10 MORE Horror Movie Monsters That Shouldn’t Have Worked… But Did

10. Graboids - Tremors

In Tremors, the small town of Perfection, Nevada, is invaded by giant man-eating worms, compelling two local handymen, Val and Earl (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, respectively), to save the day.

Though Tremors is a cult classic, it's understandable why the premise can evoke skepticism. Even the lead star, Kevin Bacon, thought the plot was ridiculous and the film would ruin his career. 

But Tremors works well because it takes the threat seriously despite being a horror-comedy. The Graboids are hyper-sensitive to vibrations, so it's almost impossible to run away from them. They're bulletproof, so taking down one of the burrowing beasts is daunting, even when the civilians are armed to the teeth.

On top of that, Tremors does a terrific job at the golden rule of storytelling: Show, Don't Tell. 

The Graboids feature sparingly, leaving viewers' imaginations running wild. The ground shakes when the Graboids are nearby, but there's little indication when they're going to strike or who they're targeting. As such, the tension is through the roof, even when the subterranean critters are nowhere to be seen.