10 Hidden Gem Horror Monster Movies

9. Sweetheart

Frankenhooker Patty Mullen
Blumhouse Productions

Released in 2019, on the surface Sweetheart is very much a standard creature feature, but there's so much more going on here.

Headlined by a brilliant Kiersey Clemons, the film is one brimming with themes of privilege and toxic relationships. As for the more basic monster of the piece, that's a good old fashioned sea beast that lingers under the surface and in the shadows.

For Clemons' Jenn, she's washed up on a remote island after a storm causes her boat to sink. Slowly but surely, Jenn's friends - some dead, some alive - begin to likewise wash up on this island, as she tries her best to convince them that there's a sinister monster stalking them.

Clemons really is phenomenal here, with so much of the film obviously carried on her shoulders. Likewise, the tension-building and utilisation of Sweetheart's monster - nicely taking a less is more approach at times - is exemplary.

Make no mistake about it; Sweetheart is a smart, sharp movie that interestingly approaches your standard creature feature with one eye firmly fixed on social commentary.

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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 dayjob, 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.