10 Best Horror Movie Creature Feature Movies Since 2010

7. Sweetheart

The Shallows
Universal Pictures

Headlined by the fantastic Kiersey Clemons, last year's Sweetheart was so much more than a creature feature. This is a film that has themes of privilege, race, and abusive relationships running throughout it - just with an eerie, mysterious sea creature lurking in the shadows for good measure.

Clemons' Jenn finds herself washed up on tropical island, and it soon becomes apparent that there's something or someone else keeping an eye on Jenn. As this survivor's friends start to likewise wash up on the shore, we get to see the full force and murderous will of the strange creature who has put this group in its crosshairs.

What Sweetheart does so well is how it builds tension. Whether that's an isolated Jenn coming to terms with her new surroundings and the beast that stalks it, or whether that's the inevitable sh*tty behaviour of humans, Sweetheart forever has its audience holding their collective breath.

Brilliantly shot, anchored by a stunning performance from Kiersey Clemons, and never giving too much away until necessary, Sweetheart puts a fresh new spin on the age-old creature feature subgenre.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.