25 Seriously Cult Movies You Need To See Before You Die

12. Destroy All Monsters (1968)

You€™ve got to have a Godzilla movie on a list like this, so why not the one that throws in everything except the kitchen sink? Set in an apparently alternate 1999, where rocket ships leave for the moon on an hourly basis, all of Toho€™s creatures have been confined to a sanctuary called Monster Island. Naturally, they escape and start doing their thing, with Godzilla attacking NYC, Rodan trashing Moscow, Mothra invading Beijing etc., but the monsters aren€™t acting of their own free will. Turns out they€™re being controlled by the Kilaaks, an €œalien race€ whose members just happen to resemble beautiful women in tight outfits. Thankfully, a group of astronauts are able to return control of the creatures to Earth, setting up one of the all-time-great monster movie showdowns as Godzilla, Mothra, Gorosaurus, Rodan, Baragon, Varan, Anguirus, Kumonga, Manda and Minira (Godzilla€™s son) face off against King Ghidorah and the Fire Dragon, a flaming kestrel that turns out to be a Kilaak flying saucer.
 
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Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'