Audiences have seen an incredible change in special effects in the past few decades. Since the '90s alone, CGI has changed a lot, from the full effects to the pixels they can manipulate. Filmmakers have more access to better effects, so long as they know how to utilize them. From practical effects to CGI, movies have specific styles they use in order to bring fictional creatures to life. It takes a strong visionary to be able to tell which effect to use, when, and how to make them coherently tell a story. This is a list ranking the films that used the effects to create the best creature designs.
7 The Descent (2005)
The 2005 film The Descent gave audiences a life-long fear of primal humanoids. The film follows a group of adventure-loving friends as they go on a cave-diving trip into an unknown cave system. Once down in the dark tunnels, they discover they are not alone. Bloodthirsty cave crawlers begin to hunt them, as the friends try to find a way out of the tunnels.
The crawlers had a very simple design, based off what a humanoid would do if it had evolved inside a cave. It was executed with precision. The pointed ears for hunting in the dark, and sharp, pointed teeth for offensive attacks. It was a good design that held true to less-is more. Couple this design with the claustrophobic and dark atmosphere, and the film was terrifying.
6 Predator (1987)
A horror classic from 1987, Predator is a film following a mercenary team, led by Arnold Schwarzenegger's Butch, as they traverse the jungles of Guatemala to rescue a group of politicians. Once they are in Central America, they find a trail of bodies leading them to an interstellar hunter, who lands his sights on the team next.
Predator was an intense hunter-vs-prey story that turned the tables on humanity. This character was such a fan-favorite, that the Alien vs Predator films were made just to answer the question of who would win. The design was not only for the weapons and armor. The alien himself had a lot of detail, like how is body is optimal for camouflage, and is built for powerful close-combat attacks. The four-prong jaws were intimidating, and it was a good scare when the helmet came off.
5 A Quiet Place (2017)
From 2017, A Quiet Place is a sci-fi horror flick that takes suspense to a new level. Lee, played by John Krasinski, and a pregnant Evelyn, played by Emily Blunt, must survive in complete silence in order to hide their children from monsters that hunt by using sound. Their struggle intensifies as time draws close for Evelyn to deliver her baby. The family must work together to prepare a way to fight back against the creatures to protect their family.
The blind creatures that hunt by sound have been shown before in other movies. However, A Quiet Place did an amazing job designing a believable alien, while leaving the audience in complete terror of any little noise. It was brilliant to make the head open to increase hearing during hunting, and shutting to keep their vulnerable spot protected. The realistic indestructibility was an impressive feat with the tough-armored skin. The design was taken a step further in the sequel; there the attention to detail was shifted into the monster's movement and agility.
4 Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott changed the sci-fi genre in 1979 with Alien. The story of the crew of the starship Nostromo, as they answer a distress call. Finding a nest of eggs, they awaken a creature that thrusts them into a battle for survival against a creature that wants to consume them all.
Spanning seven movies, two mash-up films, and a series in the works, Alien is an amazing franchise. In part, the Xenomorph's design is responsible for the success. The animalistic qualities, like crawling up walls, jumping, and incredible balance were all reasonably explained through the detail in the body. The creepy second mouth was perfect for a close-combat strike. They even went into enough detail to make the creature drool a slime that made the audience's skin crawl.
3 Lord of the Rings (2001)
The fantastic fantasy film The Lord of the Rings, from 2001, was an amazing adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic of the same name. The fate of the world is thrust into a young hobbit's hands when he is entrusted with a fabled ring. With the help of his friends, Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, must journey across the continent to destroy the ring and restore balance to the world.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a great large-scale fantasy that could have been poorly done with the CGI of its time. Instead, Peter Jackson knew that practical application of good creature designs would be the perfect way to bring Middle Earth to life. There were many types of fantastical beings that needed to be created, and all of them required attention to detail, as well as staying true to the source material. The Orcs were a great example of this. The pointed teeth, misshapen ears, and bright red eyes were all unsettling to see, and gave off an evil aura. The sickly grey and blue skin was perfected to fit the surrounding world, and contrasted with the warm colors of the good guys.
2 Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Guillermo del Toro has made many creatures come to life in his films. Pan's Labyrinth, from 2006, is a beautiful film that follows the story of young Ophelia, who moves with her mother to the home of a brutal dictator. Outside the estate, she learns of a mythological quest surrounded inside the world of Pan's Labyrinth.
Del Toro is known for his practical applications when it comes to creatures. From Mimic to Hellboy, all of his films contain wonderful designs and in-camera ways of bringing them to life. Pan's Labyrinth utilized some CGI, but the important Fauno and Pale Man were designed to be on-camera. This lent the film a feeling that mythical creatures belonged in the world. The intricate markings on Fauno, and the way they wove into the setting was an expert design that took a master's eye to create.
1 Monster Hunter (2020)
The 2020 film Monster Hunter follows Captain Artemis, played by Milla Jovovich, as she leads a team of soldiers as they are transported to a new world of giant monsters. In a battle for survival, the group teams up with a local hunter, who knows how to fight back against the creatures. They must learn to take down the monsters if they want to make it back to their world.
While the film did not make the expected dollar amount at the box office due to the pandemic shutdown, Monster Hunter was a very good video game aadaptation. The source material is incredibly detailed, as the games are centered around proper hunting techniques and monster anatomy. Both the Diablos and the Rathalos were almost spot-on accurate to the original designs. This film was also careful not to fall into a cheesy CGI rut like some adaptations. They really worked in the key details of the monsters, while keeping to a high standard of effects.
Each of these films created interesting creatures in their own way. Some were based off of source material like books or video games, while others were original designs focused on being scientifically accurate. They were all creative and gave audiences a good scare. They expertly blended into the worlds that the filmmakers created for us without making us question its believability.