20 Horror Monsters That Were Scarier Before You Saw Them

20. The Boogens - The Boogens

The Boogens kicks off with a group of miners preparing to reopen an abandoned silver mine, oblivious that it houses subterraneous creatures.

As is standard practice with the genre, director James L. Conway utilises a slow-burn approach to tease the Boogens, such as POV shots from the creatures' perspective being used when they're stalking victims in the tunnels. 

The Boogens' prey are hurled around the room or dragged across the floor, suggesting these brutes are of immense size. When the main characters find corpses riddled with enormous gashes, it highlights the Boogen's unmatched ferocity. On top of that, the actors are solid at selling the idea that they're facing the most skin-crawling beasties imaginable.

That's why it's anticlimactic when the Boogens are revealed to be little spider-turtle thingies. Not only are they much smaller than expected, but their stubby appearance makes them look more clumsy than menacing. Instead of sparking fear, their faces are goofy and cute, which is among the last qualities a movie monster should have.

The Boogens were hyped up superbly throughout, which is why it's ironic how they stopped being unnerving when they jumped into the spotlight.