There are almost countless sub-genres of horror, many of which go through cycles where they are very popular and then recede again. One of those sub-genres is the creature feature movie, which always focuses on some sort of animal that, as a result of mutation or natural selection or some other process, develops a taste for humans and causes mayhem.
There have been many of these movies made over the years, but some have become rather sadly forgotten. However, for this very reason, they deserve some respect and recognition, and they make great viewing for all horror fans.
Anaconda (1997)
Stream On Showtime
The late 1990s was something of a hit-or-miss era for creature features, but that’s precisely what makes Anaconda such a delight. It knows how to handle its material, and the snake (though not behaving like a real anaconda), is one of the scariest snakes to ever appear in a movie.
What’s more, it has a cast that really knows what it’s doing, and the movie has some genuine thrills. Not even the ridiculous sequels that followed can really harm the legacy of this powerful movie.
Them! (1954)
Stream On IndieFlix
There’s no question that the 1950s was a boom period for B-horror movies, and creature features were a key part of many studios’ output. One of the most notable, if often forgotten, is Them!, which focuses on a group of ants that, as a result of radioactivity, become super-sized and start to terrorize humanity.
What makes the movie especially remarkable is that it so neatly crystallizes many of the anxieties that were then prominent, particularly regarding the atomic bomb and humanity’s ability to destroy itself.
Alligator (1980)
Not Available To Stream
The urban legend of the alligator that gets flushed down the toilet and grows to super dimensions in the sewers is a long-standing one, and it is the central conceit of this forgotten creature feature. In this case, the creature escapes from the sewers and starts wreaking havoc.
Though obviously this is something of a cliché, what makes the movie actually work is the fact that it is very aware of the clichés that it utilizes in telling its story and that it actually manages to be suspenseful.
The Bay (2012)
Rent On Apple TV
Though the Chesapeake Bay may not seem like the ideal location to set a creature feature, that’s exactly what happens in The Bay, one of the forgotten horror movies of the 2010s. In this case, a species of louse that infects fish suddenly makes the leap to humans, due to pollution in the Bay.
What makes this an especially disturbing creature feature, however, is the way that it uses the conventions of the found footage horror movie to critique government inaction and ultimate culpability for disaster.
Tremors (1990)
Stream On Starz
In some ways, Tremors is one of the best horror movies to have emerged out of the 1990s, but it has been somewhat forgotten. Despite its rather silly premise–the residents of a small town in the west fight back against man-eating, subterranean worms–it does have some truly frightening moments.
What’s more, it also features an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the cast, including none other than Kevin Bacon. On top of that, it manages to inject a fair measure of humor to take the edge off of the death and destruction.
Arachnophobia (1990)
Rent On Vudu
It’s hard to imagine an animal that has excited more irrational fear than the spider. Time and again, this creature emerges from the human imagination to haunt horror movies and novels, most notably in the 1990 movie Arachnophobia, which focuses on a small town that has to contend with the invasion of a new and very deadly species of spider.
As the title suggests, it is a disturbing film that retains its power to frighten, even three decades after its release, showing how easy it is to use common fears in horror movies.
It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955)
Stream On Fubo TV
Ants weren’t the only creatures to be affected by radioactivity in the 1950s movie imagination, and It Came from Beneath the Sea focuses on an octopus that, disturbed by nuclear testing, rampages in San Francisco. There’s a great deal to appreciate about this movie.
To begin with, it is an articulation of the same anxieties that motivated Them!, and it’s clear that atomic worries were very much on everyone’s mind during the decade. Just as importantly, it also features the great special effects of Ray Harryhausen.
Son Of Kong (1933)
Stream On HBO Max
King Kong is one of the most iconic horror movies ever made, and even now it remains a testament to the power of movies to inspire fear and awe in an audience. Some might not know, however, that there was actually a sequel, featuring some of the same characters, who return to the island and run into Kong’s progeny.
It is a movie with a lighter touch than its predecessor, and it tends to lean into slapstick. However, it is very much like the original in that it also has an ending that is more than a little tragic.
Grizzly (1976)
Stream On The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Tubi & IMDb TV
Jaws was one of the most important movies of the 1970s, and it was inevitable that it would spawn several movies that tried to capitalize on its formula. One of these was Grizzly which, as the title suggests, focuses on a grizzly bear terrifying a park.
Though it does at times feel like a bit of a ripoff, there’s no question that the bear is a very frightening creature to behold, and it has enough scares and thrills to make it a must-watch horror movie for fans of the genre.
Lake Placid (1999)
Stream On Starz, AMC+, & Fubo TV
Even though it was critically disliked at the time, Lake Placid has steadily grown in the estimation of critics, due to the fact that it blends together both comedy and horror, in its story about a large crocodile haunting a northern lake.
What’s more, in addition to its very good special effects–the crocodile is itself very lifelike–it also features the late Betty White in one of her most likable roles, as the sharp-tongued widow who takes it upon herself to feed the beast, even though it actually ate her husband.