Summary

• Dive into the best sea monster movies for an aquatic adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
• From horrifying to entertaining, these films capture the shared fear of creatures lurking in the deep sea.
• Explore the vast ocean of sea monster movies, ranging from horror classics to refreshing tales that resonate with audiences.

As much as the ocean is a popular tourist destination, the best sea monster movies have caused anxiety about going into unfamiliar waters. Just as the vastness of space has given way to countless fictional stories about possible terrors up there, the unknown depths of the world's oceans offer tales of aquatic mystery. Though the topic of sea monsters has given the world a seemingly endless amount of schlock, there have been several cinematic riffs on the formula, mostly in the horror genre, but not always.

There has always been something terrifying about the possibility of creatures lurking below the surface and these movies capitalize on that shared fear. Some tell more grounded stories while others embrace the campiness of the genre. The wide variety of movies of this kind shows just how much these stories resonate and entertain people. From Best Picture Oscar winners to enduring B-Movie classics, the best sea monster movies stand out for both the sea monsters and the world in which they live.

17 The Meg (2018)

A Megalodon Rises From The Deep

Sharks tend to get a bad rap within the movie world despite generally being standoffish creatures. However, the giant prehistoric shark in The Meg would turn off even the staunchest shark defenders. The movie stars Jason Statham as a deep sea diver who faces off with the megalodon shark, one of the largest predators in existence that was slumbering deep in the ocean's depths.

Though shark movies generally stick to a human-vs-wild story, The Meg is truly a monster movie with the shark being impossibly large and chomping down on entire ships if it feels hungry enough. The Meg: The Trench continued the story in 2023, turning this into a new sea monster movie franchise.

The Meg is available to stream on Netflix.

16 The Sea Beast (2022)

An Animated Movie Based On A Legendary Beast

The Oscar-nominated animated adventure The Sea Beast delightfully throws the concept of sea monsters on its head by suggesting the creatures people fear are just animals trying to exist. The Netflix original follows a veteran sea monster hunter on the trail of Red Bluster, a legendary destructive beast, before finding a young stowaway. They then discover the unseen side of these creatures. With most sea monster movies focusing on horror, this is a refreshing take that still delivers great monster action.

The Sea Beast is available to stream on Netflix.

15 Leviathan (1989)

A Mutated Aquatic Monster Is Discovered By A Submarine

RoboCop's Peter Weller stars in 1989's Leviathan as a geologist overseeing a mining operation that discovers a scuttled soviet sub at the bottom of the sea, where they discover a safe containing information about the ship's crew as well as a deadly infection. That infection begins to kill and mutate the staff of the mining facility, using their bodies to transform into a horrifying giant aquatic monster that becomes known as homo aquaticus as it earned a spot in cinematic history.

Though the movie itself seems to have faded from relevancy, it is an unforgettable creature design and one of the most grotesque cinematic creatures to emerge from the ocean depths. It's the perfect example of a sea monster movie that isn't widely known to those who aren't fans of the subgenre, but highly enjoyable for those who are.

Leviathan is available to stream on Max.

14 Deep Rising (1998)

A Giant Tentacled Sea Creature Of Unknown Origin

1998's Deep Rising follows a team of jewel thieves as they attempt to infiltrate a luxury gambling cruise ship only to discover it has already been attacked by strange tentacle-like monsters that begin devouring the survivors. As they make their way through the ship on the hunt for their big score while attempting to survive the monster, they learn the tentacles are all a part of the giant Octalus, which was nesting in the ship as it fed on the crew and gamblers after attacking and disabling the ship.

It is a clever way of hiding the monster to have its sentient tentacles appear to be a threat for most of the movie, only to reveal they are attached to a gigantic monster.

Deep Rising is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Prime Video

13 Cloverfield (2008)

A Creature From A Deep Sea Incident Attacks The Surface World

While the found-footage horror Cloverfield takes place in Manhattan as it is attacked by a giant and mysterious monster, the "Clover" is revealed to have started its attack after exiting the ocean. An alternate reality game was launched during the promotion of the film that teased the origins of the monster through the revelation of a deep-sea drilling accident that awakened the monster. The movie only glimpses the monster as the characters run, yet it makes for a memorable monster to kick off the Cloverfield universe.

Cloverfield is available to stream on Paramount+

12 Godzilla (2014)

A World War II Era Atomic Sea Monster

The giant atomic lizard first appeared in 1954's Godzilla before the legendary kaiju achieved mega-stardom and appeared in over thirty movies over the years that further cemented the sea monster's cinematic legacy. While Godzilla has appeared as a villain against humanity, he is also seen as Earth's protector against other Kaiju — including other sea monsters. 2014's Godzilla kicked off the new MonsterVerse that eventually pits the sea monster against a giant ape in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Godzilla is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Prime Video

11 The Host (2006)

A Mutated Sea Creature Rises In South Korea

Bong Joon-Ho's 2006 monster movie The Host explores the consequences of the U.S. Military's disposal of toxic waste in Seoul's Han River, which mutates an aquatic lifeform into the monstrous Gwoemul, the original name of the South Korean film.

The first scene of the Gwoemul attacking the on-lookers cements it as a brilliant 21st-century movie sea monster.

The Gwoemul attacks the citizens of Seoul and kidnaps a small child after unleashing an infectious disease on the city, which further highlights the dangers of illegal disposal of toxic waste that has led to the creation of far too many dangerous sea monsters over the years. The first scene of the Gwoemul attacking the on-lookers cements it as a brilliant 21st-century movie monster, capturing the feeling of an animal causing chaos without reason.

The Host is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

10 Underwater (2020)

A Deep Sea Creature Based On Cthulhu

After sitting on the shelf for a couple of years before finally getting an early January 2020 release, Underwater seemed destined to fly under the radar. Though the Kristen Stewart-led thriller has the inescapable feel of being sewn together from elements of sci-fi thrillers past, there are a handful of inspired sequences that stand out and make for some fantastic sea monster moments. The most unforgettable of those sequences is the Lovecraftian finale, which gives viewers a high-budgeted rendition of the iconic Cthulhu.

Underwater is available to stream on Hulu.

9 Lake Placid (1999)

Giant Mutated Crocodile On The Hunt

Lake Placid is a blend of comedy and creature features, and it is a lot of fun to watch, the definition of a guilty pleasure. Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, and Bridget Fonda lead a team of scientists trying to defeat a giant crocodile who can't stop eating cows. It's silly, but Betty White's supporting turn as a local who quips her way around the film helps make it an enduring romp that delivers something a little off-kilter. The practical effects used to create the crocodile also help elevate the movie as a cult classic creature feature.

Lake Placid is available to stream on Starz.

8 Sea Fever (2020)

A Parasite Rises From The Deep

This Irish indie sea monster movie is the debut of director Neasa Hardiman. Relying on atmosphere and mounting suspense over special effects and set pieces, Sea Fever is a claustrophobic 'parasite from the deep' tale. After a trepidacious biologist joins the crew of a fishing vessel, the ship's captain veers them into forbidden territory. What follows is a brilliantly written nightmare with at least two scenes guaranteed to make anyone's skin crawl. A film with cult potential, Sea Fever marks a great showing of potential for its debut director.

Sea Fever is available to stream on Hulu.

7 Sweetheart (2019)

A Humanoid Sea Creature On A Deserted Island

2019's Sweetheart plays like a mix of Jaws and Cast Away. After a young woman is stranded on a tropical island, the quest to survive is complicated by the revelation there is a humanoid sea creature living offshore in a pit on the ocean floor. From the first scene onwards, Sweetheart maintains a steadily growing tension that culminates in a riveting final showdown between woman and beast. The film relies heavily on star Kiersey Clemons, and thankfully, Clemons is more than up to the task.

Sweetheart is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

6 Tale Of Tales (2015)

An Anthology Tale With A Sea Monster Story

A dark fantasy anthology of fairy tales, Tale of Tales begins with a surreal sea monster story that sets the tone for all the bizarre events. The story dealing with the sea monster is led by Salma Hayek in a performance that is a break from her usual sly seductress. The mixture of CGI and practical effects used in the film to bring the leviathan-like sea monster to life results in an unusually unsettling sequence of imagery. One of the more traditional renditions of the classic sea serpent, Tale of Tales is a singular work.

Tale of Tales is available to stream on AMC+

5 The Lure (2015)

A Mermaid Horror Story

"Original" is a word thrown around a lot when it comes to genre films. However, there is no doubt the Polish oddity The Lure is worthy. One part disco musical, one part mermaid horror film, and another part modern fable, The Lure is the story of two mermaid sisters who become land-walking, lounge-singing, love-seeking girls in a local community. The film's unusual mixture of cinematic entertainment with genuinely unsettling stretches of body horror, the film has gone on to have a loyal following and a Criterion release.

The Lure is available to stream on Max.

4 The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)

The Universal Monsters Sea Creature

One of the more pure pulpy and entertaining films under the "Universal Monsters" banner, The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of the best B-Movies of the 1950s. After a geological expedition uncovers an Amazonian monster with gills and fins, the titular monster wreaks havoc around the crew's steamboat. Less iconic than its earlier peers, Dracula and Frankenstein, the film nonetheless spawned a series, none of which matched the campy heights of the original. The film is simply one of the best of its kind.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

3 The Lighthouse (2019)

A Creepy Movie Featuring Merfolk

A stomach-churning descent into nautical madness, The Lighthouse was one of 2019's most talked about horror films. It's a chamber piece of a tête-à-tête between a lighthouse keeper (Willem Dafoe) and an employee keeper (Robert Pattinson). Sea monsters and myths of the old sailor worlds play a role in the world-building, including one of cinema's most terrifying depictions of merfolk. The Lighthouse's surreal edge makes it one of the more challenging and unique horror experiences of the past decade.

The Lighthouse is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

2 The Abyss (1989)

The Discovery Of An Alien City Deep In The Oceans

James Cameron's sea monster movie about an oil crew investigating a sunken submarine thousands of miles below the sea was notoriously hard to make. Cameron's vision has rarely been as focused and imaginative as it is here, especially in later sequences utilizing revolutionary computer-generated effects. One of Cameron's oft-forgotten films, The Abyss stands as a fitting conclusion to the filmmaker's incredible run in the 1980s.

The movie was also a foreshadowing of the further blending of technological progress and blockbuster filmmaking that he would go on to achieve in the following decade. Not only was it beloved at the time, but The Abyss received a new chance for fans to discover it with its first 4K release, including a short return to theaters at the end of 2023.

The Abyss is available to stream on Hulu.

1 The Shape Of Water (2017)

A Love Story Between A Woman & A Sea Creature

Truly a masterful blend of old-school monster movies and classic doomed love stories, Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water is one of the most creative sea monster movies of the past 20 years. The fact that this dark romance film about a deaf woman falling in love with a reptilian water-based humanoid took home the Academy Award for Best Picture is still mind-blowing to this day.

Sally Hawkins gives a career performance as the lonely deaf woman and gives the film its emotional pulse that elevates the entire affair — it's a masterpiece and easily one of the best sea monster movies ever made.

The Shape of Water is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video