Monster movies offer thrilling entertainment, often overlooked for awards yet cherished for their imaginative creatures and captivating stories. While 1933’s King Kong is considered the quintessential giant monster film, the silent movie The Golem (1915) first introduced a creature to the screen.
Frankenstein’s monster debuted in a 1910 short film, with Lon Chaney Jr. later embodying The Wolf Man in 1941. The 1954 release of Creature from the Black Lagoon brought an aquatic humanoid monster into the limelight.
Here are ten entertaining facts about beloved monster movies and the memorable creatures that have graced our screens.
10 Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
Starring David Carradine and Richard Roundtree, Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) features an Aztec monster residing in the Chrysler Building’s spire, unleashing decapitations and mayhem.
Director Larry Cohen, initially hired for another film, was fired early in production. Instead of leaving New York, he decided to film Q.
Carradine was unaware he’d be playing a detective in a monster movie when Cohen contacted him. Michael Moriarty was cast after Cohen met him in a café and liked him. Securing permission to film at the Chrysler Building required six attempts and increased financial offers due to safety concerns about the spire. Cohen continued filming, stating the budget couldn’t accommodate a safer model.
9 Leviathan (1989)
Leviathan (1989), a science fiction horror film, was criticized for its similarities to Alien and The Thing. It revolves around an underwater geological facility crew stalked by the mutant monster, Leviathan.
Inspired by marine life images and medical books, the filmmakers designed a monster blending human and marine animal parts, resulting in a creature with a fish head and sharp teeth.
Tom Woodruff Jr. brought the creature to life in a suit, while the deep-dive suits were custom-made for each lead actor, featuring bellows that squirted air to create realistic underwater effects.
8 An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Director John Landis, inspired by a teenager in 1969 seeing a man buried feet first with garlic, wrote An American Werewolf in London. Despite the script’s early creation, production didn’t begin until 1981, after several other werewolf movies were released.
David Naughton, cast after a short conversation with Landis, endured 10-hour makeup sessions by Rick Baker to transform into a werewolf. Michael Jackson, a fan of Baker, hired him for the “Thriller” music video.
Landis also bribed police officers for permission to film in Piccadilly Circus, which had been banned for filming for about 15 years before Werewolf.
7 King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) was the first time audiences saw the iconic monsters in color and widescreen. It remains the most-attended Godzilla film in Japan.
Haruo Nakajima, as Godzilla, blended the original Godzilla moves with wrestling techniques for the showdown with Kong, played by Shoichi Hirose. A real octopus was used for the giant octopus scenes on a miniature set. The octopus footage inspired the Kraken in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006).
6 Frankenstein (1931)
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published anonymously in 1818, inspired numerous movies, TV shows, and plays. The story centers on Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monster from corpses.
Bela Lugosi declined the role of the monster in the 1931 film, leading to director Robert Florey’s departure. Boris Karloff then took the role, and James Whale replaced Florey. Lugosi later played the monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943).
The film was the first to feature the Castle Thunder sound effect, and the monster makeup design is copyrighted until 2026.
5 Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth features haunting monsters like the Mandrake Root, Giant Toad, and Pale Man.
Intended as a thematic complement to del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone (2001), the events of 9/11 influenced his portrayal of brutality and innocence. Stephen King, seated next to del Toro during a screening, squirmed during the Pale Man scene, which del Toro considered a high compliment.
The bottle attack scene was based on an incident where del Toro and a friend were in a brawl, and his friend was hit in the face with a bottle.
4 The Thing (1982)
The Thing (1982), now a horror classic, initially bombed and received negative reviews but is now considered one of John Carpenter’s best films. Tobe Hooper was originally slated to direct, but Universal replaced him with Carpenter after disliking his draft.
Rob Bottin, the special effects supervisor, was only 21 and worked for a year straight without leave, leading to hospitalization with double pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer. He received a special “thank you” in the credits.
Kurt Russell’s shocked reaction during the dynamite scene was genuine because he misjudged the strength of the blast.
3 Tremors (1990)
Tremors (1990), a monster horror-comedy, was praised for its cast and humor, gaining a cult following on home video and becoming one of 1990’s most-rented films.
Co-writer S.S. Wilson, while hiking in the Mojave Desert, imagined being trapped on a boulder with something beneath the ground, inspiring the giant worm monsters.
The film was shot in the Alabama Hills in the California desert, also used in Gladiator, Iron Man, and Man of Steel.
Kevin Bacon felt the film was a career low point, causing him to sleepwalk and have nightmares, once carrying his pregnant wife into the street while sleepwalking.
2 Pacific Rim (2013)
Pacific Rim was a gamble for Legendary Pictures due to the lack of a pre-existing franchise. It performed moderately in the U.S. but became a global success.
Travis Beacham envisioned a sea monster looming over the Santa Monica pier in 2007, followed by a giant robot fighting the beast, which led to the screenplay co-written with Guillermo del Toro.
The Jaeger, Gipsy Danger, had its gait based on John Wayne’s hip movements and a design influenced by the Chrysler and Empire State buildings.
1 Alien (1979)
Originally titled Star Beast, the 1979 science fiction horror film became Alien. It’s regarded as one of cinema’s greatest movies, preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry, and launched Sigourney Weaver’s career.
Weaver was cast after Meryl Streep, who was also considered, dealt with personal loss. The chest-bursting scene was kept secret from the actors to capture genuine reactions, resulting in visible horror, especially from Veronica Cartwright.
Test audiences reacted strongly to the chest-bursting, face-hugger, and Ash decapitation scenes, with viewers fleeing, vomiting, and one even breaking an arm while trying to escape the cinema.
These monster movie facts showcase the creativity, challenges, and surprising stories behind some of cinema’s most iconic creatures. From low-budget surprises to unexpected inspirations, these films continue to captivate and terrify audiences.
What’s your favorite monster movie fact? Leave your comment below!
