10 Creature Features That Are Highly Underrated

10 Creature Features That Are Highly Underrated

Creature Features reigned supreme in the early days of horror filmmaking, but the art hasn’t died out, though it remains fairly underappreciated.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

The monster movie, or the “creature feature,” is a movie sub-genre that dates back more than a century. The Golem, a silent German film made in 1915, is thought to have been the first motion picture to contain a creature, and thousands of titles have followed ever since.

Some monster movies are silly, campy entertainment, and some are much more than that. In either case, creature features are a special treat for audiences seeking unusual and creative films about the age-old conflict of man vs. beast. Here are 10 examples of creature features, some more serious than others, that deserve a second look.

10 The Edge

After a plane crash, a wealthy older man is stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with a fashion photographer who he’s convinced is having an affair with his wife. As if this isn’t bad enough, they’re being hunted down by a gigantic Kodiak bear.

The Edge boasts a great screenplay by acclaimed writer David Mamet, as well as terrific performances from Sir Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, and, yes, Bart the Bear, a famous 1,500-pound Hollywood-trained Kodiak bear who appeared in numerous other films throughout his life.

9 The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Director Steven Spielberg’s sequel to his universally-praised 1993 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel Jurassic Park is considered far inferior to the original. While it’s undoubtedly true that the first installment is far better, The Lost World has more going for it than critics and audiences give it credit for.

The famous “trailer scene” alone is worth the price of admission when two T-Rex’s come for their baby and attempt to push our heroes off the side of a cliff. There are a few other great dino sequences as well. The Lost World is an uneven film, but it’s certainly not a bad one.

8 The Relic

Stan Winston, the visual effects genius behind the Jurassic Park dinosaurs, designed the ancient lizard-like “Kothoga” monster in 1997’s horror thriller The Relic.

The Kothoga is on a killing spree at the Chicago museum after being inadvertently brought over from South America by one of the museum’s field guides. The Relic wasn’t well-received by critics, which was to be expected, but, as an R-rated creature feature, it delivers in all the ways it should: blood, guts, jump scares, and a scary-looking monster making all of it happen.

7 Lake Placid

Not to be confused with the real-life upstate New York town, Lake Placid takes place on the fictional Black Lake in Maine where a prehistoric alligator claims its first known victim in the film’s opening sequence.

Written by David E. Kelly, creator of hit television shows like The Practice and Ally McBeal, Lake Placid is more a comedy than anything else—and a good one, at that! It also boasts a fantastic ensemble cast including Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, and a foul-mouthed Betty White who’s rooting for the croc all along.

6 Empire Of The Ants

Loosely based on a 1905 short story by H.G. Wells, 1977’s Empire of the Ants is as campy as monster movies get, but it’s a great time for those who don’t take it too seriously. A shady real estate saleswoman takes a group of would-be suckers out to an island to sell them “beachfront property” which is essentially worthless, only to find out that the land is overrun with giant man-eating ants.

The monster effects are quite good for 1977, and some of the deaths are genuinely creepy. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s worth more than the current 6% fresh rating it holds on Rotten Tomatoes.

5 Howl

The werewolf is one of those creatures that never seems to get its due in the form of good monster movies. The 2015 British indie Howl makes one of the best attempts in recent memory. It received generally positive reviews, but audiences didn’t appreciate it as much, as it holds just a 37% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Its heroes are genuinely likable, and its lycanthropic monster is genuinely scary. As a bonus, director Paul Hyett’s background is in makeup effects, so the gore is especially convincing, as well.

4 The Mist

Director Frank Darabont adapted this Stephen King novella in which an inter-dimensional portal is breached, causing a thick fog to descend upon a Maine community. Hidden in “the mist” are mutant man-eating monsters. Critics and audiences generally liked it, but are seemingly divided as to whether the film is a campy popcorn monster flick or an astute political allegory.

It’s actually neither of those things, as much as it is an illustration of the crushing and crippling effect of hopelessness and despair. In the film’s shocking and controversial final scene, the main character gives in to despair in the most horrific way imaginable and is swiftly punished by a fate worse than death. The Mist is a near-masterpiece; a terrifying and emotionally devastating.

3 Deep Rising

A motley crew of modern-day pirates hijacks a luxury cruise ship in 1998’s Deep Rising. Needless to say, they picked the wrong ship. Numerous giant sea creatures have made quick work of everyone on board, and the hijackers make for a nice dessert.

Nowadays, a movie like Deep Rising would likely go straight to streaming. However, Deep Rising was made for a fairly high price tag of $45 million and recouped just over $11 million at the box office, making it a massive flop. However, the hefty budget did pay for some impressive monster effects, and the film has since amassed a minor cult following in recent years.

2 Congo

After an expedition to the Congo region ends in bloodshed, a second team is sent in to investigate. They discover an ancient city inhabited by killer apes, and more bloodshed ensues.

Congo is the most unjustly maligned creature feature of the 90s. Its script was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Oscar-winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley, and it boasts a great ensemble cast including Laura Linney, Tim Curry, and Ernie Hudson. Most audiences couldn’t get past a subplot involving a monkey that “talks” to people through an electronic device that translates her sign language into spoken words. For whom that isn’t a dealbreaker, however, Congo is a great popcorn flick complete with witty dialogue and effective creature scare sequences.

1 The Host

2006’s The Host is both highly acclaimed and criminally underrated. It’s not just one of the best monster movies ever, it’s among the 21st century’s best films, period. Director Bong Joon Ho, now famous for his Oscar-sweeping Parasite, spins a story so complex, mysterious, emotionally engaging, and politically incisive that, at certain points throughout the film, it’s very easy to forget it’s a monster movie altogether. The monster sequences are extremely well done, but that’s only the beginning of what makes this film the masterpiece that it is.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/underated-horror-creature-feature-movies/

• 90 Day Fiancé Cast Members With Musical Careers

• 14 Coziest Gilmore Girls Fall Episodes Ranked

• 10 Small Details You Only Notice Replaying Red Dead Redemption 2

• Apple & Hyundai Close To No Driver Fully Autonomous Car Deal

• 90 Day Fiance Cast Members Whose Exes Are Better Off Without Them

• 10 Behind The Scenes Facts About Little Miss Sunshine

• 90 Day Fiancé Big Ed & His GF Liz Are Reportedly Getting Married