8 Horror Movie Monsters That Failed to Terrify

The Unimpressive Monsters

When it comes to horror movies, the anticipation of a chilling and unearthly monster can make or break the entire experience. The best horror movie monsters are shrouded in mystery, lurking in the shadows, and leaving audiences petrified with fear. However, there are instances where the reveal of the creature falls flat, failing to evoke the intended terror and leaving viewers disappointed.

the cloverfield monster

In the world of horror cinema, the design and execution of the monster are crucial elements that can either elevate the film to spine-tingling heights or diminish its impact altogether. Let's delve into the top 8 horror movie monsters that missed the mark and left audiences unimpressed with their lackluster scares.

The Enigmatic Disappointment of Cloverfield

Cloverfield, with its enigmatic disaster imagery, held the promise of a truly terrifying and unknown entity wreaking havoc. However, the reveal of a giant monster, while unique in design, failed to live up to the intense build-up, leaving audiences underwhelmed and the film's legacy tainted.

Cloverfield Monster

The advertisement campaign for Cloverfield generated one of the biggest hype trains for a movie in the mid-2000s, with evocative disaster imagery that presented no definitive answer as to what could be causing the destruction. The found-footage horror movie would eventually reveal the source of the chaos to simply be a giant monster, with an admittedly original design.

Blair Witch 2016

The Lackluster Blair Witch Sequels

The Blair Witch Project captivated audiences with its inventive terror and daring marketing buzz. However, the sequels failed to honor the original film's innovative scares, with 2016's Blair Witch presenting a glimpse of a gaunt, stumbling witch creature that fell short of the first film's chilling legacy.

The original The Blair Witch Project sowed the seeds for Cloverfield, both in terms of essentially inventing the found-footage genre and creating a daring marketing buzz that had some moviegoers convinced that the Blair Witch was real. While the first film knew better than to ruin its scares by actually showing the titular witch, the sequels didn't honor the first film's innovative terror, with 2016's Blair Witch giving a glimpse of a gaunt, stumbling witch creature.

Blair Witch (2016) - Corbin Reid

The Disappointment of Alien in Man Vs.

Man Vs. had an incredible setup, building tension as a TV survivalist is terrorized by a mysterious presence. However, the lackluster and generic-looking CGI alien, along with the reveal of a planet-wide invasion, soured the entire narrative, leaving audiences disillusioned with the film's promise of terror.

Spider Pennywise IT 1990

The overlooked survival horror film Man Vs. had an incredible setup, following a TV star survivalist in the style of Man vs Wild or Survivorman in the middle of filming his new show, completely alone, only to be terrorized by a mysterious presence. The film does an excellent job of slowly ratcheting up the tension as the entity of the woods creeps in on the protagonist, Duncan. Tragically, the entire narrative is soured not only by the lackluster and generic-looking CGI alien, but the reveal of an invasion of the entire planet that took place while Duncan was away.

Alien in Man Vs. (2015)

The Underwhelming Climax of IT

The original IT TV duology sent chills down viewers' spines with Tim Curry's portrayal of Pennywise, but the climactic final battle against the ancient creature, assuming the form of a giant spider, left much to be desired. The final form of such a powerful being was bitterly disappointing, tarnishing the impact of an otherwise chilling tale.

James McAvoy's adult Bill runs from Pennywise's spider form in a cave in It Chapter Two

Adapting Stephen King's infamous book, the original IT TV duology did a great job chilling the spines of viewers with Tim Curry's Pennywise for the most part. Unfortunately, the climactic final battle against the ancient creature, assuming the form of a giant spider, left a lot to be desired.

Spider Pennywise in It Chapter 2

The Defusing Aura of The Darkness

House On Haunted Hill presents a thrilling premise, but the personification of the mysterious evil aura as a cheap-looking CGI ghost creature, referred to as The Darkness, defuses the tension and leaves audiences unimpressed with the film's attempt at horror.

The Darkness from House on Haunted Hill 1999

A remake of the 1959 haunted house thriller of the same name, House On Haunted Hill shows great promise in the first half. Following a group of strangers competing to see who can last the longest staying the night in an abandoned insane asylum for a cash prize, things quickly go off the rails when the group is locked inside, being slowly torn apart by claustrophobia and infighting as well as the house's mysterious evil aura.

The creature from Hypothermia 2012

The Campy Creature of Hypothermia

Hypothermia takes advantage of the desolate Arctic environment to create a tense horror film, but the unforgivably cheap creature design, a painfully obvious rubber suit, turns what could be a solid horror film into a ridiculous campy comedy, leaving audiences bewildered and disappointed.

Few settings lend themselves to horror like desolate Arctic environments, and indie horror film Hypothermia takes full advantage of this. The film tells the story of a family who goes ice fishing only to be assailed by an amphibious creature, showing off some great performances, believable chemistry, and tense action scenes.

Ethan Hawke and a Demon in Sinister

The Underwhelming Presence of Bagul

Sinister's darkly atmospheric thriller creates a pressure cooker of horrific tension, but the reveal of Bagul, a Babylonian deity, as a generic demon that looks more like a member of the band Slipknot, was a monstrously underwhelming ending to an otherwise gripping horror tale, leaving audiences dissatisfied with the film's supernatural force.

Once lauded as the most scientifically-frightening horror movie, Sinister is a darkly atmospheric thriller whose mystery and depraved acts of violence create a pressure cooker of horrific tension. As the true-crime novelist protagonist investigates the ghastly recorded crimes of mere children, the presence behind the sacrifices reveals himself to be Bagul, a Babylonian deity.

Friday-13th-Jason-Unmasked

The Disappointing Unmasking of Jason

Jason, the unfeeling undead murderer of the slasher subgenre, lost much of his fear factor when Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan unveiled his goofy, deformed zombie face, undermining the character's terror and disappointing fans of the franchise.

The premiere strong, silent type of the slasher subgenre, Jason is an unfeeling undead murderer whose signature hockey mask is far more interesting than any deformed face. Unfortunately, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan made the mistake of giving fans a glimpse of Jason under the mask, shedding light on a goofy, deformed zombie face that undermined what little fear the tired character still had left to inspire.

Angel from The Human Race 2013