20 Horror Monsters That Were Scarier Before You Saw Them
12. The Byrum - Dreamcatcher
Although there've been many dreadful Stephen King adaptations, few fumbled the source material worse than Dreamcatcher. While watching Damian Lewis' OTT performance or admiring Morgan Freeman's ludicrous eyebrows, it's hard to believe this isn't a comedy.
What's worse is that Dreamcatcher starts pretty strong, with the story slowly implementing intriguing elements, including psychic connections, telepathy, and advanced healing. And when it's unveiled that aliens are on the verge of taking over the world, that's when you know things are about to get real.
Once our ensemble finds a passerby who's infected with an extra-terrestrial called a Byrum, viewers know it's only a matter of time before they see the dreaded creature. However, it's impossible to take this alien seriously, as rather than bursting from the infected's body, the Byrum is pooped out.
Even though the body horror elements are meant to be gross, they come across as juvenile, especially when the Byrum takes a chomp out of one of the characters' genitals.
As ridiculous as the Byrum's introduction is, their design is somehow worse. Simply put, the alien resembles a piece of poo with teeth. After hearing Morgan Freeman's character refer to the Byrums as "s**t weasel" with a straight face, every drop of tension erodes.