10 PERFECT Monster Reveals In Horror Movies
3. The Female - Under The Skin
Based on Michael Faber's novel of the same name, Under the Skin follows a predatory alien disguised as a beautiful human woman. Even though it's apparent early on that the Female feeds on humans, there are times when it's difficult to perceive her as hostile, since we never see her behaving savagely. The deaths of her prey aren't conventionally violent and are instead presented in a way that's abstract and dreamlike.
As a result, it's more impactful when the Female is seen in her true form. While in the forest, she's confronted by a logger who attempts to have sex with her. After accidentally tearing off a chunk of her human shell, her coal-black body is exposed underneath. The Female calmly discards her disguise, showcasing her extra-terrestrial form moments before the logger incinerates her to death.
Rather than being staged as a spectacle, the unmasking is intimate, almost private. Although monster reveals are often unnerving, this doesn't have that effect as the Female's real body is shown while she's at her most vulnerable.
Despite the Female having taken many lives, she's depicted in a sympathetic light here. While this should be the moment where she's at her most alien, it's ironically the scene that humanises her the most.