10 PERFECT Monster Reveals In Horror Movies

6. Cthulhu - Underwater

Underwater Cthulhu
20th Century Fox

Underwater throws viewers into the deep end (literally), kickstarting the story with mechanical engineer Norah Price being forced to evacuate from a collapsing facility in the Mariana Trench. After escaping with several employees, Norah prepares a plan to reach safety before running out of oxygen. Just when it looked like Norah's group has enough on their plate, they realise they're being hunted by sea monsters.

Though there are creepy-crawlies galore, Underwater feels more like a claustrophobic thriller than a creature feature. The threat is immense, but still grounded in feasible science. But when Norah encounters a dragon-octopus kaiju the size of a skyscraper during the picture's climax, it reframes the entire story. And that's not all.

Fans of H.P. Lovecraft's work should recognise this gargantuan being as Cthulhu, a prominent character in cosmic horror. In that moment, Norah realises she's not just fighting for her survival but facing off against a threat beyond human comprehension.

Even if viewers aren't familiar with Cthulhu or Lovecraft, seeing this entity emerge from the abyss and dwarfing everything else reinforces humanity's insignificance in the grand scheme of things and how Norah, despite her resourcefulness, is completely out of her depth.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows