10 Scariest Monster Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked
Although the 21st century is still young, there is already an excellent selection of monster movies that have debuted. As one of the oldest sub-genres of horror movies, there’s a long history of legendary monster movies, with villains like Dracula or the Wolfman setting the bar high. However, thanks to ingenious directors, writers, and performers, countless future classics are available to stream.
Although some monsters are gentle giants, the ones featured today are anything but friendly. From skyscraper-sized monstrosities to evils that can take any shape, these are the scariest monster movies of the 21st century. Ranked by scare-factor, originality, and creature design, the following monster movies are ones no horror fan should miss.
10
‘The Mist’ (2007)
A small town is inexplicably consumed by a Mist that hides ravenous abominations in The Mist. Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, The Mist follows a group of survivors as they hide from the creatures in a grocery store. With no clear sign of help or a way to escape, hysteria consumed the scared humans into making irrational decisions they will regret for the remainder of their lives.
One look at the monsters in The Mist implies that any contact with them will lead to a horrifying, brutal death, but the nightmarish creatures are only one half of the problem. The “safe haven” of the grocery store is already a flimsy shelter from the creatures, but the humans inside are just as dangerous. Whether braving the monsters on the outside or inside, the situation in The Mist seems utterly hopeless.
9
‘The Host’ (2006)
Before director Bong Joon Ho reached international acclaim with his movie Parasite, he was already gaining attention for his unique monster movie The Host. Irresponsible toxic disposal leads to a large amphibious monster wreaking havoc in Seoul, South Korea. When the monster abducts the daughter of snack bar merchant Park (Song Kang-ho), he and his family mount a daring rescue mission to save her.
The Host is loaded with smart social commentary about bureaucratic carelessness and government corruption, which is scary enough on its own without a monster wrecking shop. Some of the scariest monsters are based on what we know to be familiar, and the fishlike monster in The Host looks like the result of an accelerated man-made evolution. The beast is fast, unstoppable, and the only chance of survival is the monster choosing someone else instead.
8
‘Nope’ (2022)
A UFO poses an opportunity for financial salvation and a grisly death in Nope. Daniel Kaluuya stars as Otis “OJ” Haywood Jr., a horse trainer struggling to keep his family business afloat with sporadic help from his free-spirited sister Em (Keke Palmer). After a flying saucer-type object appears in the sky above their ranch, OJ and Em attempt to understand it and profit from documenting it, although not necessarily in that order.
Director Jordan Peele captured the awe of early Steven Spielberg films by focusing on the journey of discovery that the characters have with the flying object. Is it a friend or foe? Does it suck people inside it and devour them alive while making a noise that’s impossible to forget? All questions will eventually be answered. The unknown aspects and the recurring theme of humanity’s disastrous attempts to control nature lead to tense, armrest-gripping scenes that make Nope a future classic.
7
‘Cloverfield’ (2008)
In the found footage monster movie Cloverfield, a going-away party in New York City is interrupted by a gigantic creature with bad intentions. Told over the course of a single night, viewers get a street-level view of the chaos, horror, and heartbreak of an attack that normal civilians have no chance of defending themselves against. Through crumbling buildings and monstrous threats, those in harm’s way can only hope to run free of the monster’s path while recording the impossible situation as it unfolds.
For fans of the found footage format, Cloverfield is an essential entry in the sub-genre, subverting monster movie tropes while also bringing new ideas to the table. Not that Godzilla or King Kong are given elaborate back stories in their movies, but any form of context or explanation is stripped from Cloverfield, making the experience a disorienting fight for survival. The monster is rarely seen, but the brief glimpses build tension to a final reveal that makes it worth the wait.
6
‘It’ (2017)
Children often go missing in the town of Derry, Maine, and no one is more acutely aware of that than Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher). After Bill’s brother is murdered by the evil and otherworldly Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård), he is consumed with guilt and the need for justice. Teaming up with a group of neighborhood kids self-proclaimed as the “Losers Club,” the children will face Pennywise, which is to say, they’ll confront their worst fears.
Based on Stephen King’s best novel of the 20th Century, It does a solid enough job condensing a portion of the story into a film that captures the essence of Derry and its famous monster. Pennywise is one of King’s most famous creations, and Skarsgård does the character justice with a magnetic performance filled with menace. Any time Pennywise is on the screen, bad things are guaranteed to happen, and even when he’s not on screen, his presence is felt in every scene. The character remains a horror icon that audiences can’t get enough of, with many looking forward to the upcoming series Welcome to Derry on HBO.
5
‘Barbarian’ (2022)
A rental property harbors an unfathomably dark secret in Barbarian. Tess (Georgina Campbell) and Keith (Bill Skarsgård) find that they’ve double-booked an Airbnb, but the inconvenience quickly becomes the least of their problems. As it turns out, the ordinary-looking house contains a secret passage to a tunnel used by something very strong and dangerous, a creation that was never meant to be discovered.
Barbarian is such a refreshing viewing experience because it’s impossible to predict what will happen next. Moods shift multiple times in the same scene, taking viewers through levity, tension, and outright horror with only seconds to process what’s happening in front of them. The monster, known as “The Mother” (Matthew Patrick Davis), is captivating, a human functioning as an abused animal due to the cruel existence it was subjected to. Visually horrifying, the Mother is in many ways a tragic figure, hoping to offer love, but that doesn’t mean it won’t beat you to death if angered.
4
‘The Babadook’ (2014)
In the masterfully made horror movie The Babadook, Essie Davis stars as Amelia, a widowed mother still grieving the loss of her husband. Compounding her stress is Amelia’s young son Noah (Samuel Vanek), who creates daily challenges with his eccentric behavior and impulsive actions. However, nothing can prepare her for the arrival of a mysterious children’s book called Mister Babadook, because after she reads it, the frightening character begins to make itself comfortable in her house.
The Babadook proves that character studies can also be deeply frightening, especially with Davis’ heartbreaking performance as the centerpiece. Davis so convincingly portrays a woman unravelling that the audience is often questioning whether the Babadook is real or if it’s a by-product of an emerging mental snap. Imaginary or not, the Babadook is a chilling monster without needing extended screen time to establish itself. Even the ending to The Babadook, which is essentially a happy one, leaves an uncomfortable feeling with the viewer as they think of the long-term practice Amelia and Noah will take part in.
3
‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
A family does their best to survive in the aftermath of a devastating alien invasion in A Quiet Place. The Abbott family has carved out a cautious and tension-filled life after vicious, monstrous aliens who operate using supernaturally powerful hearing kill the majority of the human race. Mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and father Lee (John Krasinski) have managed to stay quiet, but the arrival of a new baby will give the family the ultimate test.
Using the simple equation of “noise means death,” maximum tension can be mined from every scene in A Quiet Place. The lightning speed of the monsters means there’s never any true form of safety to be found, so even if an alien isn’t within eyeshot, it doesn’t mean they won’t be within seconds. The film also wisely tells an intimate story within the narrative framework, giving the audience far more to care about and be scared by than if the movie chronicled the initial onslaught of the alien arrivals.
2
‘The Descent’ (2005)
One of the scariest monster movies of the 21st century debuted within the first five years of its run. The Descent follows Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), a woman who loses her entire family in a tragic car accident. She agrees to join her friends for a cave exploration trip, but the well-intentioned idea puts Sarah and her friends in danger when they encounter savage monsters who call the dark tunnels their home.
For anyone who suffers from claustrophobia, The Descent is a nightmare before the spelunking party ever runs into the creatures. The setting of the caves, in some spots so snug that Sarah becomes stuck moving forward, allows the film to linger on the characters and their relationship to one another before introducing the monsters later in the story. The cave-dwelling creatures make the tight squeezes look like a warm hug, though, because their animalistic attacks look like a painful way to go. From beginning to end, The Descent is a film designed to get under the skin.
1
‘It Follows’ (2015)
In It Follows, a curse transmitted through sexual encounters unleashes a shapeshifting monster that relentlessly pursues its victims until it kills them. Jay (Maika Monroe) finds this out the hard way after sleeping with her boyfriend and learning he’s passed the curse to her. Now hunted by something she can’t see, Jay will look for a solution to her predicament that doesn’t involve putting something in danger.
Part of the reason It Follows works so well is that it takes a supernatural oddity and places it into a quiet, recognizable existence that wouldn’t feel out of place in a coming-of-age teen comedy. A perfect argument against the concept of “everything has been done,” It Follows is an original piece of storytelling that takes a basic premise and makes it frightening as hell. There doesn’t need to be multiple tentacles or rows of razor-sharp teeth, just the guaranteed knowledge that death will always be in pursuit, and any quiet moment will be accompanied by just enough doubt not to trust it.
