, even bounty hunters from space– all are welcome here. My list is nothing but not inclusive! It doesn’t matter if the monster is a 164′ radioactive dinosaur or a malevolent hotel, a space hunter on safari or a motel clerk. If it will play on Creature Features, it’s fair game.

Obviously, any list of the best anything is going to be completely subjective, but I’d like to think that the list I have come up with is objectively, definitively, and inarguably the best list ever to be compiled. If it isn’t, at the very least it’s a fairly accurate representation of my own 50 favorite monster movies, though every time I look at it I feel like Steve Martin at the end of The Jerk. My list is done. It doesn’t need any more films. Except this. And this. And that’s all I neeee oh I need this.

Those three glaring omissions aside, here’s my list, ranked from best to 50th best, which is still quite best-ish when you think of how many monster movies have been made over the years. Of course, to build suspense, I’ve presented them in reverse order. Tell me what I forgot, what doesn’t belong, and which films I mis-ranked!

And if you simply must know, the film that was the last to go, the one that didn’t quite make the cut, my 51st most-favorite horror/monster movie of all time, is Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. It was close, and to be honest, the deciding factor was that Godzilla was already on the list and Freddy wasn’t. So bully for you Feddy, you dream-invading demon you, and my apologies to Hedorah. You were that close.

50. A Nightmare on Elm Street
49. The Mummy (1932)
48. The Host
47. Halloween
46. Return of the Living Dead
45. Suspiria
44. Friday the 13th
43. Cloverfield
42. Cat People (1942)
41. War of the Gargantuas
40. Them!
39. Mothra
38. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
37. Re-Animator
36. Dead of Night
35. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
34. Night of the Demon
33. The Others
32. The Terminator
31. Let Me In
30. Night of the Living Dead
29. Midsommar
28. Black Sunday
27. Nosferatu (1922)
26. King Kong (1933)
25. Invaders From Mars (1953)
24. Drag Me to Hell
23. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
22. The Thing from Another World
21. Mark of the Vampire
20. Predator
19. It Follows
18. The Fly (1986)
17. The Blair Witch Project
16. Alien
15. Psycho
14. The Exorcist
13. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
12. Rosemary’s Baby
11. Godzilla (1954)
10. Jason and the Argonauts
9. Evil Dead 2
8. The Shining
7. The Birds
6. Frankenstein (1931)
5. The Thing
4. Phantom of the Opera (1925)
3. Bride of Frankenstein
2. The Blob (1958)
1. Dracula (1931)

3 thoughts on “My 50 Favorite Horror / Monster Movies”

  1. Good list, off the top of my head I might add Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I liked the ‘56 & ‘78 version. Phantasm, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Jacob’s Ladder, Wicker Man (the original), Let the Right One in, Videodrome. Some honorable mentions: Midsommar, VVitch, Train to Busan and Hereditary.

    1. You’re the second person to bring up Phantasm. I need to watch that! Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one I somehow didn’t think of when coming up with the list, but it def. belongs on there someplace!

    2. You know what? You’re right. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of my favorite sci-fi/horror films, and had I thought of it whilst composing the list it would have been on there already, so goodbye Gremlins, hello Body Snatchers.

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