Let us cut right to the chase...or right to the screaming as many of the folks on this list would prefer! Not only am I married to a top home haunter, I have been a big fan of horror movies (also called monster movies) for years. In my experience, as a fan of the genre, here are my top ten monsters of all time!
10. Kraken (1981)
From the 1981 Clash of the Titans, this is a creature that stirs the imagination. Although the Kraken is a creature of myth, it is the film version that everyone remembers. Who could forget the end scene of the original Clash of the Titans where the Kraken comes for Andromeda? (What he wanted her for is not clear to me. Did he plan to eat her? Invite her to go for a swim?) At any rate, the Kraken was brought to life by the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen, a legend in horror and fantasy movies. The image of Perseus turning the Kraken to stone is classic and so is this multi-armed monster in this writer's opinion.
9. Creature From the Black Lagoon (all versions)
There have been many movies about terrifying sea creatures, but Creature From the Black Lagoon is still the best. (Sorry, Jaws!) Released in 1954, it features a monster-like gill-man discovered on an expedition in the Amazon. Like many famous monsters of the silver screen, the Creature spawned sequels. The original Creature of the Black Lagoon movie is being remade for a 2011 release, according to the IMDB Web site.
8. Mummy (Boris Karloff)
Boris Karloff makes his first appearance on our list! The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund, is a 1932 horror film from Universal Studios. It starred Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian priest called Imhotep. While the movie is not a drop-dead scare fest, it is a classic that is in the collective memory of our society. When people think of mummies, they invariably think of Karloff shuffling out of his sarcophagus in bandages. The Mummy was semi-remade in The Mummy's Hand (1940) but it was Karloff's version that began the Mummy movies.
7. Michael Myers (all versions)
Michael Myers is the one who started the slasher genre. He first showed up in 1978's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, and then returns home years later to kill again. His fights with Jamie Lee Curtis in the first two Halloween movies are perfect examples of how scary movie chases should work. Although, I think Michael's fights with Donald Pleasence (who played Dr. Loomis) are the best parts of the Halloween films. The only negative aspects to the Halloween movies to me are the continuity issues. For instance, Halloween III, although not a bad movie, has nothing to do with the other installments. Also, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later almost ignores established continuity from earlier movies with no explanation.
6. Dracula (Bela Lugosi)
Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian actor, best known for playing Count Dracula in the Broadway play and classic Universal Studios Dracula films, too. The now classic Dracula that made Lugosi a star came out in 1931. Although the movie is a little slow and not as exciting as other Universal classics, such as the Frankenstein films, Lugosi made the film work. No matter how many vampire movies are made, too, this is the most memorable. Ask anyone who is Dracula and they immediately think of Bela's Dracula. His Dracula is an icon.
5. Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
Robert Englund is best known for playing serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. According to Wikipedia, he received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in 1987 and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master in 1988. I am not surprised. He was excellent as Freddy. The new Freddy cannot hold a candle, or dingy red sweater, to Englund. He approached playing Freddy with a mixture of horror and comedy. His witty banter with his victims is the stuff of legend.
4. Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr.)
"Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."
When you talk about werewolves, there is none better than Lon Chaney's Wolfman in the 1941 Universal Studios movie. From the iconic makeup to the gypsy curse, it is Chaney's Wolfman that society knows best, and with good reason - it is a darn good movie that stands the test of time.
3. Frankenstein's Monster (Boris Karloff)
Do I really have to write that Boris Karloff's portrayal of the Frankenstein Monster is a classic creature of the cinema? The crash of thunder, the sizzling laboratory machines, the monster's hand moving-these are the images we all have embedded in our minds. No version of the Frankenstein Monster gets better than Karloff's version from the classic 1931 horror film.
2. Leatherface (all versions)
Leatherface is the main killer in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror-film series. He wears masks made of his victims' skin (which is where the name Leatherface comes from) and is the character from the movie who normally carries a chainsaw. Not only is Leatherface one of the first slasher-type villains but he is drop-dead scary! While I think all versions of Leatherface are scary as heck, the best Leatherface actors were Gunnar Hansen (from the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Bill Johnson (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). I still think the scene in Massacre 2 when Leatherface runs, chainsaw roaring, out of the darkened radio station toward the lead female actor is horrifying.
1. Jason Voorhees (all versions)
Sure, Kane Hodder has played Jason more than any other actor, but I can't pick one Jason that is better than another. Each actor who played the undead slasher Jason Voorhees brought something new to the role. Jason Voorhees is the killer from the Friday the 13th series. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980); although, he was not the main villain in the first movie. Jason is a great character because of the iconic hockey mask, the creepy camp setting, and because you feel some sympathy for him. He was a deformed child who was mocked by peers and ignored by camp counselors. He also loves his mommy. (Watch the movies and you will see what I mean.) Because he evokes sympathy in the audience, he is a little like Frankenstein's Monster but definitely more evil.
Agree with my choices? Disagree with me? Post a comment. And remember to watch over your shoulder when walking in the woods at night. The guys above may be stalking.
10. Kraken (1981)
From the 1981 Clash of the Titans, this is a creature that stirs the imagination. Although the Kraken is a creature of myth, it is the film version that everyone remembers. Who could forget the end scene of the original Clash of the Titans where the Kraken comes for Andromeda? (What he wanted her for is not clear to me. Did he plan to eat her? Invite her to go for a swim?) At any rate, the Kraken was brought to life by the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen, a legend in horror and fantasy movies. The image of Perseus turning the Kraken to stone is classic and so is this multi-armed monster in this writer's opinion.
9. Creature From the Black Lagoon (all versions)
There have been many movies about terrifying sea creatures, but Creature From the Black Lagoon is still the best. (Sorry, Jaws!) Released in 1954, it features a monster-like gill-man discovered on an expedition in the Amazon. Like many famous monsters of the silver screen, the Creature spawned sequels. The original Creature of the Black Lagoon movie is being remade for a 2011 release, according to the IMDB Web site.
8. Mummy (Boris Karloff)
Boris Karloff makes his first appearance on our list! The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund, is a 1932 horror film from Universal Studios. It starred Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian priest called Imhotep. While the movie is not a drop-dead scare fest, it is a classic that is in the collective memory of our society. When people think of mummies, they invariably think of Karloff shuffling out of his sarcophagus in bandages. The Mummy was semi-remade in The Mummy's Hand (1940) but it was Karloff's version that began the Mummy movies.
7. Michael Myers (all versions)
Michael Myers is the one who started the slasher genre. He first showed up in 1978's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, and then returns home years later to kill again. His fights with Jamie Lee Curtis in the first two Halloween movies are perfect examples of how scary movie chases should work. Although, I think Michael's fights with Donald Pleasence (who played Dr. Loomis) are the best parts of the Halloween films. The only negative aspects to the Halloween movies to me are the continuity issues. For instance, Halloween III, although not a bad movie, has nothing to do with the other installments. Also, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later almost ignores established continuity from earlier movies with no explanation.
6. Dracula (Bela Lugosi)
Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian actor, best known for playing Count Dracula in the Broadway play and classic Universal Studios Dracula films, too. The now classic Dracula that made Lugosi a star came out in 1931. Although the movie is a little slow and not as exciting as other Universal classics, such as the Frankenstein films, Lugosi made the film work. No matter how many vampire movies are made, too, this is the most memorable. Ask anyone who is Dracula and they immediately think of Bela's Dracula. His Dracula is an icon.
5. Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
Robert Englund is best known for playing serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. According to Wikipedia, he received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in 1987 and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master in 1988. I am not surprised. He was excellent as Freddy. The new Freddy cannot hold a candle, or dingy red sweater, to Englund. He approached playing Freddy with a mixture of horror and comedy. His witty banter with his victims is the stuff of legend.
4. Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr.)
"Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."
When you talk about werewolves, there is none better than Lon Chaney's Wolfman in the 1941 Universal Studios movie. From the iconic makeup to the gypsy curse, it is Chaney's Wolfman that society knows best, and with good reason - it is a darn good movie that stands the test of time.
3. Frankenstein's Monster (Boris Karloff)
Do I really have to write that Boris Karloff's portrayal of the Frankenstein Monster is a classic creature of the cinema? The crash of thunder, the sizzling laboratory machines, the monster's hand moving-these are the images we all have embedded in our minds. No version of the Frankenstein Monster gets better than Karloff's version from the classic 1931 horror film.
2. Leatherface (all versions)
Leatherface is the main killer in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror-film series. He wears masks made of his victims' skin (which is where the name Leatherface comes from) and is the character from the movie who normally carries a chainsaw. Not only is Leatherface one of the first slasher-type villains but he is drop-dead scary! While I think all versions of Leatherface are scary as heck, the best Leatherface actors were Gunnar Hansen (from the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Bill Johnson (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). I still think the scene in Massacre 2 when Leatherface runs, chainsaw roaring, out of the darkened radio station toward the lead female actor is horrifying.
1. Jason Voorhees (all versions)
Sure, Kane Hodder has played Jason more than any other actor, but I can't pick one Jason that is better than another. Each actor who played the undead slasher Jason Voorhees brought something new to the role. Jason Voorhees is the killer from the Friday the 13th series. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980); although, he was not the main villain in the first movie. Jason is a great character because of the iconic hockey mask, the creepy camp setting, and because you feel some sympathy for him. He was a deformed child who was mocked by peers and ignored by camp counselors. He also loves his mommy. (Watch the movies and you will see what I mean.) Because he evokes sympathy in the audience, he is a little like Frankenstein's Monster but definitely more evil.
Agree with my choices? Disagree with me? Post a comment. And remember to watch over your shoulder when walking in the woods at night. The guys above may be stalking.
