If there’s one thing everybody knows about giant monster movies, it’s that Godzilla and King Kong are the go-to big guys when it comes to rampaging creature features. The King of Monsters and the King of the Apes have been resurrected and reimagined countless times over the decades, and they show no sign of slowing down, but the giant monster genre has a whole lot more to offer than the endless cycle of sequels, reboots, and remakes for our King monsters (although those movies have a heck of a lot to offer on their own!) Across decades, filmmakers from all over the world have returned to the monster movie to explore society’s ills, dream up spectacular set-pieces, and deliver some of the most entertaining, spectacle-driven films in cinema history.
The giant monster genre is one of the oldest, proudest, and internationally popular subgenres, so this is in no way meant to be a comprehensive best-of list. To the contrary, it’s an opportunity to hone in on some of my personal favorites and recommendations for those looking to expand their monstrous horizons beyond the big guys. Along those lines, I stuck to a rule of staying away from monsters who made their debut as a villain in aGodzillamovie – that means no Mothra, King Ghidorah, and so on – the only overlap is Rodan, who eventually went on to appear in a Godzilla film, but debuted first as his own headliner.
So without further ado, here are some great giant monster movies that aren’t Godzilla or King Kong. Be sure to sound off in the comments with your favorites.
Space Amoeba
Ok, I confess, I’m stretching the parameters of the word “great” here, but I just have a soft-spot for this whacky 1970 monster movie.Space Amoebaoffers a fun, extra sci-fi spin on your standard monster story. This time, the monster’s aren’t a result of mankind’s ills or a ferocious force of nature, but the result of an invading alien lifeforce that crash-lands on a remote Pacific island and transforms the local wildlife into raging giant beasts.
Directed by the greatIshirô Honda,Space Amoebahas plenty of entertaining action, and the island locale makes for a nice change of pace from the urban cityscapes we see so often in monster movies, but the real thrill is the monsters themselves – enlarged sea creatures infected by the space agent, including a giant cuttlefish and crab. Made after the death of special effects supervisorEiji Tsuburaya,Space Amoebadoesn’t quite have the creature craftsmanship of Honda’s previous films, butTeisho Arikawa’s designs give the film a campier, giddier quality. Googly eyes, visible tentacle wires and all, the monstrous creations ofSpace Amoebaare a kitschy delight, matched by a playful synth score and goofy space creature named Yog to create one of the sillier monster B-movies out there.
Pacific Rim
Nobody loves monsters likeGuillermo del Toro. The filmmaker has spent his career dedicated to giving them life on screen, from his Award-winning dramasPan’s LabyrinthandThe Shape of Waterto big-budget actionersBlade IIandHellboy. With 2015’sPacific Rim, del Toro finally honed in on his love of Kaiju cinema and delivered some of the most downright stunning giant monster action in movie history. The film starsCharlie Hunnam,Rinko Kikuchi, andIdris Elbaas Jaeger pilots who operate giant mechanical robots to battle the giant creatures crossing through a mysterious ocean rift and wreaking havoc on our world. Every time a new Kaiju comes through the rift, a stunning set-piece follows.
Working with his head creature designer Wayne Barlow and VFX supervision John Knoll, del Toro stepped away from the sensitive and intelligent monsters he’s known for and leaned into brutal, animalistic beasts. They’re stunning, and whilePacific Rimcertainly doesn’t boast the best script of del Toro’s career, the spectacle and splendor of his love letter to Kaiju cinema are beyond reproach.
Eugene Louriebookended his directorial career with two seminal monster movies. When the first,The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, broke his daughters heart (the monster dies, after all), Lourie got the idea for his happily ever after monster movieGorgo, a distinctly British affair that sees a 200-foot momma bear monster trample through London after her baby is captured and put on display in a carnival. That puts the sympathetic angle with Gorgo and Mother Gorgo throughout, even as the British Military unleashes a full force to stop her towering prehistoric rage from reaching the shores. When she does arrive, chaos erupts in the streets of London as she demolishes Big Ben, the London Bridge and countless brownstones on the search for her offspring – a refreshing geographical change from the streets of Tokyo and Manhattan.
Running a trim 78 minutes,Gorgois a tightly-paced movie thatmoves, never wasting too much time on tiresome human drama. Instead, Lourie keeps the script simple and focuses on the monster action, and boy is there a lot of it. It all looks fantastic, employing impressive miniatures and stunning monster suits, even if the Gorgo design meant the monsters could never turn their heads. Well-shot and featuring more than a few stiff upper lips, Gorgo’s distinct Britishness gives it a unique flavor in the giant monster genre, and its iconically adorable happy ending for the big beasts is a delightful touch as well.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
FilmmakerEugene Louriespent the early years of his career as an accomplished production designer, before making his directorial debut on the iconic monster movieThe Beast from 20,000 Fathomand boy are we all lucky that he decided to change careers. An essential monster movie, the film introduced the career of the legendary stop-motion effects maestroRay Harryhausen, who created a stunning, fearsome prehistoric beast with outstanding artistry, staging one breathtaking miniature and animated action sequence after the next.
BeforeThem!, beforeGodzilla,The Beast from 20,000 Fathomsset the nuclear template for its era. The monster is awakened through the imposition of nuclear technology in a fantastically paced opening sequence that counts down the seconds until doom comes a’calling. In this case, it’s an atomic bomb test in the Arctic Circle, which awakens a giant Rhedosaurus encased beneath the ice for more than a hundred million years. Once it’s up, the dino unleashes a deadly rampage along the coast, leading to a grand showdown at the Coney Island amusement park that still stands as a staggering example of Harryhausen’s talents.
Q: The Winged Serpent
Q: The Winged Serpentis a curio of the monster genre; one of the all-too-rare intentionally funny creature features, shlocky through-and-through with that layer of low-budgetLarry Cohengriminess that cements it as a cult classic.Q also has a refreshingly offbeat set-up — it’s not sci-fi, it’s dark occult fantasy, which sees the feathered Aztec serpent god Quetzalcoatl swoop down on the city of Manhattan, where his worshippers are doling out ritual murder left and right. The bodies left behind by those sacrifices attract the attention of a pair of NYPD detectives, played byDavid CarradineandRichard Roundtree,who wind up in the nest of the beast, determined to take it down.
Working with a shoestring budget, and put together on the fly (in just two days, according to Cohen), the film employed cost-efficient stop-motion animation from ace teamRandall William CookandDavid Allento bring the creature to life. And while the effects are obvious restrained by the budget,Qalso employs clever tricks to keep the monster out of sight (it hunts in blinding sunlight to prevent being seen) and delivers some of the most compelling, entertaining human drama you’ll find in any creature feature. Cohen sets the picture in the heart of seedy NYC, givingQa unique texture where junkies and criminals take center stage alongside the heroes in the hopes of surviving the monster assault. Sharp, cynical, and one of a kind,Qis a must-see for any fan of the monster B-movie genre.
The second headlining monster in the Toho lineup afterGodzilla,Rodansaw the return ofGodzilladirectorIshirō Honda, legendary effects artistEiji Tsuburaya, and monster performerHaruo Nakajima, who created yet another iconic creature with the winged Pteranodon beast awakened by nuclear technology. Capable of flying at extraordinary speeds, Rodan emits destructive sonic booms from his wings when he flies and is actually of the two of his breed we see in the film. The film starts as something of a murder mystery in a small mining town, where suspicions run wild after miners start mysteriously turning up dead, then it leans into creepy-crawly territory with a series of scenes centered around the giant Meganulon bugs, before finally going full-on giant monster movie once Rodan emerges from his volcanic nest and soars around the world doling out destruction.
Rodanshares a lot of DNA withGodzilla and at times feels overly familiar, but it’s a clever monster movie that unfolds through various genres before settling intoGodzilla’s destructo territory. It also shares the seriousness of the era, though it’s not as thematically cohesive as its predecessor, and the ending is one of the more soulful, heartfelt moments in giant monster cinema. An essential for monster movie buffs, and an early example of colorized Japanese cinema for the history buffs,Rodanis a crucial film in the development of Toho and the monster movie flood that followed in the King of Monsters' wake.
Before he went on to direct the big-budgetGodzillaremake,Gareth Edwardsproved himself a master of set-pieces and an impressive craftsman of limited resources with his original indie monster movie,Monsters. Written and directed by Edwards,Monstersis a fine example of “use what you have” filmmaking, shot guerrilla style on location with loosely scripted scenes, and enhanced in post by Edwards himself, who did all the special effects at home on his laptop.
Set in a near future,MonstersstarsScoot McNairyas an American photojournalist tasked with escorting a frighting American traveler (Whitney Able) back across the border after a NASA deep-space probe crash lands in Mexico with deadly extraterrestrial monsters attached. With only a few days to make it through the “infected zone” before travel is blocked, they have to make their way back home through the dangerous terrain, with terrifying stories and tentacled aliens waiting at every stop on the route.Monstersis one of the most character-driven movies on the list, carried largely by engrossing conversations and the fear of an unseen predator until the key moment reveal a monster design that dares to be different and beautiful, but consistently unnerving. Heartfelt and damn impressive as a technical accomplishment,Monstersoffers a grim but satisfying approach to the monster movie and announced Edwards as a resourceful filmmaker with one of the sharpest eyes for set-pieces in the business.
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe
TheGamerafranchise was famously launched in 1965 as a rival to the popularity of theGodzillafilms, and while there are plenty of great (and not so great) installments in the original series, it’s the 1995 rebootGamera: Guardian of the Universethat has my heart. This time around, the jet-powered behemoth turtle emerges from his slumber to protect the people from the ravaging bird-like creatures known as Gyaos. Before long, the monsters are tangled up in a series of soaring battles that travel to the stratosphere and back again. It’s excellent monster movie action, pure popcorn pulp guaranteed to entertain.
Directed byShusuke Kaneko, who also helmed a number of Godzilla films, including the spectacularGodzilla, Mothra & King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack,Guardian of the Universeis a crowd-pleasing revival of the beloved character, packed with great monster effects that serves as an update while feeling right at home in the tradition of classic Kaiju films.
Cloverfield
For my money,Cloverfieldis one of the most effective post-9/11 films ever made, and in a marvel of moviemaking magic, it’s not depressing or devastating, it’s one of the most entertaining giant monster movies. Full stop. After one seriously impressive marketing campaign, producerJ.J. Abramsand directorMatt Reevesopened what may be Bad Robot’s most satisfying mystery box yet with Cloverfield, the found-footage monster movie that transcended the much-maligned cheap thrills of the handheld horror genre and provided a Vérité front-row seat to a full-on Kaiju assault.
The film stars an ensemble of young actors, includingLizzie Caplan,Isabelle Lucas, andOdette Annable, as a group of friends in the midst of a going away party when an alien creature crawls out of the ocean and unleashes havoc on Manhattan. BecauseCloverfieldis so rooted in the visual vocabulary of the 9/11 terrorist attack, it’s an emotionally stirring, anxiety-inducing and occasionally outright scary experience that tramples the modern monster movie competition for pure visceral thrills. Bolstered by big-budget effects, a killer script fromDrew Goddard, and a tight 85-minute runtime,Cloverfieldis a thrilling experience on the frontlines of a monster attack that translates a recent American trauma through the genre filter with supremely entertaining and engaging results.
Joon-ho Bongdelivers a wild, singular monster movie for the ages withThe Host, a relentlessly bizarre but clever and emotionally-driven creature feature that blends satire, melodrama, action, and horror without falling down a tonal rabbit hole. In the film, a slippery and strange back-flipping creature emerges from the Han River to terrorize Seoul, South Korea, snatching up a young schoolgirl, Hyun-seo (Ah-sung Ko) while he tramples his way through the city. Devastated by the loss of Hyun-seo, her close-knit family — led by the patriarch Park Hie-bong (Hee-bong Byun), sets out to recover the missing girl while the city around the falls to terror and panic.
Bong plays tonal gymnastics with his creature feature, indulging in moments of slapstick before rotating on a dime into horror or pathos as the family comes up against obstacle after obstacle in their pursuit to save Hyun-seo. It shouldn’t work, but it does, just as the monster’s strange, amphibian taxonomy is somehow silly and scary at the same time — a toothy tadpole with slimy green flesh and a super-strong tail.The Hostis a moving family drama, a hilarious social satire, and occasionally, a genuinely scary and moving monster pic that defies expectations you don’t even know you have, creating an individual take on the giant monster movie.
