Audiences might not always think about “great acting” when it comes to monster movies, and that is a real shame. While any film about a science fiction or fantasy creatureneeds good makeup effectsin order to successfully convey a sense of horror, these stories are only able to engage with the viewers on an emotional level if there are characters that they feel invested in.
Monster movies deserve to be held in high regard as a prestigious form of artbecause of how challenging they tend to be for actors; while these films aren’t generallyrewarded by the Academy Awardsand other prestigious critical voting bodies, it is no surprise that they continue to be regarded as favorites and rewatched by avid cinephiles long after their initial release. Here are the ten best monster movies with great acting, ranked.
10‘The Thing’ (1982)
Directed by John Carpenter
The Thingis one of the greatest science fiction horror remakes of all-time, becauseJohn Carpenterwas able to turn the somewhat cheekyThe Thing From Another Planetinto a far scarier metaphor for the real tensionsthat existed in the midst of the Cold War.The Thingsucceeds because each character has reason enough to believe that they may be sitting or standing alongside someone who may actually be the dreaded “thing” that has come to destroy them all; Carpenter gets terrific performances from his entire cast that make this question ambiguous.
The Thingwas one of many collaborations between Carpenter and Kurt Russell,and it is easy to see why they became so well-adjusted to working alongside one another. Russell can bring the grizzled, ruthless attitude that is necessary for surviving within the perilous environments featured in Carpenter’s films.
A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter’s 1982 film is a remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.
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9‘The Fly’ (1986)
Directed by David Cronenberg
The Flyis a highly inventive remake from David Cronenbergthat turned a B-movie camp classic into an epic tragedyabout the perils of genius.Jeff Goldblumgives what is easily the best performance of his entire career as Seth Brundle, a scientist who decides that he can merge DNA through a strange experiment. After Seth is accidentally transformed into a mutant insectoid creature, he must struggle to retain his humanity alongside the assistance of his girlfriend (Geena Davis).
While he was wearing layers of makeup to conceivably transform into the monstrous character,Goldblum was able to make Brundle’s fall from grace even more tragic and emotional.Goldblum does a great job at showing how Brundle’s attempts at innovation were done out of the goodness of his heart, and how these errors led him down a path that he may never be able to fully recover from.
In a daring exploration of science’s potential to alter human life, a brilliant but eccentric scientist develops a technology for teleportation. When he decides to test the device on himself, a tragic error involving a common housefly leads to horrifying consequences. The film chillingly portrays his transformation and the impact it has on his relationship and psyche.
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8‘An American Werewolf in London’ (1982)
Directed by John Landis
An American Werewolf in Londonwas a high concept comedythat served as a parody of the Universal Monsters classics that first attained popularity in the 1930s.David Naughtongives an amazing performance as David Kessler, an American hiker who is attacked and turned into a werewolf after his best friend Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) is killed.
An American Werewolf in Londonis one of the few films that isjust as scary as it is funny, as directorJohn Landismanaged to intertwine some truly graphic moments of body horror with some hilarious physical gags. Naughton does a great job at showing how strange an awkward turning into a monster might actually be, but it is Dunne that steals the film as a resurrected version of Jack that returns to give David advice about everything involved in his transition.
An American Werewolf In London
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
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7‘Predator’ (1987)
Directed by John McTiernan
Predatorisa classic of the action genre, but it’s also a brilliant monster movie that delved into the “fear of the unknown” that emerged amidst the Vietnam War.Arnold Schwarzeneggerisn’t always considered to be a “great actor,” but his performance as Dutch is far more complex than many of the other action heroes he has played over the course of his career. Dutch is a military man who has never had a reason to question his patriotism, and is forced to become a little bit more animalistic as he desperately tries to survive within the danger of the jungle.
As with many of the films that were directed byJohn McTiernan,Predatoris stacked with great performances by veteran character actors, includingCarl Weathers, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura,andShane Blackin particularly memorable roles.
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6‘King Kong’ (2005)
Directed by Peter Jackson
King Kongwas a very ambitious Hollywood remakein whichPeter Jacksonchose toremake the 1933 classic of the same nameby enhancing its scale and scope. While Jackson was obviously granted with much more advanced visual effects to work with than the creators of the 1933 film were, he also chose to delve deeper into the characters, withNaomi Wattsgiving a far more versatile and depthful performance thanFay Wraywas able to in the original.
The biggest improvement that the 2005King Kongmakes over the original is in the use of motion capture effects, which allowedAndy Serkisto perform as Kong himself. Since Serkis’ expressions and emotions were able to come across on Kong’s face, the final battle where he descends into New York City feels much more exciting than it would have been otherwise.
A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.
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5‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Jurassic Parkis the epitome of what great blockbuster filmmaking looks like, but the strong performances are what elevate it over its very difficult sequels.Steven Spilebergunderstood thatthe only way to get audiences engaged was to present a physical danger to characters that they cared about; Ellie Satler (Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) represented different scientific principles, and are each forced to go through a path of self-discovery once the dinosaurs are released into the doomed amusement park.
The great Richard Attenborough brings the necessary exuberance and enthusiasmneeded to portray an aging genius who is completely out of step with reality. The film also features a memorable performance by a youngSamuel L. Jackson, who was still relatively unknown beforePulp Fictionwould turn him into one of the most famous actors in the world the following year.
Jurassic Park
In Steven Spielberg’s massive blockbuster, paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are among a select group chosen to tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. While the park’s mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), assures everyone that the facility is safe, they find out otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt.
4‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
Directed by John Krasinski
A Quiet Placeis a great example of an original Hollywood blockbuster, as hasunsurprisingly spawned a very successful franchise.John KrasinskiandEmily Blunt, a couple in real life, perfectly convey the terror that parents feel about bringing their children into a dangerous world where their survival is in question;A Quiet Placemay be a science fiction thriller, but it is easy to see it as a metaphor for living in a world of climate change and the Donald Trump administration.
A Quiet Placewas a groundbreaking piece of representation, as the deaf actressMillicent Simmonswas cast as the daughter of Krasinski and Blunts’ characters. While there aren’t many parts written for deaf actors, Simmons was able to intertwine the way that sign language is used into the plot of the film in a manner that becomes quite emotional.
A Quiet Place
A family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.
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3‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Pan’s Labyrinthis a masterpiece that onlya genius on the caliber of Guillermo del Toromay have been capable of, as it combines real history about the military upheaval in Mexico with a charming coming-of-age story that is deeply entrenched in dark fantasy. The child actressIvana Baquerois able to give an amazing performance as the young girl Ofelia, who retreats into a world of fantasy and monsters as she copes with her horrific home life.
Pan’s Labyrinthfeatures a great performance from Doug Jones, a regular collaborator of del Toro’s that has appeared inThe Shape of Waterand both installments in theHellboyfranchise. Jones is often acting under several layers of makeup, but was able to give truly emotive qualities to the musical character of the Fawn, who connects with Ofelia during the most intense section of the story.
Pan’s Labyrinth
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
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2‘Jaws’ (1975)
Jawsis the film thatkickstarted blockbuster movie season forever, as Spielberg created a perfectly crafted thriller that audiences simply couldn’t get enough of. While even the poster ofJawswas enough to indicate that the titular shark was the real star of the film, the excellent performances byRoy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss,andRobert Shaware what gave viewers people to invest in.
Scheider captures the weight of responsibility that is thrust upon Chief Brody’s shouldersas he attempts to defend the entire beach from spiraling into chaos and abandoning safety procedures all together. Dreyfuss adds a touch of comic relief to the story as an overtly precise character who often rubs others the wrong way, but it’s Shaw who is clearly having the most fun, and gets to deliver the single most memorable monologue in the entireJawsfranchise.
When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it’s up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.
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1‘Alien’ (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Alienis one of the few films that can be described as completely perfect,asRidley Scott’s masterpiece has held up just as well today as it did when it was initially released to unsuspecting audiences in 1979. Among the many most memorable aspects of the legacy of the originalAlienis the character of Ellen Ripley played bySigourney Weaver, who is commonly cited as one of thegreatest heroes of all-time.
Ripley became an avatar for female empowerment in both science fiction and horror, two genres that had been typically dominated by men. While it is hard to discuss any aspect of the film without directly referencing the brilliance of Weaver’s performance and what a game changer it was,Alienfeatures a cast filled with terrific character actors, includingYaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt,andIan Holm.
In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
