10 Hidden Gem Horror Monster Movies

7. Mad God

Frankenhooker Patty Mullen
Shudder

Could a stop-motion animation film which spent 30 years in development be a truly terrifying experience? If it's Phil Tippett's Mad God, the answer is an unequivocal yes!

Finally released in 2022, Mad God is a film that covers so much in a way that's bafflingly, bizarrely brilliant. In its loosest form, this is a movie which takes place in a post-apocalyptic landscape where we follow an unnamed figure - known only as 'the assassin' - who's dropped into a land filled with all kinds of sinister creatures and eerie developments.

As we witness all manner of twisted creature designs and oddball sequences - such as an autopsy turning into a birthing scene - the action is masterfully accompanied by a chilling, nerve-shredding soundtrack and the film has just such a genuinely unique way of framing what you're seeing.

It's rare that you see stop-motion offerings these days, and it's even rarer to see a horror movie crafted in such a way, but this really, really works in such a highly impactful, atmospheric, and ultimately uncomfortable way.

To say Mad God is a full-on assault on the senses would be an understatement, and Tippett and his Tippett Studio crew deserve all the praise in the world for what is an absolute masterpiece of terror.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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.