Horror filmmakers and fans alike know that creepy monsters can make or break a horror film. If even the visual effects (costumes, makeup, graphics, etc.) that create the monsters come off as corny or comical, it can take the viewer out of the experience entirely and ruin the tone of the film.
That’s why even if a storyline is bone-chilling, or the concept of a character or creature is disturbing, if the visual representations of those things aren’t properly approached, they won’t achieve their intended effect. True horror genre fans are sure to have seen their share of scary movies that were ruined because the monster looked goofy.
The likelihood of coming across a horror film that was ruined by corny visuals is actually quite common. In a genre that already has a very particular structure to ensure success, details like costumes and CGI hold more weight in the story than may be the case in other genres. Part of what makes horror unique is that the experience it offers has to be immersive enough for the viewer to feel present in the story, so that they will actually be frightened by it. Sounds and visuals are the two main components of creating that experience.
That all said, fantastic graphics or makeup creating a truly terrifying creature isn’t usually enough to completely save a bad horror film either. In other words, there are plenty of horror movies that have genuinely nightmarish monsters but the disappointing storyline falls flat, or the characters aren’t believable and it offers the viewers nothing more than a creepy creature to linger in their minds until they forget about the film.
Just as the effort that goes into creating a monster (making it feel realistic, making it look unique but dangerous, making it fit the setting) is vitally important to a horror film, it is also extremely important that the storyline that the creature exists in support the monsters backstory and contribute to its creepiness. Without all of these creative elements working together, there becomes clear contrast in the story, which takes the audience out of the experience. While many horror fans can list multiple films with bad creatures but good storylines, it’s less common to observe good monsters that simply existed in bad movies. T
Underwater (2020)
This movie has a very interesting concept and features an impressive performance by Kristen Stewart but the cinematography and fluidity of the film make it a less-than-impressive viewing experience. It relies heavily on constant action and jump scares, making it more of a “cheap scare” horror flick, despite having the potential to be more. One particularly frightening detail in the film that could have been explored better is the deep-sea creatures that create a threat to the characters. The creatures themselves are eerie water-breathing, alien-like creatures that illustrate how otherworldly the ocean really is. They could have made an entire horror film storyline of their own that was both unique and haunting.
3-Headed Shark Attack (2015)
Some credit Sharknado for inspiring this film, as it also plays into the unorthodox shark subgenre of horror. Despite the bad CGI, it is actually a very interesting and unique horror concept. Though it appeals to the same fan base as Sharknado, a mutated shark with three heads is far more believable than a sharknado, and with all the pollution in our ocean, mutated sea creatures seem even more likely. That said, this is actually a very appropriate monster for the times and, if written better and designed better, it probably could have found more success. Nonetheless, the film didn’t take advantage of what it had and the action and characters came off as nothing short of corny.
Jason X (2001)
Fans of the Friday the 13th franchise know that the films are often hit or miss, and this film is considered its biggest miss. Jason is a classic horror film character and in every storyline is more than your average human serial killer, but in this film, he somehow becomes a futuristic space villain too. While the idea of having a villain that’s so bad and impenetrable that he must be sent to space is clever, the movie fell short tonally and tried to layer in too much. Space horror flicks were becoming popular when this film was conceived, which is likely part of how it came to be. It’s clear that the horror budget did not translate well to sci-fi for this film, making it all just appear corny, and it experienced several delays and roadblocks as a result of the makers’ creative differences, which inevitably only further strained its potential for success.
Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon (2008)
No one can argue that the tales of some monsters are so classic and creepy that they remain relevant across generations, and yetis are among some of these creatures. While the concept of a giant, raging snow beast hunting people in the mountains seems like the prime set-up for a horror film, this particular film couldn’t achieve anything creepy. Every element of this film is corny to the point that it’s comical. In the film, a team of football players crash in the Himalayas and have to survive as they’re hunted by a yeti, so the monster and the setting are meant for a horror film but the characters seem to contrast their surroundings too much, making it obvious that they should have no chance in this scenario. If a few details of the story were tweaked to make it more believable, this perspective of the yeti could make for a fantastic horror movie monster.
The Predator (2018)
While the most recent Predator franchise film, Prey, was received well by viewers, this is another franchise full of hits and misses. Of course, any of the films in this franchise could be used to examine Predator as a horror/sci-fi/action film monster, this particular movie is intended to solely examine Predator’s character, and thus, it seems the most appropriate. What makes the Predator beings such fascinating monsters is that they are intently set against humanity, and they are clearly intended to represent predators that are superior over humanity, since humans seem to pride themselves on being at the top of the food chain. Unfortunately, this movie couldn’t seem to decide what it wanted to be tonally–, perhaps due to the heavy genre-blending– and made the story feel bumpy and unorganized. On the flip side, the franchise seems to have learned something, as Prey did more justice to the creature’s origin story and symbolism in relation to humanity.