10 More Criminally Underrated Monster Movies You Need To See
3. Mimic
Because of Guillermo del Toro's work on The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim, and Pan's Labyrinth, the Oscar-winning auteur is best-known for his monster movies. Even if you're a big fan of the Mexican filmmaker, you may have missed one of his earliest works, Mimic.
Based on Donald A. Wollheim's short story of the same name, Mimic centres around entomologist, Susan Tyler, who's created hyper-evolved insects. After these super-bugs grow to human size, they begin terrorising the city and devouring locals.
The premise may sound campy, but the film itself is anything but. By mimicking the best elements of other monster flicks like Aliens and The Thing, you feel constantly unnerved but intrigued while watching Mimic. Even though the insects' design is great, del Toro deliberately hides them in darkness to give them an added sense of mystique. Despite the fact the Hellboy director knows how to nail horror, he focuses more on suspense and atmosphere, rather than outright scares.
Although a clash with the producers left with the film with a little tone inconsistency, there's a lot to love in Mimic, especially if you're a del Toro fan.