This June 20th marked the 39th anniversary of one of the most classic monster movies of all time. Based on an original novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws was a smash hit that briefly held the record of the world's highest-grossing film (Star Wars would claim the top spot just a few years later). With an Oscar-winning score, and one of the most famous film lines in Hollywood history ("You're gonna need a bigger boat"), this story of a great white shark terrorizing the tourists of Amity Island arguably invented the modern-day summer blockbuster.
But "Bruce" (the nickname given to the giant, animatronic shark used in shooting the film) was not the first great movie monster, and certainly not the last. Read on to see our top five picks of the film world's most famous -- and infamous -- movie monsters.
-- Request the film "Jaws" from the Catalog
-- Request the book "Jaws" from the Catalog
5. The Alien
Killer aliens have been a dime a dozen in Hollywood for decades, showing up in everything from The Avengers to Independence Day. But for the ultimate in alien monsters, the title character of director Ridley Scott's Alien series is surely in the top spot.
These monsters have a complex -- and completely horrifying -- growth cycle, implanting their eggs inside human hosts only to have their baby "chestbursters" live up to their names in gruesome and bloody film spectacle. Luckily, Sigourney Weaver's tough-as-nails Ellen Ripley is exactly the heroine needed to keep these Aliens, and their Queen, at bay.
Still, even with Ripley on the side of humanity, this is one movie monster you wouldn't want to meet!
-- Request "Alien" from the Catalog
-- Request "Aliens" from the Catalog
-- Request "Alien 3" from the Catalog
-- Request "Alien Resurrection" from the Catalog
4. Cujo
From artist Laz Marquez
He didn't start out a monster. Before being bitten by a rabid bat, Cujo was a sweet and good-natured St. Bernard, who wanted nothing more than to be a good dog and please his masters. Of course, it's precisely his gentle nature that makes Cujo's transformation from family friend to rabid beast so horrifying.
Both the film and the original Stephen King novel follow the story of Donna Trenton and her young son, Tad. Though Cujo is not the Trentons' dog, it is Donna and Tad who end up trapped in a stalled car, facing off against the now-monstrous Cujo. With no way out and no way to contact help, it becomes a race against time for Donna to get herself and her young son to safety. And if you think you know how the story ends, well ...
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-- Request the film from the Catalog
3. Gizmo
This cuddly little stuffed animal doesn't look deserving of a place on a list of classic monsters. But that's the thing about gremlins: if you want to keep them cute and cuddly, there's three very specific rules to follow. Don't get them wet, don't expose them to bright lights -- and, whatever you do, no matter how much they beg, never feed them after midnight.
But, of course, nobody wants a monster movie where everything goes according to plan. When young Billy Peltzer fails to follow the rules about his new pet, hilarity -- and horror -- promptly ensue. While it's a bit of family-friendly fare for older kids, this movie is notable for helping to bring about the classification of a new movie rating: PG-13.
-- Request "Gremlins" from the Catalog
2. King Kong
He's not completely monstrous -- maybe just a little misunderstood. Kong, a giant gorilla living a solitary life on a little-visited island, is captured by an ill-intentioned filmmaker who plans to bring Kong back to New York City and show him off as "the eighth wonder of the world."
This goes off about as well as can be expected, and the only thing which keeps Kong from bringing down the whole city is a squadron of fighter jets ... and Ann Darrow, the beautiful actress who Kong wants only to protect. The film ends with another line that lives on in movie history: "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes ... it was Beauty killed the Beast."
-- Request the classic film from the Catalog
-- Request the 1976 remake from the Catalog
-- Request the 2005 remake from the Catalog
1. Godzilla
With 28 films made by the Japanese production company Toho Studios (and several more American adaptations), Godzilla is arguably the most famous movie monster of all time. Originally appearing on the silver screen less than a decade after the World War II atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Godzilla himself served as a metaphor for the horrors of nuclear power. Awakened and fueled by nuclear energy, Godzilla had catastrophic effects on the cities he attacked.
At least, at first. As time went on, and Godzilla became embedded in the public consciousness, the character saw a shift -- changing from mindless monster to unlikely hero. These days, a Godzilla movie is more likely to show this dinosaur-like creature fighting off other monstrous "enemies" and saving the humans around him -- as can be seen in the new blockbuster film released this summer.
(And no, we don't speak of the 1998 Matthew Broderick film. We just don't.)
-- Request the original 1954 film from the Catalog
-- Request "Mothra vs. Godzilla" from the Catalog
-- Request "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" from the Catalog
-- Request "Godzilla: Final Wars" from the Catalog
-- Post by Ms. B
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