Best in Show: Animals in Horror (Pt. I of II)

84 years ago, King Kong premiered. Since then, hundreds of movies have been released that focus on extreme animals and the destruction they cause. But, where King Kong was an exaggeration similar in style to the genetically modified animal-monsters that seep the SyFy channel, other films brought realism to the subgenre. Sure, situations may be exaggerated for movie effects, but the movies that made this list, made it because of the terrifying possibility that they could happen. Maybe they won't happen in such an insane way, or play out like a movie but the possibility of being attacked by a crocodile or a bunch of birds, sharks or some snakes isn't that out of the ordinary. So here's a list of scariest horror movie animals (without the crazy modifications):

(P.S. I have never seen Cujo, but I plan to and like others would probably alternate it into this list from the premise alone)



(imdb.com)

10. Giant Crocodile (Lake Placid)

By far the most engineered of this list's animals, the gigantic crocodile of Lake Placid is the stuff of nightmares. Sure, it's kind of a over-the-top and weary in some parts, but the very foundation of this movie was enough to scare my early-2000s heart. It's camp, it's low production value and sometimes mediocre acting hinder this movie, but ultimately the take away is able to overcome it. I am still afraid of murky water and this movie, along with another on this list, is to thank.



(imdb.com)

9. Flock of Birds (The Birds)

Production value. That is all I will say. Arguably, The Birds could have been number one on this list. The short story it's based on is terrifying and the movie has some moments of its own. But, what greatly tears away at this movie is stringed birds and questionable graphics. For all the hate remakes get, a very scary The Birds remake could be good, especially if it maintains the acting levels of the original film. I would also argue that like many zombie movies and television shows, this movie offers a lot of potential for story continuation and I'm shocked to not see more of it. I love the everyday-gone-wrong atmosphere of this movie and while merited, more updating could be done to make this movie even better than it's classic.



(imdb.com)

8. Sharks (Open Water)

Open Water is my slow-burning nightmare. Every single shot of this movie is so intensely planned and dictated to look real. Even the slowest moments of the film are painstakingly stressful as the couple stranded in the water attempt to save themselves. Open Water is minimal; a bubbling little film with a gigantic impact. The movie's final moments with the pair are heartbreakingly intimate and to me, the ocean never looked the same. Open Water is a cold, dark and unrelenting film and at its heart, sharks run rampant.

(imdb.com)

7. A Monkey (28 Days Later)

This isn't a horror movie about an animal? Tell that to my child heart that basically stopped when the monkey attacks in the research laboratory. Yeah, the moment was brief, but where other films with jump scares left me able to cope, my horror-avoiding childhood was shook to its core. When the monkey lunges, I literally got up and left the room. And, while I would argue there are far scarier things in this pair of films, the opening scene in the lab is the only one I continuously carry with me. That monkey is terrifying and deserves more credit for this movie's prominence (after all, without the monkey, 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later may have never happened).

(imdb.com)

6. Snakes (Snakes on a Plane)

Call this movie what you may, but Snakes on a Plane left me sleepless for about a week when a young me witnessed this exaggerated, sometimes dumb film about snakes let loose on an aircraft. On so many levels, this movie works into phobias. From fears of confined spaces to those of flying and snakes, no one will ever deter me from believing that this is actually one of the scariest modern horror films of all time. I know that Snakes on a Plane is ridiculous. I'm a fully functioning human being that sees the comedy in Samuel L. Jackson's performance, but the slithering serpents of this movie left me shell shocked well after it ended.