For as long as humanity has been around, the fear of certain animals has been pervasive and entrenched in our various cultures, all the way from ancient mythological depictions of animals as exaggerated monsters, to our modern society’s urban legends and misconceptions, certain animals have earned a horrible reputation and millions of people fearing them, often without much to back that up.

Top 10 Odd Animals

10 Camel Spiders

Starting off strong with a creature that’s certainly terrifying looking, a horrible alien from a sci-fi movie perhaps, solifuges or camel spiders, neither camels nor spiders, have more than a few urban legends going around about them, claims that they’re incredibly fast, lethally venomous, and grow up to a metre long, killing pets and humans alike, there have been a ton of stories and a few viral images going around that certainly painted a clear and consistent picture.

That picture, however, was nothing more than an illusion. While certainly fearful in appearance and not exactly slow or small, the largest camel spiders grow to be 12-15 cm-s or 5-6 inches long, certainly not a metre, alongside the facts that no camel spider species possesses venom nor a way to inject it, these horrid-looking relatives of spiders prefer to simply run away, and while a bite may be unpleasant, these arachnids are certainly not lethal.

9 Snakes

While the fear in this case isn’t entirely unfounded, snakes are certainly misunderstood, and incredibly so. Often the most dangerous venomous animals, or perhaps most dangerous animals in general in any given area, certain species of them are absolutely something to fear, but, as usual, exaggeration frequently occurs.

While it is true that no one should approach a wild snake, especially not if they don’t clearly recognise the species as a harmless one, most snake species aren’t aggressive and really want nothing to do with humans, let alone waste their precious venom or risk themselves taking down a person, something that’s really not an efficient food source for them, the fact remains that, while they certainly demand a careful approach, less than a tenth of snake species are estimated to be actually dangerous to humans, they often inflict a dry bite even when attacking since most typically would rather warn than envenom, and with the increase in readily available antivenins, deaths from snakebites should drop in the future significantly.

8 Scorpions

Another animal that probably gets a severe reaction from many, the strange, alien-like body, large pincer-like pedipalps, and a tail that can inflict a venomous sting, many people in warmer areas of the world fear the idea of encountering a scorpion at all and while, yes, some may be dangerous, the truth is that most really aren’t.

These arachnids also want nothing to do with us generally, and while about 20-25 species of them are considered medically significant and thus dangerous, that’s out of 1,500 species of scorpions recognised worldwide. Many of them do have a painful sting, but, unless you’re extremely unlucky or live in an area with the particularly dangerous species around it shouldn’t really be worse than a bee sting. Certainly avoid getting stung, but unless you meet a deathstalker scorpion, fear of one taking your life is likely unnecessary.

7 Piranhas

Fish that swarm large animals or even humans and tear them apart in mere moments, how could that not be terrifying? Well, the answer is yet again quite simple—popculture isn’t exactly accurate about animals and loves portraying them in the flashiest of ways, often ignoring what they’re really like.

While certainly formidable predators with sharp teeth and a powerful bite, they pose little to no threat to humans, in fact, they tend to show complete disinterest in us. Some researchers even proved this, by entering piranha-infested waters in simple swimwear, the fish completely ignored them, as opposed to the bloody piece of meat they lowered in later on, which they happily ate. While some piranha attacks do occur, many people swim around them with no problems and the truth is, they’re actually quite low on the food chain and tend to move in groups for defence rather than offence.

6 Cockroaches

This one is a bit tricky. Some cockroaches, the ones we know as pests, are certainly worthy of any indignant terror and hatred they spawn, living, vivid nightmares of many new apartment owners and sometimes an incredibly disgusting surprise in specific restaurants, these species are rightfully regarded as horrible, but, what many people don’t know is that these hardly represent cockroaches well.

While most people turn their nose up at any mention of a cockroach, the reality is that, of the nearly 5,000, incredibly varied and often interesting species of cockroaches, only a few dozen are associated with our homes. Alongside this fact, one may also realise that the survivability of cockroaches is, generally, greatly exaggerated. While certainly resilient, they’d have no chance of surviving a nuclear blast, and most don’t live for decades either, contrary to another somewhat popular cockroach myth.

5 Tarantulas

Hairy and massive, some of the largest spiders in the world, or, in the goliath birdeater tarantula’s case, largest in the world by mass and body length and only second in leg span, these arachnids have unsurprisingly garnered a lot of media attention as real-life monsters, what many don’t know, however, is that they’re, generally speaking, not as scary as they may seem.

While Old-World species, species from parts of the world that aren’t the Americas, can be quite quick and aggressive, their venom isn’t considered medically significant and many New-World species, those from the Americas, are downright docile, popular in the pet trade and regarded as gentle giants. While it’s understandable that they won’t suddenly become everyone’s favourite animal, and being bitten by those fangs is certainly something to avoid, there are no human deaths recorded that were caused by tarantula bites and, really, they just want to be left alone.

4 Sharks

Another filmstar, sharks are animals many people fear, though, realistically, you’d have more reasons to be afraid of dogs than these fascinating, large fish. While films such as Jaws have made a massive cultural impact that even persists today, in real life shark attacks are rare, and out of the hundreds of shark species in the world, only about a dozen or two are attributed to human attacks, and even then, scientists suspect that it’s often because sharks mistake us for their typical prey, a group humans absolutely don’t fit into.

Shark attacks are extremely rare and fatalities only form a fraction of those. In 2018, for instance, there were only five recorded human fatalities from sharks in the whole year, as opposed to the millions of sharks killed by us annually. Your chances of dying from a shark are one in millions, and even the myth that sharks can smell blood in the water from miles away is simply that—a myth.

3 Bats

Bats have certainly always been divisive, some find them scary and even gross, others quite cool or adorable, but they’ve undoubtedly had a reputation for decades now, frequent appearances in horror media, and recently gaining massive infamy for being the most attributed root cause of the massive covid-19 pandemic we’re still experiencing as of the writing of this list.

The truth is, while bats can absolutely carry rabies and other viruses and diseases, and vampire bats that simply do harm by sucking blood also exist, this represents a very small percentage of bats in reality. Most species are not thought to be significant disease carriers and vampire bats aren’t typically interested in humans either. Misunderstood in another way as well, contrary to popular belief, these fuzzy, flying mammals are actually not blind either.

2 Poison Dart Frogs

Many people greatly misunderstand poison dart frogs, these frogs have gained notoriety for the amount of poison they possess, enough to kill nearly a dozen adults and overall considered one of the most toxic animals on Earth, they are certainly something to be afraid of, should you eat one.

Otherwise, however, worries seem to be unfounded. The popular belief that even touching or handling these frogs is lethal is entirely untrue, worrying about one of these frogs jumping on a person’s skin and resulting in one’s death or, as some urban legends go, causing extreme hallucinations is entirely unnecessary, rough handling may result in some pain but, unless a significant amount of poison can get into a person’s bloodstream through an open wound or, as mentioned above, the frog is eaten, they’re virtually harmless. Another interesting fact, surprisingly, is that they actually lose their poison entirely in captivity, leading scientists to believe they gain their poison from their diets, though it’s currently unknown from what plant or animal exactly.

1 Spiders

While the list had a separate entry for tarantulas as a special and specific case, there’s really no group of animals more misunderstood than spiders as a whole. A massive and varied order of animals, they’re regarded as the most common phobia in the world, even their tiniest individuals freaking millions or potentially billions of people out from their simple existence alone. Spiders, in reality, are fascinating and do way more good than harm, even though that’s not what their reputation would have you believe.

While their appearance can be eerie, they’re shy animals and most of them really pose no threat at all. Out of the nearly 50,000 spider species recognised worldwide, only about 25-30 of them are recognised as dangerous to humans, and even then, many spiders would prefer to flee rather than fight and even black widow spiders, notorious for their dangerous venom, rarely produce a fatality and mainly do so in very old or very young people, and still many inflict dry bites even in self defence. Spiders just want to be left alone and, aside from an irrational phobia, unless you’re living in an area with some truly dangerous species, you really have no reason to kill them, especially considering the fact that they get rid of an incredible amount of actually harmful insects.

10 Extinct Animals With Surprising Attributes

About The Author: Just a curious person with a fascination for all things science, mysteries, and misconceptions, anything interesting!

Simply being in the presence of wild animals in their native habitats is unsettling. Their gaze is pitiless. Quick and powerful, they are often equipped with sharp teeth or fangs and strong, penetrating claws that can rip and shred human flesh. Some sport antlers capable of rending and battering. Many are massive, weighing hundreds of pounds; their weight alone could crush a person to death. Wild animals are also unpredictable.

When such predators trap someone, uneasiness quickly turns to terror. In a battle to the death, there is little chance for a human being against such adversaries as a cougar; a venomous snake; a bear; an alligator; a polar bear; an elk; or even a determined camel, especially when there is no escape, unless there is an unassailable refuge, help arrives in time, one has a weapon at hand, or innovation, coupled with desperation, saves the day.

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10 Cougars Trap Canadian Man

Adam Nash was trapped—not by one, but by three—cougars! The wild cats circled the British Columbia resident as he sat, terrified, inside his car, parked on Vancouver Island. “Oh, my God,” he repeated, as the animals approached his vehicle.

For 20 minutes, which must have seemed a lifetime to the helpless captive, the cougars kept him at bay, before finally departing, giving Nash the opportunity to capture his terrifying experience on video. He later posted the footage, which was subsequently broadcast by CTV News, a division of the CTV Television Network in Canada.

According to the newscast, local teenagers driving along the same road at night also spotted the animals, which displayed no fear. Conservation officers suspect that the cougars were young and curious but added that Nash’s caution was warranted and that he had made the correct decision to remain in his car.

9 Tiger Snake Traps Australian Man

One of the world’s most venomous snakes trapped 80-year-old Bob Thatcher inside the close confines of his fishing boat. The retired banker was unaware, until it was too late, that the tiger snake had taken shelter aboard his vessel. Searching for bream, Thatcher was 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from the Australian shore when the reptile emerged. Too far to swim to shore, he was unable to abandon his 1.8 meter by 1.2 meter (6 foot by 4 foot) watercraft and was stranded with the snake just 30 centimeters (about a foot) from his feet. “There’s no way out and you only have 6 ft by 4 ft. It’s an uncomfortable situation,” Thatcher summarized his ordeal.

It took him a nerve-racking 30 minutes to return to the shore. On the way, he phoned his son, who, in turn, called Snake Catchers. Baden Peter, a snake wrangler, was on hand when Thatcher returned to the boat ramp. The tiger snake had retreated into a hole housing the boat’s fuel tank. Using a reacher, Peter removed the snake, which, the wrangler suspects, took refuge aboard the watercraft after confusing it with dry land. Thatcher is lucky to be alive; his half-hour return to shore was plenty of time for him to have died, had the stowaway snake bitten him on the return trip. Professor Geoffrey Isbister, a snake venom expert and founder of the Australian Snakebite Project at the University of Newcastle, said, a victim of a tiger snake’s venom could succumb within 15 minutes, if the bite were severe enough and could experience blood clotting and paralysis.

8 Bear Traps California Couple

Barbara Rogers was upstairs. Downstairs, her husband Jim had just let their cats back into their residence. “There’s a bear in the house!” he cried. To her horror, Barbara, looking down the stairs, saw the 250-pound beast; the young predator had followed the cats into their Duarte, California, residence. The couple banged pots and pans, hoping the noise would frighten off their unwanted guest, but the bear wasn’t intimidated.

Barricading themselves in their upstairs bedroom, the couple dialed the 9-1-1 emergency telephone number. The operator told them to remain where they were. After ransacking the captives’ kitchen, eating the cats’ food from their dishes, devouring prunes, and stepping on a computer, the bear left. The couple’s quick thinking may have saved their lives.

7 Alligator Traps Florida Residents

Florida has much to recommend it: miles of beaches, exciting nightlife, fine golf courses, luxury resorts, Walt Disney World, fine food, offshore reefs perfect for scuba diving, fabulous gardens, and world-class shops and stores. Unfortunately, the Sunshine State also has a lot of alligators.

One of them visited an apartment complex, trapping residents inside. The 9-foot-long reptile rammed one person’s door, as it attempted to force its way inside, and otherwise terrorized residents for 20 minutes until help arrived. They were right to be scared. The alligator “lunged” at the trappers, twisting and turning as it tried to escape, before the animal, brought under control, was bound.

6 Alligator and Poisonous Snakes Trap Plash Island Woman

Following Hurricane Sally, which passed through Alabama and Florida coasts in 2020, Tina Bennett, a Plash Island, Florida, woman, was trapped inside her home by a “circling alligator.” The predatory reptile crawled through water only a few feet from her home. Bennett filmed her visitor as it maneuvered its way across her neighbor’s driveway. In sharing Bennett’s video, meteorologist Thomas Geboy warned viewers to avoid floodwaters. They were not safe to enter, he said, as they included “displaced wildlife” among washed-away debris and “downed power lines.” According to Bennett, the waters around her house also contained “poisonous snakes.”

5 Alligator Traps Plant City Man

A Plant City, Florida, man was trapped inside his house by an errant alligator until a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy, assisted by a licensed trapper, rescued him. The terrified homeowner discovered the reptile as he started to leave his house: the 9.5-foot predator was on his steps, trying to force its way into his home.

Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, warned the public that they should be cautious during “the warmer months,” not only of alligators, but also of “all [other] reptiles.” The warmer weather makes them “more active” due to an increase in the rate of their metabolism, he explained.

Morse advised both Floridians and tourists who visit the Sunshine State to brush up on alligators. For educational purposes, the state even offers a free brochure, A Guide to Living with Alligators.

4 Camel Traps Florida Woman

Gloria Lancaster, of Florida, was faced with a dilemma when she was trapped under Joe Joe, a 600-pound camel, after she and her husband, a truck driver, stopped at Tiger Truck Stop near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to let their dog out, and their pet ran under the barbed-wire fence surrounding the camel’s pen. To rescue her pooch, Lancaster went after the dog, entering Joe Joe’s domain. The camel promptly sat on the woman, refusing to budge. She was being crushed; unable to use her arms, she had no way to save herself.

Lancaster said an idea occurred to her, and she acted on it. The camel’s testicles were in her face, and she bit them. The tactic did the trick, and she survived her ordeal, but not without injuries, including bruised ribs and a broken collarbone. She and the truck stop’s manager Pamela Bossier seem to blame each other. Lancaster said the owner should have made sure that his “petting zoo” was safe for children. Bossier countered, “None of this would have happened if they just would’ve had the dog on a leash instead of letting it roam free in a truck stop.” However, Lancaster doesn’t blame Joe Joe and doesn’t want anything to happen to the camel.

The truck stop owner has since installed more barbed wire to “secure” the camel’s pen and has posted signs to remind customers and others of local leash laws.

3 Polar Bears Trap Canadian Teen

A 17-year-old became prey when he was trapped on a floating chunk of ice adrift in the Hudson Bay. With his uncle, the lad had gone hunting polar bears on Saturday, but their snowmobile broke down 18 kilometers (11.18 miles) from Coral Harbour, near Nunavut’s Southampton Island. They set off on foot to seek assistance, but, on their way, they became separated, and the teen was set adrift on an ice floe that split off from the ice field they were traversing.

Now, with hypothermia setting in, the youth, carrying a rifle, encountered a trio of polar bears, an adult female, officials presume, and her two “older cubs.” When the mother bear approached him, the teen shot her, leaving her carcass behind with her young, which had not threatened the teen.

Fortunately, the hunters had been reported missing, and an air search was underway. The uncle was rescued on Sunday. Although the nephew was trapped on the ice floe with the female’s cubs, neither attacked, and the pilot of a plane hired by a government’s search-and-rescue agency spotted the youth, dropping chocolate bars and other candy to him. Unable to rescue him before dark, the aircraft lost sight of the teen.

He wasn’t seen again until Monday, when a crew aboard a military aircraft that had joined the search spotted him. Two of the search-and-rescue team members parachuted onto a larger ice floe nearby and rescued the youth on Monday. Despite his ordeal, the teen was in fairly good shape. “He was conscious, slightly hypothermic and appeared to have some frostbite,” said Jean-Pierre Sharp, who is associated with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario. The cubs remain in the area.

2 Elk Trap Colorado Man

Eric Sweatt returned to his Loveland, Colorado, home to find a pair of elk in his front yard. Climbing onto the top of his vehicle, he was trapped. Apparently, he decided to film the majestic animals to pass the time. His wife, Caprice Price Sweatt, said he could not “come in the house or make a move.”

Although the elk do not appear especially dangerous in the video, as, sometimes together, sometimes separately, they stare toward the video camera, survey the neighborhood, stroll about the couple’s front lawn and driveway, seek vegetation to graze on, cross the driveway, and peer around the corner of the house, they are wild animals. Big, powerful, and “armed” with large antlers, elk can seriously injure or kill people. According to a Canadian government website, “Male [elk] are particularly belligerent . . . . [and] a mother elk is extremely defensive if she thinks her calf is in danger.”

1 Bobcat Traps Mother and Her Children

Washington Township. in Morris County, New Jersey, was the scene of another incident in which a dangerous wild animal trapped people—this time, a mother and her two young children. The animal, a bobcat, entered the first floor of their house on East Mill Road, but the mother and her children, having spotted the wild cat near the back door, had already retreated to the refuge of the second-story bathroom, locking themselves inside.

Responding to a report of the cat’s home invasion, Sgt. Robert Oranchak and Officer Scott Myers saw the animal inside the house, on the first floor, and the police officers opened doors and the kitchen window. Nearly an hour afterward, the bobcat leaped through the open window and fled into nearby woods. The close call ended without contact between the bobcat and the family members. Fortunately, despite the danger of the wild cat’s presence in the house, no one was injured, and the animal did no damage to the terrified trio’s residence.

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About The Author: An English instructor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Gary L. Pullman, a regular contributor to  lives south of Area 51, which, according to his family and friends, explains “a lot.” His five-book series, An Adventure of the Old West, is available on Amazon.

Weren’t Jaws and Jurassic Park fantastic? I can never venture into water or a forest without imagining some shark or dinosaur, let alone a ghoulish-eyed strange creature, creeping up and turning me into dinner in the most excruciating way. And let’s not mention giant irradiated bugs, zombies, and human-hunting aliens.

Why do we watch these creepy movies? They probably reinforce our belief in the existence of life-destroying creatures that defy the natural order. Or maybe we’re fascinated by explorations of humankind’s deepest and darkest psyche. Heck, we watch them for the thrill of it, right?

Whatever your reasons, films go to tremendous lengths to weave traumatic storylines into our hearts and minds. Here are some of the best monster movies that left their audiences petrified.

10 A Quiet Place (2018)

A Quiet Place gives literal meaning to the phrase “silence is golden” and will probably save your life. Set in an apocalyptic age, the Abbot family (father, mother, a deaf daughter, and two boys) must live and do everything noiselessly because sound attracts sightless creepy aliens endowed with super hearing capabilities.

From pouring sand along paths to keep from crunching leaves to using sign language and tip-toeing around the eerie-looking abandoned town in search of supplies, the film plays with your elemental fear by creating the feeling that even the slightest of whispers can bring your death.

We see this when one of the boys triggers a toy space shuttle (he sneaked out of a shop in town against his parent’s approval), and the noise alerts one of the alien creatures nearby that jumps out and… you’ll have to watch to see what happens next.

I won’t spoil the movie but imagine this—one year later, the family is still alive, but the mom is heavily pregnant. How are they going to hack that?

9 The Descent (2005)

The Descent revolves around six besties who go on a bonding adventure in the Appalachian Mountains to help one of them (Sarah) overcome the loss of her husband and daughter. But what should have been a fun exploration of the cave system becomes a nightmare when the narrow passage they are in collapses behind them.

The claustrophobia within the dark tunnels is tangible and nauseating. Fear and betrayal set in as the girls turn to their primal selves for survival when they realize they are trapped in the underground home of blood-thirsty humanoid creatures. As with A Quiet Place, these creatures are also blind and hunt through sound.

The film offers two endings; one where Sarah, the main character, escapes from the caves and another where audiences realize it was purely a hallucination. What happened to the other girls? You probably guessed it.

8 Tremors (1990)

Tremors opens in an isolated town with a handful of residents, including two laborers (Val and Earl) who are more friends than co-workers. They do just about everything together—cooking, playing games, living together, and, yes, bickering. They bicker a lot.

Tired of the small town, Val and Earl decide to leave, except the dead bodies of the townfolk (and sheep) are strewn everywhere, and the only road is blocked. The two men get on horseback to seek help from the next town when the monster creature erupts from underground to pursue them.

It’s an eyeless monstrous snake-like sandworm (what’s with the sightlessness) with multiple tentacled tongues that detect, attack, and kill their prey through seismic vibrations. The duo encounters a seismologist investigating unusual readings on her equipment, and they work together to escape the giant sandworms. Tough, considering the monster’s sensory ability but worth trying.

7 The Babadook (2014)

There is a monster in this story, but not like the ones under your bed or in your closet. This monster lurks in the shadows, messing with your head and troubling your psyche until it turns you into the monster.

We see Amelia, a young widowed mom, doing her best to raise Sam, her six-year-old boy. The boy exhibits such erratic behavior it stretches Amelia thin. He’s an insomniac and spends his time building crude weapons to fight and protect his mom from an imaginary monster.

But that imagination becomes a reality when Sam convinces his mom to read to him from a pop-up book titled Mister Babadook. Babadook, a pale-faced taloned-fingered humanoid, torments his victims once they become aware of his existence. In typical style, doors start opening and closing, and strange sounds can be heard.

Amelia destroys the book, and a more sinister version appears at her doorstep, with pop-ups detailing her killing their dog, Sam, and finally herself. Her mental state deteriorates as she gets frequent visions of the Babadook and experiences disturbing hallucinations in which she murders Sam. Things take a turn for the worse when she becomes the monster in the story and actually tries to kill Sam.

6 The Mist (2007)

A freak thunderstorm blows in a heavy enveloping mist into a village in Maine, except that’s not all in blows in. A species of blood-thirsty “things” also tags along. Cat-sized insects, praying mantis/dinosaur hybrids, and things with tentacles from another dimension (thanks to government agencies messing with stuff they shouldn’t) devour anyone who dares venture outside.

David and his son venture into the town in search of emergency supplies, and lucky for them, they are already in the supermarket when the mysterious attacks begin. Well, they, plus a bunch of other townspeople, too.

Some people try to put together a plan to protect themselves, while another faction toots the doomsday apocalypse narrative. The latter goes down a dark path as they believe offering sacrificial meals (people—David’s son included) will keep those monsters from attacking the store.

For David and his group, this becomes a quest to save themselves from fellow humans and the man-eating bugs prowling their town. As he and his group leave the store, it becomes apparent that surviving this ordeal may not be possible. What’s best? Death by suicide, being eaten alive?

5 Reaper, Blade II (2002)

What could scare a vampire? A cannibalistic vampire. Especially one that bears a proboscis-like tongue within its concealed three-way jaw. Unlike normal vampires (if there’s such a thing), this deadly breed (reapers) has a few weaknesses—the sun/UV light and an accelerated metabolism that requires them to feed every few hours.

The reapers will feed on humans, vampires, and themselves. Worse still, a strain in their tongues turns their “meals” into fellow reapers. It’s a pandemic that will annihilate the world unless Blade can stop them.

How did it all start? Vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos desires to create a race of strong vampires immune to light and other traditional weaknesses. But things don’t pan out as expected as the strain turns its carriers into near-unstoppable, blood-thirsty feral monsters. Blade, the human/vampire hybrid, teams up with other vampires to slay the reapers and their reapers.

There is hate, mistrust, and betrayal around (particularly from unexpected quarters), which makes decimating the enemy harder than it should be. If you haven’t watched Blade, you might need to start with that to get some history.

4 Sweetheart (2019)

Jennifer Remming and her friends were at a boat party when a storm happened, and she washed ashore on a deserted island with a pristine beach and jungle interior. She sees Brad nearby, an acquaintance of sorts, and runs to him, but he dies soon after leaving her alone again. Jenn buries him and ventures into the jungle—there isn’t much to see except the belongings of a family and their graves.

The following day, she finds Brad’s body dug out and devoured, a clear sign of something else on that island. That night, Jenn hears a plane passing over and shoots a flare gun, attracting the attention of the sea monster.

Jenn runs into the jungle to hide and stays out of sight. It’s no less scary having a humanoid thingy with an amphibian face, fins, arms with claws, and a muscular body (were those hooved feet I saw) come after you every night, and there are several close calls.

Jenn’s boyfriend Lucas and friend Mia wash ashore several days later in a life raft, but they don’t believe Jenn’s story about the monster. When Jenn tries to escape the island on the raft, Lucas and Mia stop her, knock her senseless and tie her to a tree. It’s nighttime, and the sea monster will come hunting.

3 Them! (1954)

Them! is a true Hollywood classic. Two state police officers chance upon a little girl wandering around in shock in the desert near Alamogordo. On further investigation, they find a vacation trailer she and her family were in that had been attacked and destroyed. Her family is missing, and whatever attacked them doesn’t look like your normal mountain lion or stuff. “It could be anything.”

A store owner is found dead, and the coroner’s report reveals substantial formic acid on his body. The FBI gets involved alongside two myrmecologists from the Department of Agriculture. They manage to get the little girl out of her catatonic state, and she screams, “Them!”

Apparently, atomic bomb testing in the area released radiation that mutated ants into giant foraging creatures multiplying too fast, kidnapping, and killing people. The officers must figure out how to destroy these creatures without getting killed themselves.

2 Cloverfield (2008)

Rob Hawkins is leaving Manhattan for a job in Japan. His brother and a couple of friends throw him a farewell party. Rob gets into an argument with his sort of ex-girlfriend, and she leaves. Everything is going well until the power goes out, and the partygoers hear a strange sound. Venturing to the rooftop, they witness an explosion and flying flaming debris.

Everyone exits the building to find even more chaos on the streets. The cause? An unknown terror is ripping through skyscrapers and desolating everything in its way. The National Guard attacks the monster, but smaller parasite-like creatures fall off its body to attack them and nearby pedestrians.

Beth is trapped in her apartment and leaves Rob a phone message. Love indeed abounds as Rob, in his friends’ company, makes it their mission to save her. They get caught between the creature and the Army and even get attacked by the parasites. The parasites bite Marlena, and she starts bleeding through her eyes and then explodes.

The small group is still determined to rescue their friend even as the Army plans to destroy all of Manhattan to kill the monster. Just when you think the nightmare is over, the post-credit scene tells you the horror is only beginning.

1 The Cave (2005)

Artifact plunderers interested in accessing the vaults beneath an ancient abbey blow up the floor but end up falling to the bottom of an expansive cave system. Unfortunately, the opening caves in, signaling the end of their lives. Or is it?

Years later, a team goes to excavate the site and discovers a river within the cave system that stretches for miles. As bad luck would have it, they, too, get trapped underneath and must find a way out of the caves.

Strange things start happening. The group witnesses their team members get attacked, dragged away, or dramatically killed by blood-thirsty creatures that lurk in dark crevices, on walls, and in the water. These hideous, emaciated-looking humanoid cave creatures take on a bat-like appearance with large wings, vestigial eyes, two sets of jaws, and crest-like formations on their heads.

In a fight, Jack, one of the characters, is injured by these creatures, and his body mutates. His physical features and senses become heightened, leading the biologist in the team to believe that the creatures were previously humans infected by a parasite that led them to become the things they are now. As the group finally finds a way out, Jack sacrifices himself so the rest can leave.

Back to civilization, Kathryn meets up with another member of the team. As they converse, it becomes clear that she, too, mutated.