10 Horror Movies With The Best Monster Reveals
6. The Mother - Barbarian
In Barbarian, strangers Tess and Keith realise they have double-booked at a rental house. With nowhere else to go, the two reluctantly decide to stay.
After discovering a secret chamber in the cellar, Keith heads through, where he finds a vast tunnel. When Tess hears him screaming, she dashes down, where she sees Keith crawling in pain. Before they have a chance to escape, a naked, deformed woman, credited as The Mother, lunges from the darkness and crushes Keith's skull into a rock.
The Mother's introduction is incredibly effective for two reasons. Firstly, rather than lingering on her, the scene cuts away immediately after she smash Keith's head to pulp.
Transitioning the scene during the scariest moment without explanation leaves viewers utterly fraught. Even though the next few scenes aren't frightening, viewers are left on edge, still trying to process what they just saw.
The other reason why The Mother shook viewers is because nobody had an inkling what she would look like. Barbarian's trailers and promos gave nothing away, so viewers didn't know if the creature lurking under the house was a werewolf, demon, ghost, vampire, alien, or in this case, a malformed, inbred monstrosity.