10 Terrifying Sci-Fi Horror Movie Monsters With Very Little Screen Time

Few films were shrouded in as much secrecy as Matt Reeves' found-footage kaiju flick, Cloverfield. Heck, the trailer didn't even mention the movie's title! 

The promotional material was smart enough to keep the picture's city-destroying monster hidden, piquing moviegoers' curiosity even more. And by the time Cloverfield was released, horror fans were giddy with excitement to catch a glimpse of the beast, nicknamed "Clover" by fans.

However, for the most part, the creature remains obscured. The outline of Clover is seen on multiple occasions, but rarely a clear shot. Each time Clover looks like it's about to make its grand reveal, the alien moves in another direction or the camera cuts away.

In fact, we don't get a vivid shot of the behemoth until the halfway point, and it's only when the military begins blasting at Clover that the camera finally captures a shot of it. Its design is so unique, it's difficult to register what we've just seen, which makes Clover even scarier - it's still tricky to explain what the heck this thing looks like, even after all these years.

Though the extra-terrestrial is seen more clearly during Cloverfield's climax, its first appearance leaves the biggest impression.