10 More Horror Movies With The Most Shocking Monster Reveals

There's nothing nuanced about the Kothoga's arrival on the scene in 1997's monster-horror The Relic - it's a chaotic medley of screams and severed heads, reserved for the most entertaining creature features out there.

Chronicling a bloody killing spree at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, the central subject of Peter Hyams' monster flick is the Kothoga - a cold-blooded, chimeric beast originating from South America with a penchant for decapitation. The monster strikes from the shadows for the film's majority, steadily ramping up the shock factor for the Kothoga's eventual unmasking as it carries out an ambush in the museum's main hall.

Using a medley of CGI and practical effects that included multiple people operating the creature's appendages, the first clear revelation of the Kothoga's appearance is gloriously over the top. Featuring muddy green scales, glowing white eyes and a terrifying pair of razor-sharp tusks, the beast combines the physical characteristics of various animals to form the most formidable apex predator imaginable. It's an epic visual spectacle, culminating in a reveal of the highest order as audiences finally get a good look at Hyams' mutated antagonist.

The shock factor doesn't even end with the Kothoga's appearance. Audiences also get an almighty surprise when they learn that the monster was once human - an anthropologist from the museum who mutated into the creature after drinking a mysterious concoction.