My Favorite Movies: Creature Features

I am sometimes asked for just general movie recommendations, and I am terrible at being put on the spot. There are so many movies, genres, eras, etc, that I end up freezing, overthinking, or throwing out suggestions and then later regretting that I didn’t answer “right.” To that end I thought occasionally I’d throw together small lists of movies I recommend under a particular theme. To kick it off I thought we would pick one of my all time favorite subgenres of horror, the creature feature. It can be tricky because creature features often overlap with other genres, such as several of my favorites also being cosmic horror – see I am already over thinking – but here are a few of my top picks.

The Relic

It’s a creature feature that takes place in a museum, do I really need to say more? Okay fair enough, I do. The Relic is a solid 90s creature feature, which to be honest was really the peak of the subgenre. It is hardly the best of them, but it is so damn fun that despite it’s flaws it’s still one of my favorites. The flaws being the pacing can be a touch off and there a few moments of weakness in the writing. However, despite that the setting is well used and the characters being trapped in the museum with the creature is damn fun. The characters are also interesting and the plot has a decent amount of mystery and action. It’s a solid representation of what was so great about creature features from that time, that they were part horror movie but also solid action/adventure movies (see also Jurassic Park and Mimic). It is just a fun movie, and if I can only pick one it’s going to be The Relic.

The Descent

It’s easy to forget that this movie is a creature feature because the creatures don’t show up until nearly the end of the movie (it’s actually wild how little the crawlers are featured), and before that it’s really a man vs nature movie. This movie is dark, literally. It follows a group of women trapped in a cave and uses the lighting (and lack thereof) as well as the limited space to really drive home how trapped and helpless they are. The end result is that the movie is claustrophobic as hell, and the audience is also having to deal with the lack of light. The movie is already tense and then the creatures finally show up and everything is ramped up. This movie is also a truly bleak experience. Where I go to some creatures features specifically for the fun, this one goes hard in the other direction. Still it is one of my all time favorites and I highly recommend it.

Crawl

This movie truly feels like the spiritual successor to the 90s creature features that I love. The movie follows a girl going to her father’s house to check on him only for them to get trapped in the crawlspace as a storm is hitting and bringing with it a whole lot of gators. It is fast paced but still manages to bring suspense and tension. There is a certain focus on the “fun” in horror movies while still not entirely leaving the horror behind. Really just a solid example of what I said with The Relic, a solid horror movie but blended with action/adventure. The characters are also wonderful and watching their relationship play out while you are on the edge of your seat is fantastic. It is quite frankly one of my favorite more modern horror movies (though I can’t believe it’s over 5 years old now) and it really deserves more love.

Also spoilers but I hope you will appreciate them- At the very least the dog survives, everybody else’s fate *shrug*

Trollhunter

I have an iffy relationship with found footage movies overall (sorry fans). I feel like it’s a technique that has been used far too frequently, and I am underwhelmed by them more often than not. Knowing this I went into Troll Hunter not expecting much, and was I wrong. This movie seriously blew me away. It’s entertaining, well done, and manages to set itself apart from many other found footage films. It is a truly unique experience, and one I will continue to recommend. And man the trolls are something else.

Eight Legged Freaks

I debated whether or not to include this movie here or leave it for a future list, but ultimately decided this is where it belongs. This movie is often written off because it is very clearly trying to be an homage to B creature features of the past, so people assume that’s all it is. What I love so much about this movie though is it manages to be a love letter to those movies while still feeling new and not like “intentionally B” is all it is (see SyFy originals). The plot is a little hooky, but it is meant to be, without being too ridiculous. The acting and characters are decent and overall while it plays out more as a comedy it manages to hold onto just enough horror. It’s walking a hard line and I think it nails it.

I am also beyond jealous that my husband got to see this movie at a drive-in, what an experience that must have been.

Anaconda (1997)

So to be honest I had to throw in one legitimately bad movie. I am a lover of bad horror movies and let’s be honest the creature feature is filled with them, and frankly I think this movie is partly to blame for the rise of bad SyFy originals (I mean look at the sequels). I digress. Again, this is not a great movie the plot is ridiculous, the acting is… well… and the snake is kind of a joke. And yet it’s a lot of fun. Also despite how silly it is, it isn’t quite the joke that a lot of movie that followed it were.

Jaws

Of course I have to include the greatest of all time. It is intense, has amazing characters, extremely well acted, solidly scary while still being a hell of an adventure. Despite (or likely because of) all the trouble that was involved in making this movie it is not just the best creature feature, or even one of the best horror movies, it’s one of the best of any type of movie ever made. Of course with the disclaimer that people are terrible and it was awful this movie became and excuse to hate sharks which are wonderful animals. Though I have to say as a society I feel we’ve moved from that a bit so good on that.

So there we have it, if you are looking for a creature feature to watch or revisit I think these are some of the best or at the very least enjoyable, even when bad. Also stay tuned for future lists if you feel like something might be missing.

And if you want to see a particular list please let me know. Whether it’s movies from a particular decade, subgenres, or even genres that I don’t write about as often, or even some niche category. I can’t promise that every suggestion will result in a list but perhaps.