Top 5 Giant Movie Monsters

5. Unknown
Cloverfield, 2008

One of the things that make this monster truly terrifying is that we never find out what it is, where it came from or why it has suddenly decided to wage war on humanity. Cloverfield applied a brand new first-person perspective to the monster movie genre. As the film progresses we see and hear blatant evidence of massive destruction, yet we only see glimpses of the elusive monster. Throughout the film, the monster shows great resilience to modern weaponry. It even manages to survive attacks from stealth bombers and RPG fire. If that doesn’t make it dangerous enough, the creature also harbors parasites that live on its skin and drop off to viciously attack anything they see. Did I mention that anyone who gets bitten by one of parasites ends up exploding?
Interesting Fact: Three images are hidden in Cloverfield that appear for only a fraction of a second. They are screenshots from monster movies such as King Kong, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and Them!.
4. Gamera
Gamera the Invincible, 1965


Gamera is a tremendously popular Japanese “Kaiju” who has defended the planet in 12 different movies, beginning in 1965. The friendly beast works to protect planet Earth from other ridiculously creative Japanese monsters that threaten to destroy humanity. Gamera is effectively a giant turtle with tusks that has all kinds of crazy abilities. Perhaps the most bizarre example is when he withdraws his legs into his shell and replaces them with rockets that allow him to fly. He can shoot fireballs and ice beams from his mouth and his shell is said to be indestructible. In some movies he is also shown to perform acrobatic feats such as swinging from a pole and delivering attacks that resemble moves taught in martial arts. Gamera’s favorite thing in the world is fire, that he eats on a regular basis to recharge his rockets. Overall if you love seeing a man in a rubber suit, swinging a giant squid around his head by the tentacle, Gamera is the monster for you.
Interesting Fact: In the western world Gamera is relatively unknown, though in Japan he is said to be equally as popular as Godzilla.
3. The Kraken
Clash of the Titans, 1981

The Kraken was the last work of famous stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen (also notable for The Rhedosaurus in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms). According to the plot of Clash of the Titans, the Kraken was the most powerful Titan, created by Hades to destroy all other Titans and allow the Olympians to rule over humanity. It differs significantly in appearance from the traditional “giant squid” Kraken we have seen in Pirates of the Caribbean and other films. For one thing, this Kraken is humanoid and has a pronounced fish-like head. It has four arms, green scaly skin and a constantly pissed-off look on its face. Sadly we don’t see much clashing of Titans in either the original movie or the recent remake, and the Kraken is dead seconds after its release. Even so, the events leading up to the Kraken’s release make its eventual appearance thrilling and worthwhile. Despite the remade version of Clash of the Titans showing an extremely well animated version of the Kraken, the old version is a timeless masterpiece and the jewel in Harryhausen’s stop-motion crown.
Interesting Fact: The Kraken is described as being a Titan in Clash of the Titans; however the Kraken never appeared at all in original Greek Mythology and actually originated in Norse Mythology.
2. King Kong
King Kong, 1933

Since the ground-breaking 1933 movie, King Kong has become more than just a giant monster. Kong is perhaps one of the most famous movie icons of American cinema. He is described as the last of a breed of prehistoric ape that evolved in the isolation of Skull Island. Despite being incredibly large, there is nothing abnormal about King Kong and he displays the basic characteristics of an ape. Kong’s main assets are his acrobatic skills, which he utilizes during the famous scene when he climbs up the Empire State Building. Kong also possesses immense strength, which he demonstrates when breaking the chains that hold him whilst captive in America. The inspiration behind King Kong and Skull Island came from the discovery of Komodo Island and the giant lizard, the Komodo dragon. The first Kong was an 18-inch model, animated using stop-motion techniques. Andy Serkis acted the part of King Kong in Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake. This was done using motion capture technology in exactly the same way Serkis portrayed Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Interesting Fact: The original King Kong model sold in 2009 at auction for over $200,000. It was covered in rabbit’s fur for the 1933 film, though this cover has since decomposed, leaving only a metal frame. You can view the model here.
1. Godzilla
Godzilla, 1954

The greatest and most influential movie monster in history is without a doubt, the king of monsters: Godzilla (Japanese: Gojira). Godzilla did not only kick-start the Japanese giant monster “Kaiju” craze, but became a pop culture icon, inspiring dozens of sequels to the original 1954 version, including a big-budget (albeit terrible) American remake in 1998. Godzilla was conceived as a mutated product of nuclear detonations, and as a metaphor for nuclear warfare in general. The famous scene of the devastation of Tokyo in the 1954 film when Godzilla rampages through the city destroying everything in its path, is commonly cited as an indirect portrayal of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Physically, Godzilla is over 400ft tall (according to Godzilla: King of the Monsters) and resembles a dinosaur-like creature with gigantic spines on its back. Godzilla is widely accepted as the most powerful Kaiju, with numerous unique abilities and powers. His signature weapon is his distinctive atomic breath. Godzilla’s dorsal spines glow ominously, and then he lets loose with a concentrated blast of radiation from his mouth. This power is often mistakenly confused as fire breathing.
Interesting fact: The Japanese name for Godzilla (Gojira) is a cross between the Japanese words for a Gorilla and Whale, despite Godzilla resembling neither of these animals.
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