10 Great Sci-Fi Movie Villains Who Only Appeared Once

Between 1999’s dumb fun riot The Mummy, its first sequel, and even their underrated follow-up, 2004’s campy Hugh Jackman vehicle Van Helsing, it should come as no surprise to see a film from Odd Thomas helmer Stephen Sommers on this list. The director’s name appearing on a multiplex marquee once meant the guarantee of some silly but scary monster designs, and his brief reign as adventure horror’s leading light began with this underrated 1998 flop.

Following a salvage team of mismatched mercenaries as they encounter an ocean liner sank by some unseen force, this tense and agreeably corny flick sees the likeable crew encounter strange creatures boasting spiky tentacles, but it’s not those smaller snaky monsters we’re including on our best one-off villain rundown.

No, it’s the monstrous octopus-worm from which all these smaller creeps are revealed to have sprung which we’re spotlighting here because, although the CGI used to realize this outsized ottoia may not have aged impeccably, the creature is nonetheless a fantastically ambitious, massive, and unforgettably toothsome monster who deserves a place in sci-fi horror history.