Summary

• Classic monster reveals in horror movies like Frankenstein and King Kong defined the genre and had a lasting impact.
• The Babadook and The Descent had shocking monster reveals that left viewers on the edge of their seats.
• The Chestburster scene in Alien remains one of the most frightening and memorable monster reveals in horror cinema.

Horror movies have featured some of the best monster reveals ever committed to the big screen. From slow-building tension to all-at-once jump scares, a well-done monster reveal had the potential to remain in audiences' minds decades after the films were originally released and stand the test of time as a classic of its genre. From giant over-the-top beasts and creatures to more grounded, psychologically complex villains, the best monster reveals in horror all have something in common: they get under viewers’ skin and make their skin crawl with abject fear.

There were some classic monster reveals, such as in early horror movies like Frankenstein and King Kong, that helped define their genre and maintain a lasting impact on almost every subsequent horror movie that would follow it. Others, such as George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead revolutionized horror filmmaking and ushered in a whole new era for scary movies. There were also more recent horror movies that just kept viewers on the edge of their seats and left them gasping once the monster had finally been revealed.

10 The First Ghoul In Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

Directed by George A. Romero

It’s hard to envision just how revolutionary George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was when it was first released in 1968. As one of the most influential movies ever produced, it acted as a watershed moment in the history of horror. The first zombie revealed in Night of the Living Dead, known as a “ghoul” in the film, was a tense moment in a graveyard as the first ghoul slowly shuffled toward their victim, Barbara. This effective opening scene hinted at the spooky potential of these undead creatures who continued to plague humanity throughout the Living Dead series.

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9 Frankenstein’s Monster in Frankenstein (1931)

Directed by James Whale

The 1931 science fiction film Frankenstein was an important moment in the history of monster movies that set the tone for so many atmospheric horror movies that came later. The moment that the crazed Dr. Henry Frankenstein’s monster was revealed and brought to life on a levitating operating table was propelled by lightning sound effects, a slow creepily rising hand, and the famous quote “It’s alive!” Then, Boris Karloff’s grotesque figure and iconic makeup were revealed in one of the defining moments in horror cinema.

Though most people think of Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster, Universal actually used lesser-known actor Glenn Strange's likeness in their merchandising for many years.

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8 The Babadook (2014)

Directed by Jennifer Kent

The psychological horror The Babadook was one of the scariest films in recent times that was made even better through The Babadook's clever use of metaphor and symbolism representing themes of death and grief. The reveal of the all-black, shape-shifting boogie-man-like monster the Babadook was the stuff of nightmares as its iconic black hat and coat, along with claw-like hands and pale frightening face made its reveal a shocking moment. The Babadook explored themes of anger, denial, and fear, through a monster movie with a brooding and building reveal.

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7 The Crawlers In The Descent (2005)

Directed by Neil Marshall

The bloodthirsty underground creatures in The Descent were called Crawlers, and their reveal on a night vision camera captured the claustrophobic and tense atmosphere of the film incredibly well. A jump scare that came without warning, the reveal of the Crawlers helped cement the British movie The Descent as one of the best horrors of the 2000s. While the series did receive a sequel called The Descent 2, this failed to capture the initial shock of seeing the creatures on screen and their first terror-inducing reveal.

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6 Godzilla (1954)

Directed by Ishirō Honda

It was easy to underestimate just how important the 1954 movie Godzilla was to the history of cinema. Godzilla helped popular the Kaiju monster genre, and the first on-screen reveal of the ancient sea creature dubbed “The King of Monsters” was a moment for the history books. Godzilla first appeared as reporters in the film rushed to a mountain to find out what had been causing so much commotion, only to be greeted by Godzilla's brooding head right at them. Godzilla’s unique distortion of scale and real-life props only served to make this reveal even more impressive.

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5 The Insectoid-Human Brundlefly In The Fly (1986)

Directed by David Cronenberg

While the gruesome transformation of Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg’s horror classic The Fly happens gradually, the shocking reveal of what he eventually became comes all at once. The image of Brundle as a complete human-insect hybrid was a terrifying monster reveal that highlighted the darkest consequences of scientific experimentation. Nicknamed the “Brundlefly”, the hideously deformed final form of Brundle was one of Cronenberg’s most famous examples of his signature body horror aesthetic.

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4 King Kong (1933)

Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack

The adventure horror King Kong was a 1930s classic that kickstarted its own long-running franchise. The reveal of the giant gorilla-like creature, dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” happens as a group explores Skull Island where they first encounter living dinosaurs before coming face-to-face with an enormous beast named Kong. While the special effects of King Kong may look dated today, at the time it was a groundbreaking use of stop-motion animation mixed with miniatures, decades before this type of filmmaking became widespread. For this innovative reason alone, King Kong stands as one of the best monsters reveals ever.

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3 Predator (1987)

Directed by John McTiernan

The tension in The Predator was at unmatched heights as Dutch Schaefer’s comrades were taken out one by one by a seemingly invisible foe. This all built up to the deadly alien’s first reveal as it took off its mast and showcased its terrifying true form. It was an important moment for the franchise that was made possible due to the incredible use of visual effects by artist Stan Winston. The creepy bug-like appearance of the creature was made even more horrifying in its first close-up appearance, which showcased just what Dutch was dealing with.

The Predator and Alien franchise had two crossover films: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).

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2 Bruce The Shark in Jaws (1975)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Reportedly the shark in Jaws, dubbed Bruce by the crew, was originally supposed to appear in the movie a lot more than it did but its role was reduced because animatronics for the Jaws shark kept malfunctioning. This was a blessing in disguisem as the slow build-up to Bruce’s reveal helped maintain the summer blockbusters’ tension and led to one of the greatest monster reveals cinema has ever seen. The fact that Bruce was mostly an unseen presence in Jaws only added to the sense of dread and made it more impactful when he did appear.

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1 The Chestburster Xenomorph in Alien (1979)

Directed by Ridley Scott

While the Alien franchise had had plenty of incredible reveals, nothing can compare to the shock of the memorable Chestburster scene in the original Alien. The infant version of the terrifying creature shot out of Kane’s stomach to the shock of the Nostromo crew and the audience alike, and its appearance stands as one of the most frightening moments in the entire horror movie genre. The idea of an alien creature burying inside the body of its victim before spectacularly shooting out of their chest is almost too much to take.

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