Daphne’s Den of Darkness: 15 Beastly Movies for Your Animal Horror Fix

I love monsters (I know, I say that every time). While there are an endless number of man-made, supernatural, and space-dwelling varieties to choose from, nature has supplied plenty of her own. Whether you’re looking for something that crawls, swims, slithers, or climbs, I’ve got the movies for you.

Apes

When it comes to the original movie mega monster, you can’t argue with the King. 1933 brought us King Kong and the start of the longest dynasty in monster movie history. King Kong has the impressive distinction of having few imitators. Unlike other massive monsters (and we’ll get to those in a minute), King Kong was given a distinctive personality that made it difficult for generic remakes to get a foothold. There have been King Kong movies made every decade since the original.

• King Kong (1933)
• Kong: Skull Island (2017)
• Rampage (2018) – If you’re looking for something off-brand, this video game adventure movie has monster fights galore

Sharks

Considering we live in a world that has given us multiple Sharknado films, it’s hard to believe that sharks weren’t always popular horror fodder. Until 1975, sharks didn’t get much play time on the screen (outside of pirate films). Now, of course, there’s no shortage of the toothy monsters.

• Jaws (1975) – If you haven’t seen this classic, now’s the time
• 47 Meters Down (2017)
• The Meg (2018)

Spiders

By far the smallest creature on this list, spiders are still a top phobia the world over. Horror snakes come in two varieties: overgrown monstrosities or a pack of a million tiny crawlies. Pick your poison, but I’d rather stay away.

• Tarantula! (1955)
• Arachnophobia (1990)
• Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

Snakes

Why did it take so long for snakes to make their way into the horror lexicon? For so long, they stayed a tool of cults and villains rather than the central antagonist. Regardless, once they slithered into the genre, snakes made themselves at home as B-Movie stars.

• Sssssss (1973)
• Anaconda (1997) – Ice Cube and JLo kicking ass in the Amazon? Yes please!
• Snakes on a Plane (2006)

Crocodiles

When it comes to giant lizards, nature has more than enough to offer. Mix ancient biology with massive teeth and murky water and you have a horror dream.

• Alligator (1980)
• Lake Placid (1999) – Betty White is the single best part of this 90’s classic
• Crawl (2019)

Is there a great animal horror film that I’ve missed? Drop your favorites in the comments.