10 Worst Practical Effects Movie Monsters

Few things unite horror purists like a loathing of CGI monsters. We may be split on whether Freddy would beat Michael Myers or who would come out on top in an Alien vs. Jason match-up, but one thing most aficionados of the genre can agree on is nothing compares to a monster conjured entirely out of practical effects.

Whether it’s Rob Bottin’s ground-breaking work on The Thing, Screaming Mad George’s phenomenal creations for Brian Yuzna’s Society, or An American Werewolf in London’s seminal transformation scene, nothing gets the adrenal glands pumping quite like a practically produced monster. The art form allows for more convincing movement, adds weight and depth to the objects of our terror, and gives actors an actual physical threat to interact with.

At least, that’s what a lot of fans would argue. However, the plethora of unconvincing CGI beasties plaguing the cineplex for the last two decades might have left us all a little rose-tinted in our view of yesteryear’s movie monsters. Practical effects are often just as shoddy and comically lame as any CGI, as the denizens haunting the VHS bargain bin and this list can attest.

Let’s start off with a controversial one. A lot of horror fans love the monster from John Frankenheimer’s 1979 eco-horror Prophecy, and the director helmed some undeniable classics in his time. Prophecy has both a stunning location and an admirable environmentalist message to go for it, long before the latter was fashionable.

However, it’s hard to deny that the movie’s monster is a bit of a mess. Most infamous for throwing a sleeping-bag-wrapped camper into a tree, the mutated giant bear struggles to convince in close-up. The monster does far better in low lighting and some night-time scenes may elicit as many screams as giggles.

Despite this, Frankenheimer’s film makes the bizarre choice to shoot a lot of attacks in daylight, meaning the bear is in full view. And what a full view it is, with a lot of lumbering, a lot of stumbling, and little in the way of convincing, terror-inducing effects. Come on, John—You made the Manchurian Candidate!