10 Monster Movies No One Was Ready For

10. The Host

One of the biggest issues that many monster movies face, and ultimately struggle to deal with, is that so much attention and concentration is put into the monster aspect, leaving too many other facets to fall flat. Of course, such outings need a compelling creature to boast, but they often could do with a lot more than that.

In 2006 came something that transcended being 'just another' creature feature, something owed in large part to the great Bong Joon Ho sitting in the director's chair. Long before the likes of Snowpiercer, Parasite, and Mickey 17 came The Host.

Part of what allowed the story to go deeper than a monster destroying cities was that it was inspired by true events in which hazardous substances were dumped into a river, with the idea of a monster's birth being a direct consequence of this coming afterwards. Immediately, this felt real and was grounded by a story that was more than believable.

Anyone quite understandably going into things expecting to see little more than a generic monster movie would have been surprised not only by the depth in the story, but by how it was told. Different tones, from fear to tension and even a dabble in comedy, were masterfully woven together to produce something exceptional.