10 Worst Practical Effects Movie Monsters

10. Prophecy – Katahdin

Let’s start off with a controversial one. A lot of horror fans love the monster from John Frankenheimer’s 1979 eco-horror Prophecy, and the director helmed some undeniable classics in his time. Prophecy has both a stunning location and an admirable environmentalist message to go for it, long before the latter was fashionable.

However, it’s hard to deny that the movie’s monster is a bit of a mess. Most infamous for throwing a sleeping-bag-wrapped camper into a tree, the mutated giant bear struggles to convince in close-up. The monster does far better in low lighting and some night-time scenes may elicit as many screams as giggles.

Despite this, Frankenheimer’s film makes the bizarre choice to shoot a lot of attacks in daylight, meaning the bear is in full view. And what a full view it is, with a lot of lumbering, a lot of stumbling, and little in the way of convincing, terror-inducing effects. Come on, John—You made the Manchurian Candidate!