Which animals make the best movie monsters?

It’s not hard to see the appeal of the “animal attack” subgenre of horror. There are a ton of animals in the world, many of which have an overload of teeth and legs and claws, and our lousy fleshy bits just can’t quite stand up to them. Although horror films are not often interested in the natural world as a whole, it is possible to leave one thinking. Perhaps I need to be more respectful of wild animals and allow them some spaceMore power to them.

But, within the context of horror films, what animal received the worst treatment? Which animal dominates humankind repeatedly in an assertive and gritty fashion at the top? With decades of films to choose from, here are the top 10 animals that horror has decided just aren’t worth messing with. Rats get honorable mentions (Willard is utterly fantastic, with Crispin Glover’s best and most unhinged performance,) ticks (please enjoy Clint Howard screaming “I’m infested!” with his face full of them,) wild boars (Razorbackit is an Australian treasure), orcas (mainly because of the film Orca, which is better than any horror film called “Orca” has any right to be.)

10. Piranhas

Image by New World Pictures

While being mostly limited to a single franchise, movies about piranhas do have their high points, depending on what you’re looking for. Fans of low-budget Roger Corman productions need to check out 1978’s PiranhaThe movie “The Movie” was written and directed by John Sayles, an independent filmmaker. However, if you’re looking to see a bunch of little fishes devour young adults in between thumping songs by Pitbull, Shwayze, and Far East Movement, then 2010’s Piranha 3D You will find it much easier. Fans of bloody special effects should wait for the mass attack on the wet T-shirt contest, a sequence that any amount of description won’t do justice to.

Piranha (1978) You can watch it on Peacock and Shudder and AMC+ for free, with ads on Tubi and Pluto TV and Plex or free with a Kanopy and Hoopla library card. Piranha 3D Showtime has (2010) available for viewing.

9. Lions and Big Cats

Image: Paramount Home Entertainment

Films like “The Greatest Showman” are a testament to this. Beast The movie stars IdrisElba and the Lion that Wants to Eat IdrisElba (not to Be Mistaken with). The Beast, the giant squid movie based on the Peter Benchley book), the theme of big cats telling us to get out of their way hasn’t been totally forgotten. The selection of solid movies is sparse here (if you have some time, 2010’s The Light is Burning(although it is not exceptional), but the most notable might be the historic drama The Ghost and Darknesspurely because of its cast. Val Kilmer Michael Douglas! Tom Wilkinson! Emily Mortimer Bernard Hill Killer lions! All your favourites!

The Light is Burning This is included in the free ads for FreeVee or Tubi. The Ghost and Darkness Starz has it available for purchase or digital rental on VOD platforms.

8. Snakes

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

The Anaconda series has been dominating snake terror in recent years. This is the first Anaconda is good (at one point, the giant serpent spits out a recently devoured Jon Voight, who slimily winks before dying), but many of the gems lie in the early ’70s.

Both were available in 1972. Stanley Frogs. First, a Vietnam veteran gets revenge by throwing serpents at people. Then there’s Frogs, where an old Southern plantation’s use of pesticides causes a whole swamp, including multiple venomous snakes, to revolt. In the next year, Sssssssssss The film, which sees a scientist turn a man into a snake and give us all death by snakes, would soon be released. The time was better for cinema.

Anaconda This video is available on Sling TV and for digital rental, purchase, or rental on VOD platforms. Stanley It is free to view with ads on Plex. Frogs Pluto TV has a free option to view the video with ads. Ssssss This video is currently not available for streaming or VOD.

7. Birds

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

The, ahem, feather in the cap of the killer birds film is, of course, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Since then, though, the bird has mostly been featured as an omen of death or a supporting player, getting cameos in films like the eye-eating crows in Dario Argento’s Opera The ravens attacking one of the poor dudes I Spit On Your Grave remake. For all the traumatized grade school children, points must be added. Passion of Christ when their youth group took them to a movie where they expected a redeeming lesson in faith and not a large crow violently pecking at a screaming man’s eyes.

The BirdsShowtime has it available for viewing.

6. Dogs/Wolves

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Man’s best friend turning out to be not so chill is Horror 101, and it’s not a far leap to find wolves similarly threatening. Leaping from the Baskerville estate to the annals of pop culture, they’ve gone for the jugular in both starring and supporting roles. Liam Neeson’s survivor thriller GreyWas better than everyone expected. And the pack of Wolfwolves, who show up to feed on skiers with stranded victims in Frozen (not to be confused with Disney’s FrozenMultiple rewatches have confirmed that there were no extended wolf maulings. They made a charming addition to this hopeless film. Criterion Collection devotees should certainly add Samuel Fuller’s chilling treatise on racism, White DogTo their shelves. The king is still Cujo, though. This film comes one year after the Saint Bernard friendly movie. Beethoven, Cujo finds Stephen King at the height of his “small town falls prey to some shitty stuff” powers, only instead of vampires or a big dome, it’s a rabid dog.

Frozen It is free to use with advertisements on Tubi and The Roku Channel. Grey CujoThey are also available digitally for rental or purchase via VOD platforms. White Dog For now, it is unavailable for streaming or VOD.

5. Insects

Warner Home Video

It all boils down to how you like seeing special effects performed by actors with insects. You want to see big ants Them!Are you looking for small ants It took place at Lakewood Manor(also available in simply Antennis Ants!Are you interested in bees? There’s The SwarmBut, keep a small spot of love in your heart. Deadly Bees. Not quite a bug, but if literal tons of earthworms give you the creeps, 1976’s Get Squirm It’s a wonderful time. It’s a great time. Nest is probably the roach species’ finest nasty hour. Insects rank this high for pure versatility — they can break in your house, climb in through tiny places, and attack without you knowing it. And when a Hollywood victim’s best option is “flail wildly and incoherently,” they tend to be pretty effective.

Get Squirm Tubi allows you to post ads for no cost. Deadly Bees Plex allows you to post free ads. Them!, Nest The SwarmDigital purchase and rental of these items are possible on VOD platforms.

4. Bears

Image by Scorpion Releasing

Despite its relatively short filmography, the cuddliest animal ever invented (that you’re not actually supposed to cuddle with) earns its prominence as a movie monster through sheer quality. Few films in the “Jaws but with (insert animal here)” era of the late ’70s are as bombastically fun as GrizzlyThe movie is about a large and furious bear who destroys towers, attacks helicopters, and needs a rocket launcher. We recently also acquired Backcountry, the 2014 film about the devolution of a relationship and also a spooky black bear who quite literally tears the relationship’s face off. One could argue that Werner Herzog’s documentary Grizzly Man also plays like a bit of a horror film, as even though you know what happens to the intrepid and optimistic Timothy Treadwell early on, it’s hard to not be sucked in by the sense of inevitable doom.

Grizzly You can find it on Shudder, AMC+ and Freevee. It’s also free with advertisements on Tubi or Freevee. Backcountry It is also available for Shudder and AMC+, as well as free of charge with a Kanopy library card. Grizzly ManIt is free to use with ads on Pluto TV and Tubi or free when you have a Kanopy library card.

3. Spiders

Image by Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Keeping the spiders arachnids separate from the insects isn’t just for biological distinction; the horror genre typically treats spiders as much more of an alpha predator, given a semblance of intelligence that makes their threats different from a mindless insect horde. The ’50s would grant us giant spider classics like Tarantula and Earth vs. SpiderAnd fans who watched the movie again. Star Wars in 1977 were making a boneheaded move when they could’ve been enjoying Kingdom of the SpidersOr Tarantulas: A Deadly CargoTelevision. Gold medal: ArachnophobiaThis movie has an all star cast, including Jeff Daniels and John Goodman as well as Harley Jane Kozak as Harley Jane Kozak. There are also hundreds of Australian Avondale spiders. They’re harmless in real life, but it’s the movies, so naturally they get a supernaturally powerful venom and a “general” leader that has the leg span of a basketball.

Earth vs. SpiderIt is free to use with ads on Pluto TV, Plex TV, or Tubi TV. Kingdom of the SpidersAvailable on ScreenPix via The Roku Channel Tarantula Arachnophobia These are digitally available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.

2. Sharks

Universal Pictures

This genre has been typified by no animal other than the shark. It doesn’t hurt that the most famous example remains JawsThis is a great example of suspense. Every few months, we receive a new movie about the sharks’ dislike for swimming. However, what prevents the shark from taking the number one spot is that quantity tends to outdo quality here — the amount of killer shark films out there dwarfs the amount of killer shark films that are worth recommending, and you can only ride the wave of “Haha, it’s SUPPOSED to be bad!” for so long. However, there are definitely some gems, including 1999’s Deep Blue SeaThis has been evaluated as a camp prodigy and reevaluated. Open WaterThis is an extremely miserable movie, but it’s also a great film. Recent efforts like The ShallowsAnd 47 Meters downSolid, almost as if they were a public relations campaign to establish scary sharks’ legitimacy after Sharknado destroyed their reputation.

Jaws You can watch it on AMC+ and for no cost with ads on Tubi. Deep Blue SeaThis film is also available on HBO Max and for free on Tubi with ads. Open Water You can watch it for free on Freevee with the ads. The Shallows It is also available digitally for rental and purchase via VOD platforms. 47 Meters down Hulu has it available for you to view.

1. Alligators/Crocodiles

Image by Paramount Home Media Distribution

You can get more bang for the buck from animals than the alligator, crocodile and other crocodiles. They work as leading monster: Greg McLean’s follow-up to Wolf CreekThe 2007 Saltwater Crocodile Terrorist Rogue. John Sayles is an indie screenwriter and filmmaker who was also a noted writer. Piranha? A little later, he accomplished the amazing AlligatorThis is where the toilet-flushed, unarmed gator comes back from the sewers to terrorize Chicago. They also function as simply the surprise (Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive forces the pet gator to play second fiddle to a deranged Neville Brand, and Ti West’sXThe movie had more enjoyment because an alligator was eating someone in the swamp. One is fine (the most underrated). Black WaterThe 1989 Italian movie is unnervingly calm, but it’s also restrained. Killer CrocodileOvercomes its budget deficit with lots of blood or other means (Piranha 3D’s director, Alexandre Aja, would later make CrawlThe film is a thrilling, alligator-filled, tension-filled thriller about what one might assume to be an ordinary day in Florida. Meanwhile, Betty White raised quite a few of them in 1999’s unofficial Best Picture winner Lake Placid). They’re always a good time, and unlike the shark, they haven’t worn out their welcome enough. You can’t go wrong with these lazy lake dinosaurs. This is the demand of me and others.

RogueWith ads on Vudu and Plex, you can view (2007) free of charge. Alligator It is also available on Shudder, AMC+ and AMC+. Eaten Alive You can find it on Peacock and AMC+ as well as on Shudder. Killer Crocodile It is free to use with advertisements on Vudu, Plex and Tubi. Lake Placid It is free to view with ads on The Roku Channel. Black Water You can watch it for free on Hoopla and Tubi as well as ads on The Roku Channel, Plex, and Tubi. Crawl It is also available digitally for rental and purchase via VOD platforms.