10 Terrifying Monsters In Non-Horror Movies
7. The Skeksis - The Dark Crystal
Jim Henson was an iconic puppeteer behind The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, and more. But despite his wholesome legacy, he loved scaring the pants off of people during the '80s. The awful Skeksis from The Dark Crystal is perhaps the peak of this.
The Dark Crystal is a fantasy film set in a world controlled by these terrifying monsters. They are designed to appear like an amalgamation of a predatory bird, reptile, and dragon, giving them their terrifying, vulture-like appearances.
As if they aren't scary enough based on looks alone, these creatures also delight in malice. They are vile, repugnant beasts who sacrifice others for their vanity, sucking the life essence out of innocent creatures to make their bodies young again. Naturally, they're also brought to life with some of the most impressive puppetry seen in cinema, courtesy of the Jim Henson Company.
The Skeksis make The Dark Crystal feel closer to a horror movie than a children's fantasy flick, which is what Jim Henson planned on. He once famously stated that he thought it was "unhealthy for children to never be afraid." Yeah, well, he sorted that out with these villains.
They also terrify in the Netflix series Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, so be sure to check it out if you like being spooked by puppets.