When someone thinks of a "classic monster," images of the Mummy, Dracula, and the Wolfman are the first images that probably come to mind. Ghosts, vampires, monsters, and other creatures of the night have been stalking the silver screen for decades, at one point becoming some of the most famous faces in Hollywood. But while studios like Universal are known for their iconic creature features, the genre has evolved since Dracula's day. So have the monsters.
Frankenstein and the Phantom will always be pillars of the horror genre, but modern movies still know how to pay tribute to those that came before. They might not wear the same skin, but they carry the same torch as the classic creatures of yesteryear.
Clown (The Wolfman)
Killer clowns and werewolves might be two opposite ends of the monster spectrum, but Eli Roth's chilling tale of transformations, bloodlust, and red-nosed demons bears some striking similarities to the saga of Larry Talbot in the original Wolf Man. The motif of the reluctant monster is keenly shared by both, but Roth takes it to much more visceral levels.
Clowns are creepy even on the best of days, but turning into one as someone might grow fur as a werewolf is leagues more disturbing. As a clown suit and wig turns into the skin of an ancient monster, a loving father's persona goes from adoring to abominable as the beast takes over his body.
Hollow Man (The Invisible Man)
The Invisible Man, but gives it a more contemporary sci-fi flavor by putting practical repercussions to the idea of being invisible. It's one thing to turn invisible like so many superhero stories, but it's another to experience and adjust to new bodily conditions.
What starts as a successful experiment on a brilliant scientist soon turns into a supervillain origin story as the experiment starts having excessive negative effects on the subject's minds. From being able to slip in and out undetected to not being able to sleep thanks to transparent eyelids, the film explores all the positive and negative effects of being the Invisible Man.
Krampus (Gremlins)
Michael Dougherty's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and there are more than a few obvious comparisons to back the claim up. With its practical effects, a legion of monsters, and holiday horrors packed into a night of terror, it's surprising it wasn't christened by Joe Dante himself.
Although Krampus himself might be the outlier, his minions of elves, toys, and gingerbread men could definitely exist alongside Stripe and his gang of green goons. Still, Gremlins are leagues easier to deal with than the shadow of St. Nicholas.
Pacific Rim (Godzilla Series)
Giant monsters of the Kaiju genre will always be classics of the genre, and while the King of the Monsters has been made, remade, and rebooted over and over again, no one does monsters better than Guillermo del Toro. Case in point, his own monstrous creation from the deep, Pacific Rim.
Watching Kaiju destroy cities will never get old, but watching them tangle with giant robot mechs is even better. While it's not as bleak and terrifying as the original Godzilla was, it definitely has that same size, scale, and giant waves of destruction. A crossover between the two breeds of monsters certainly sounds in the realm of possibilities.
Insidious (The Exorcist)
Insidious turned both the possession and haunted house genres on their heads.
Instead of the house being riddled with ghosts, it's the body of a young boy. Drawing several themes from The Exorcist, such as calling in a spiritual professional and evil happenings at a mysterious house, the movie follows similar steps while forging its own path deeper and deeper into The Further.
Sleepy Hollow (Hammer Horror)
When it comes to interpreting classic horror, Tim Burton is a well-practiced hand at the art. With so many of his films taking inspiration from vintage horror movies, it was only a matter of time before he made one all his own. Dracula and the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but it strove to recreate the same elements that made Hammer Horror a household name.
It has the same gothic castles, uses of perspective, and neon-colored blood for its gore effects that made the studio's creature features so distinctive. It even features a performance from Christopher Lee to complete the image.
Candyman (The Phantom Of The Opera)
It might sound crazy at first, but consider the elements that make up the Phantom and those of Tony Todd's Candyman. Both are disfigured artists who fall in love with someone they shouldn't, both wear long black cloaks and utilize mirrors, and both spawn their own legends. In the end, they both become gothic icons separated by time alone.
While Candyman might lack a mask and pipe organ, he does represent the same tortured spirit fed by fear. Cabrini Green might not be Opera House, but it still has its catacombs, its legends, and its ghosts.
Depraved (Frankenstein)
The point of Mary Shelley's original story was what happens when scientists try to play God, Depraved is simply that idea put into a modern setting. The focus on medical science and practices is what separates the experiments seen in Dr. Frankenstein's lab and those in the film. By giving it some sense of reality, the plot is given more weight and is thus taken more seriously.
Bringing a living corpse back to life is not something realistically possible, but the modernization and themes of illegal experimentation help bring the original plot to the 21st century. The horror comes not just from the reanimated monster, but the moral, ethical, and conscientious conflicts that arise.
Midsommar (The Wicker Man)
When Ari Aster released The Wicker Man were drawn almost immediately. While it might take place in a Scandinavian village far away from civilization, Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle would look a bit too comfortable amongst the pagan rituals and human sacrifice.
Like The Wicker Man, Midsommar revolves around its folklore and rituals to evoke its unsettling elements. Both are at times hard to watch, deal in similar subject matters, and have shockingly violent endings. It wouldn't be wrong in assuming Aster drew from the same inspirations.
The Shape Of Water (The Creature From The Black Lagoon)
It's been said before but it bears repeating, Guillermo Del Toro is an absolute master when it comes to monster movies and there is perhaps a no better example than his Oscar-winning, Creature From The Black Lagoon, but it reinvented and reimagined what speculative fiction movies could do.
Casting a monster as a leading man is not an easy task, but the film managed to create a ionate and sympathetic star with its Amphibian Man. Less of a horror movie and more of an unconventional romance, but it brought together so many horror elements of classic Hollywood that no fan of the genre should miss out.
