Elden Ring has a long list of monsters, from giant bears to ulcerated tree spirits. The Lands Between is host to all kinds of hostile creatures, be they animal, human, or undead. However, what fans tend to remember most are the monsters that are disturbing, and there are plenty of those.
The disturbing monsters of Elden Ring are found everywhere, not just in the dark and gloomy places. While many are disturbing based on design, from visual aspects to the sounds they make, there's also the heavy lore behind some of them. Many are commonly found, while others have the distinction of a boss health bar.
Wormface and Fingercreepers
Wormface is a boss that can be found near a Minor Erdtree in the Altus Plateau. It is humanoid and cloaked, and its disturbing trait is its namesake: Its head is made of worms. It is not the only one of its kind, there are lesser wormfaces that can be found both in the Altus Plateau and the Crumbling Farum Azula. Lore about them is still unknown.
Finger creepers are very common enemies in the Lands Between, found at Caria Manor, Mt. Glemir, the sewers of the Leyndell Royal Capital, the Mountaintops of the Giants, and around Liurnia of the Lakes. They are disturbing not only because they are disembodied hands, but they are malformed and move as though they are spiders. They also hunt prey by jumping down from above or by luring someone into their palm while under the dirt.
Burial Watchdogs and Grafted Scion
Burial Watchdogs are found in many of the catacombs around the Lands Between, and they possess faces that look like something out of a nightmare with sunken eyes, bat ears, and crooked teeth. The way they move is no comfort either, with their attacks being fast and jerky while they can either float or walk on two legs. Many fans have called it one of the creepiest bosses of the game.
The tutorial boss is also one of the most disturbing creatures, as it is a pure product of body horror. It is like Godrick the Grafted but creepier due to its spider-like way of walking. A game modder and dataminer, Zullie the Witch, even removed the cloak to see what was underneath to find that the Grafted Scion has grafted ribcages on top of its arm collection.
The Godskins and Rennala's Students
There are different kinds of Godskins, from nobles to apostles, but they all have the same disturbing thing in common: wearing clothes made of human skin. If examined, it's easy to see their cloaks still have full faces. They are disturbing much like the Grafted Scion, except with distorted skin instead of limbs. According to lore, these enemies were once let by the Gloam-eyed Queen to kill gods before she was defeated by Maliketh.
Rennala's students, on the other hand, do not have skin cloaks or extra limbs, but their behavior is often considered the most disturbing. Their introduction is very memorable, with them all holding candles, smiling, giggling, singing, and crawling around on the library floor. They are quite easy to kill, but that does not make them any less creepy.
Giant Dogs and Iron Virgins
The giant dogs have been nicknamed "T-Rex dogs" by players due to their odd body shape. Their forelegs are very small, while their back legs are enormous. They can be found all over Caelid as well as the Mountaintops of the giants and Dragonbarrow. While their design is creepy, they are also fast and powerful enemies that are comparable to the Caelid Crows and Runebears.
Iron Virgins are monstrous death machines that can be found in Caelid, Volcano Manor, Caria Manor, Mt. Gelmir, and Raya Lucaria Academy. According to the lore, they were originally made at Volcano Manor in the likeness of Tanith. Their designs are not the most disturbing thing about them, it is their grab attack. If they manage to grab a victim and pull them into their built-in cage, the victim is usually killed by spikes like an Iron Maiden torture device.
Royal Revenants and Rykard
Royal Revenants can be found at the Kingsrealm Ruins and Liurnia of the Lakes. They are quite similar to the Grafted Scion, as they have a collection of human limbs but now are even more spider-like. Their faces are terrifying, like they are paralyzed mid-scream, and their attacks are also fast and aggressive.
Rykard is a nightmare for anyone with a fear of snakes. Portraits around Volcano Manor are all that's left of his human appearance. He sacrificed himself to become one with the God-Devouring Serpent. The serpent now has Rykard's face below its neck, and he seems to not even notice the player until after they beat up the serpent - as though he is in a deep sleep while the serpent is in control. He also keeps a sword covered in worm-like veins inside the serpent.
Giant Crows and The People Of Windmill Village
The Giant Crows are much like Giant Dogs, also found in Caelid. They can also be found at the Mountaintops of the Giants and Mohgqyn Palace. They are deformed like the dogs as well, with an oversized beak that has rows of sharp teeth like a shark and undersized wings. They are powerful and clever enemies, and even sometimes feign a stagger to lure players in for a grab attack.
Then there are the women of Windmill Village. Fans are still piecing together what their story is, but even without that they are incredibly creepy. These blood-soaked elder women are dancing and appear to be having a party. A ghost nearby cowers and begs them to not take his skin. They are not always hostile, but when they are they become demonic with glowing red eyes.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
