8 Hidden TV Monsters (And What They Really Look Like)

We really did never get to see the Reavers of Firefly in their full form whilst the series aired. Stifled at 14 episodes and never to be seen again on the small screen, the crew of the Serenity were Joss Whedon's baby lost to the evils of FOX, like so many pure things in this world.

Reavers in the truncated Firefly TV series were a presence felt far more than they were seen. We get to witness their ships, and one victim turn insane after being captured by the space cannibals in the third episode - but seeing these terrifying monsters up close doesn't happen until the movie fans demanded when the show got axed.

Zoe's line is the closest we get, and even that was too close for comfort: "If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And, if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."

Serenity doesn't hold back on its depiction of them, then, crafting a story with the Reavers at the centre and pitting River Tam against a hoard that she carves through with animalistic ease. Covered in blood, with sharpened teeth jutting out, and hulking, powerful frames to tear their prey apart with - it's no wonder these creatures were kept in the dark.

[Ashleigh Millman]