The 10 scariest movie monsters

(10) Blob (The Blob)
The original 1958 blob leaves a lot to be desired by today's standards, and with a body made of balloons and silicone, we honestly can't say it's all that frightening anymore. The reality, however, is quite different if we look at the formless, ever-expanding amoeba introduced in Chuck Russell's absolutely brilliant remake thirty years later. With spectacular special effects, the emotionless, creeping horror represented by The Blob is convincing, with its victims forced to endure the most elaborate, agonising of torments. A nightmare as effective as any, it's improved even more by the grisly death scenes.

(09) Predator (Predator)
Unlike the other movie monsters on this list, Predator is not the result of a horror movie but rather a straight action flick. That said, Predator is a scary monster, even if the movie itself isn't. What we love most about this is that you have to wait forever for it to appear and that's standard for horror movies in particular, especially when the monster is, well, a real monster. It hides and stalks the main characters from the shadows to pick them off, one by one. It's only when Arnie has to confront it that it reveals itself and the true horror is put on centre stage. The fact that it then travels across galaxies to come to Earth to hunt humans for its pleasure only adds to the image of an elusive killing machine.

(08) The Entity (It Follows)
No one knows what The Entity really is, as its name suggests, but there is certainly no shortage of theories. It has been described as everything from a demon, to remorse, and even a venereal disease, but it doesn't really matter what it is. The true horror of The Entity and It Follows is that it is about the inevitability of death, and this is far scarier than any imaginary monster. The most terrifying moment in the film is when it reminds all of us in the real world, that death is coming and there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop it.

(07) King Paimon (Hereditary)
Hereditary gave us one of the 21st century's undoubtedly most unpleasant of creatures in the unseen but terrifying power of King Paimon. A malevolent entity that took our breath away and with its dark, creeping presence, forever cemented Ari Aster's name in the finest of horror genre halls. What truly makes this creature so creepy is the script's unwillingness to ever give us any real explanation for either Paimon's existence or motivation, and instead we are forced to desperately seek answers in the Wolff family's misery and dark history. The fact that he also seems to feed on and thrive where negative energy, mental illness, and disease exists makes him as inevitable as death itself and one of the film world's most disgusting and horrifying creations.

(06) Jötunn (The Ritual)
Mythological monsters in film are difficult. Not infrequently it ends up being more silly than scary. That's why we appreciate Jötunn. The film does an awesome job of capturing what it would really be like to look at this ancient creature in person. If we were out walking in the woods and suddenly came face to face with some hulking creature that is part animal, part human, but overall something indescribable. You glimpse it slowly at first - a pair of eyes, human hands, the body of a large moose. Once it's there, in the light, in its full glory, we are already crying for help.

(05) Pazuzu (The Exorcist)
Exorcism and demonology are two subjects whose taboos persist even in modern times, and indeed there is no shortage of gruesome tales of people who have allegedly been under the control of evil entities and forced to suffer hellish torment because of it. Something William Friedkin recounted in excruciating detail in the 1971 horror sensation The Exorcist, where we witness Regan MacNeil's deterioration in the clutches of the ancient, mythological creature Pazuzu. It's unforgettable, powerful and searing, a nightmare for any parent. Although we only see tiny, tiny glimpses of the beast, the impact on Regan is something that hits you deep inside and the inhumanity of the whole situation evokes the coldest of chills running down your spine.

(04) Brundlefly (The Fly)
Basically a love story that took a big dump. It was strained from the start when Seth Brundle and Veronica became a couple, but as he slowly but surely began to turn into a fly, the relationship naturally became more and more challenging. Still, she deserves a lot of credit for sticking around all the way to "Hey, I'm a giant fly monster, shoot me in the face with the shotgun, please!" The tale of Jeff Goldblum's tragic transformation into a human-sized fly is as heart-breaking as it is grotesque, with the various stages of "Brundlefly" ultimately leading to what we think is one of the genre's scariest monsters. And he doesn't even kill anyone.

(03) Crawlers (The Descent)
Those bleach-soaked cave monsters in Neil Marshall's cult classic thriller The Descent are pretty much what 91% of our collective nightmares are made of. Because although the Thing from Carpenter's iconic horror, as well as the Alien monster with corrosive acid travelling in its sooty veins, are deadlier - there aren't many movie monsters we'd be less keen to encounter when we take out the trash than Neil's crawling cave beast.

(02) Thing (The Thing)
The alien creature that terrorises the research base where MacReady and his friends work is arguably one of pop culture's most unpleasant, repulsive and downright awful things. With the ability to assume the most impossible of forms, replicate other biological organisms and freely grow limbs, jaws and all manner of other body parts on command, The Thing is in many ways the ultimate survivor. A terrifying predator at the top of the food chain. With stunning special effects and nerve-wracking suspense, John Carpenter's film adaptation of John W. Campbell's book 'Who Goes There?' perfectly captures the horror of this impossible creature that, like nothing else, creates panic and paranoia in everyone and everything in its vicinity.

(01) Xenomorph (Alien)
What else but H.R. Giger's nightmare creation could have made the top of the list of the scariest monsters in popular culture? The ultimate organism in many ways, striking from the shadows at its victims without mercy with razor-sharp teeth, super strength and an exoskeleton that can withstand almost anything. With their terrifying features and perhaps most notably, their elongated head, Xenomorphs are unlike anything else, embodying both horror and morbid curiosity. The creature sent ripples through the industry when the Chestburster broke free out of Kane's body aboard the Nostromo in Ridley Scott's 1979 film. Everything after that is history, and for us there's no doubt whatsoever that the Xenomorph is the most terrifying, nightmare-inducing thing in the world of cinema.

What's on your list?