water monster movie review

Screen Rant

The best sea monster movies, ranked.

Sea monsters are a common trope in the horror genre, from Best Picture winners to enduring B-Movie classics, and we're exploring a few of the best.

• Dive into the best sea monster movies for an aquatic adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
• From horrifying to entertaining, these films capture the shared fear of creatures lurking in the deep sea.
• Explore the vast ocean of sea monster movies, ranging from horror classics to refreshing tales that resonate with audiences.

As much as the ocean is a popular tourist destination, the best sea monster movies have caused anxiety about going into unfamiliar waters. Just as the vastness of space has given way to countless fictional stories about possible terrors up there, the unknown depths of the world's oceans offer tales of aquatic mystery. Though the topic of sea monsters has given the world a seemingly endless amount of schlock, there have been several cinematic riffs on the formula, mostly in the horror genre, but not always.

There has always been something terrifying about the possibility of creatures lurking below the surface and these movies capitalize on that shared fear. Some tell more grounded stories while others embrace the campiness of the genre . The wide variety of movies of this kind shows just how much these stories resonate and entertain people. From Best Picture Oscar winners to enduring B-Movie classics , the best sea monster movies stand out for both the sea monsters and the world in which they live.

10 Best So-Bad-It’s-Good Shark Movies

17 the meg (2018), a megalodon rises from the deep.

Sharks tend to get a bad rap within the movie world despite generally being standoffish creatures. However, the giant prehistoric shark in The Meg would turn off even the staunchest shark defenders. The movie stars Jason Statham as a deep sea diver who faces off with the megalodon shark , one of the largest predators in existence that was slumbering deep in the ocean's depths.

Though shark movies generally stick to a human-vs-wild story, The Meg is truly a monster movie with the shark being impossibly large and chomping down on entire ships if it feels hungry enough. The Meg: The Trench continued the story in 2023 , turning this into a new sea monster movie franchise.

The Meg is available to stream on Netflix.

16 The Sea Beast (2022)

An animated movie based on a legendary beast, the sea beast.

The Oscar-nominated animated adventure The Sea Beast delightfully throws the concept of sea monsters on its head by suggesting the creatures people fear are just animals trying to exist. The Netflix original follows a veteran sea monster hunter on the trail of Red Bluster, a legendary destructive beast, before finding a young stowaway. They then discover the unseen side of these creatures. With most sea monster movies focusing on horror, this is a refreshing take that still delivers great monster action.

The Sea Beast is available to stream on Netflix.

15 Leviathan (1989)

A mutated aquatic monster is discovered by a submarine, leviathan (1989).

RoboCop 's Peter Weller stars in 1989's Leviathan as a geologist overseeing a mining operation that discovers a scuttled soviet sub at the bottom of the sea, where they discover a safe containing information about the ship's crew as well as a deadly infection. That infection begins to kill and mutate the staff of the mining facility, using their bodies to transform into a horrifying giant aquatic monster that becomes known as homo aquaticus as it earned a spot in cinematic history.

Though the movie itself seems to have faded from relevancy, it is an unforgettable creature design and one of the most grotesque cinematic creatures to emerge from the ocean depths. It's the perfect example of a sea monster movie that isn't widely known to those who aren't fans of the subgenre, but highly enjoyable for those who are.

Leviathan is available to stream on Max.

The 10 Scariest Movie Sea Monsters, Ranked

14 deep rising (1998), a giant tentacled sea creature of unknown origin, deep rising.

1998's Deep Rising follows a team of jewel thieves as they attempt to infiltrate a luxury gambling cruise ship only to discover it has already been attacked by strange tentacle-like monsters that begin devouring the survivors . As they make their way through the ship on the hunt for their big score while attempting to survive the monster, they learn the tentacles are all a part of the giant Octalus, which was nesting in the ship as it fed on the crew and gamblers after attacking and disabling the ship.

It is a clever way of hiding the monster to have its sentient tentacles appear to be a threat for most of the movie, only to reveal they are attached to a gigantic monster.

Deep Rising is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Prime Video

13 Cloverfield (2008)

A creature from a deep sea incident attacks the surface world, cloverfield.

While the found-footage horror Cloverfield takes place in Manhattan as it is attacked by a giant and mysterious monster, the "Clover" is revealed to have started its attack after exiting the ocean. An alternate reality game was launched during the promotion of the film that teased the origins of the monster through the revelation of a deep-sea drilling accident that awakened the monster . The movie only glimpses the monster as the characters run, yet it makes for a memorable monster to kick off the Cloverfield universe .

Cloverfield is available to stream on Paramount+

12 Godzilla (2014)

A world war ii era atomic sea monster, godzilla (2014).

The giant atomic lizard first appeared in 1954's Godzilla before the legendary kaiju achieved mega-stardom and appeared in over thirty movies over the years that further cemented the sea monster's cinematic legacy. While Godzilla has appeared as a villain against humanity, he is also seen as Earth's protector against other Kaiju — including other sea monsters. 2014's Godzilla kicked off the new MonsterVerse that eventually pits the sea monster against a giant ape in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Godzilla is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Prime Video

Every Titan Godzilla Beat In The MonsterVerse (& When)

11 the host (2006), a mutated sea creature rises in south korea.

Bong Joon-Ho's 2006 monster movie The Host explores the consequences of the U.S. Military's disposal of toxic waste in Seoul's Han River, which mutates an aquatic lifeform into the monstrous Gwoemul , the original name of the South Korean film.

The first scene of the Gwoemul attacking the on-lookers cements it as a brilliant 21st-century movie sea monster.

The Gwoemul attacks the citizens of Seoul and kidnaps a small child after unleashing an infectious disease on the city, which further highlights the dangers of illegal disposal of toxic waste that has led to the creation of far too many dangerous sea monsters over the years. The first scene of the Gwoemul attacking the on-lookers cements it as a brilliant 21st-century movie monster, capturing the feeling of an animal causing chaos without reason.

The Host is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

10 Underwater (2020)

A deep sea creature based on cthulhu.

After sitting on the shelf for a couple of years before finally getting an early January 2020 release, Underwater seemed destined to fly under the radar. Though the Kristen Stewart-led thriller has the inescapable feel of being sewn together from elements of sci-fi thrillers past, there are a handful of inspired sequences that stand out and make for some fantastic sea monster moments. The most unforgettable of those sequences is the Lovecraftian finale, which gives viewers a high-budgeted rendition of the iconic Cthulhu .

Underwater is available to stream on Hulu.

9 Lake Placid (1999)

Giant mutated crocodile on the hunt, lake placid.

Lake Placid is a blend of comedy and creature features , and it is a lot of fun to watch, the definition of a guilty pleasure. Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, and Bridget Fonda lead a team of scientists trying to defeat a giant crocodile who can't stop eating cows. It's silly, but Betty White's supporting turn as a local who quips her way around the film helps make it an enduring romp that delivers something a little off-kilter. The practical effects used to create the crocodile also help elevate the movie as a cult classic creature feature.

Lake Placid is available to stream on Starz.

Deep Blue Sea: 10 Cheesy '90s Creature Features To Watch If You Loved It

8 sea fever (2020), a parasite rises from the deep.

This Irish indie sea monster movie is the debut of director Neasa Hardiman. Relying on atmosphere and mounting suspense over special effects and set pieces, Sea Fever is a claustrophobic 'parasite from the deep' tale . After a trepidacious biologist joins the crew of a fishing vessel, the ship's captain veers them into forbidden territory. What follows is a brilliantly written nightmare with at least two scenes guaranteed to make anyone's skin crawl. A film with cult potential, Sea Fever marks a great showing of potential for its debut director.

Sea Fever is available to stream on Hulu.

7 Sweetheart (2019)

A humanoid sea creature on a deserted island.

2019's Sweetheart plays like a mix of Jaws and Cast Away . After a young woman is stranded on a tropical island , the quest to survive is complicated by the revelation there is a humanoid sea creature living offshore in a pit on the ocean floor. From the first scene onwards, Sweetheart maintains a steadily growing tension that culminates in a riveting final showdown between woman and beast. The film relies heavily on star Kiersey Clemons, and thankfully, Clemons is more than up to the task.

Sweetheart is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

6 Tale Of Tales (2015)

An anthology tale with a sea monster story, tale of tales.

A dark fantasy anthology of fairy tales, Tale of Tales begins with a surreal sea monster story that sets the tone for all the bizarre events. The story dealing with the sea monster is led by Salma Hayek in a performance that is a break from her usual sly seductress. The mixture of CGI and practical effects used in the film to bring the leviathan-like sea monster to life results in an unusually unsettling sequence of imagery. One of the more traditional renditions of the classic sea serpent, Tale of Tales is a singular work.

Tale of Tales is available to stream on AMC+

10 Scariest Creature Feature Films From The 1950s

5 the lure (2015), a mermaid horror story.

"Original" is a word thrown around a lot when it comes to genre films. However, there is no doubt the Polish oddity The Lure is worthy. One part disco musical, one part mermaid horror film , and another part modern fable, The Lure is the story of two mermaid sisters who become land-walking , lounge-singing, love-seeking girls in a local community. The film's unusual mixture of cinematic entertainment with genuinely unsettling stretches of body horror, the film has gone on to have a loyal following and a Criterion release.

The Lure is available to stream on Max.

4 The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)

The universal monsters sea creature, creature from the black lagoon (1954).

One of the more pure pulpy and entertaining films under the "Universal Monsters" banner , The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of the best B-Movies of the 1950s. After a geological expedition uncovers an Amazonian monster with gills and fins, the titular monster wreaks havoc around the crew's steamboat. Less iconic than its earlier peers, Dracula and Frankenstein , the film nonetheless spawned a series, none of which matched the campy heights of the original. The film is simply one of the best of its kind.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

3 The Lighthouse (2019)

A creepy movie featuring merfolk, the lighthouse.

A stomach-churning descent into nautical madness, The Lighthouse was one of 2019's most talked about horror films. It's a chamber piece of a tête-à-tête between a lighthouse keeper (Willem Dafoe) and an employee keeper (Robert Pattinson) . Sea monsters and myths of the old sailor worlds play a role in the world-building, including one of cinema's most terrifying depictions of merfolk . The Lighthouse 's surreal edge makes it one of the more challenging and unique horror experiences of the past decade.

The Lighthouse is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

2 The Abyss (1989)

The discovery of an alien city deep in the oceans.

James Cameron's sea monster movie about an oil crew investigating a sunken submarine thousands of miles below the sea was notoriously hard to make. Cameron's vision has rarely been as focused and imaginative as it is here, especially in later sequences utilizing revolutionary computer-generated effects. One of Cameron's oft-forgotten films, The Abyss stands as a fitting conclusion to the filmmaker's incredible run in the 1980s.

The movie was also a foreshadowing of the further blending of technological progress and blockbuster filmmaking that he would go on to achieve in the following decade. Not only was it beloved at the time, but The Abyss received a new chance for fans to discover it with its first 4K release, including a short return to theaters at the end of 2023.

The Abyss is available to stream on Hulu.

1 The Shape Of Water (2017)

A love story between a woman & a sea creature, the shape of water.

Truly a masterful blend of old-school monster movies and classic doomed love stories, Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water is one of the most creative sea monster movies of the past 20 years. The fact that this dark romance film about a deaf woman falling in love with a reptilian water-based humanoid took home the Academy Award for Best Picture is still mind-blowing to this day.

Sally Hawkins gives a career performance as the lonely deaf woman and gives the film its emotional pulse that elevates the entire affair — it's a masterpiece and easily one of the best sea monster movies ever made.

The Shape of Water is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ & Amazon Prime Video

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Reviews of the water monster 2019.

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★★★ Watched by JaysonGreene 03 Mar 2024

This was good, that water monkey wrecked shop. R.I.P. Water Monkey.

★★★ Watched by Kedar Padgur 25 Jun 2023

Simple story but intense

★★★½ Watched by ScubaDoo 21 Jun 2023

The Water Monster is China giving us the modern The Creature From The Black Lagoon that Universal Studios hasn’t. This thing has all of the atmosphere and charm of a theme park dark ride and I mean that in the best way possible.

A doctor travels from Shanghai to an isolated village deep in a marshy forest only accessibly by boat in search of her missing reporter brother. The village worships/fears a being they call Lord Water Monkey and blames…

★★★ Watched by George Rogerson 05 Jun 2023

Solid little monster flick with a good amount of goofiness

★★★½ Watched by caeden 07 Mar 2023

That’s what happens when you anger the water ghoul!

★★★½ Watched by JamesPopinski 04 Mar 2023

This is under 80 minutes, and wastes no time. The simple story is set up quickly, and we get a number of awesome villagers vs monster scenes.

If you ever wanted a Creature of the Black Lagoon movie with more cartoonish action, kung fu, and violence…this will hopefully satisfy that desire.

The monster looks great. It’s not a ugly CG creature like I expected, it’s a man in a suit! 

The characters are simple/broad, but that’s fine for a movie…

★★★½ Watched by doppelgangerdev 26 Feb 2023

78 minutes of that pure monster crazy shit. Dude in a suit creature from the lake aka the Water Monkey terrorizing a village. Only a small band will ride out in their janky ass ship to face off against this gnarly ass whooper. The son of a fisherman the creature killed years ago. Ramps up in the best, goofy ways and completely with confidence. There's some great editing in those ship battles. Great specificity in each move. A hell of a lot of fun.

★ Watched by natepc 19 Jan 2023

What could have been a great take on a classic story ultimately failed to deliver on anything more than standard tropes.

And Gilyam.

★★★★ Watched by Travis Mautalen 17 Jan 2023

A fun monster movie that is benefitted by it’s shorter runtime. Only takes 30 minutes to see the monster and then it doesn’t stop after that. The characters are simple but effective. The fighting with the monster is highlight, it’s fun and creative. Sadly, the final fight it a let down, I’m not quite sure why but it didn’t pack the same punch as the other fights, something seemed off. It may have been the music didn’t match what I…

★★½ Watched by Cockula 22 Oct 2022

There seems to be large chunks of movie just taken out of the movie as the plot and location just kinda randomly jumps, causing a feeling of two completely different movies, one showing a lot of promise of what could be a tense monster movie and what a village would have to endure in this reality and another movie trying to kill a man in a Doug Jones fish man suit with a spider sense and a mastery of wire fu.

★★½ Watched by Jess 22 Oct 2022

Obviously not my usual style but I really couldn’t get over the weird tonal shifts in this movie or the fact that there seemed to be chunks of it cut out.

★★★ Watched by mrthestray 01 Oct 2022

Not gonna lie, it's not GOOD, but... you got a water monster doing martial arts and that's enough for me, lol. There's some terrible acting, it's a very short movie but still manages to feel too long at points, some goofy wirework bits, some missed opportunities in the story, and the creature often feels exactly like what it is; a guy in a suit, with the incessant head shaking, makes you appreciate a guy like Doug Jones even more. Movie is very cheesy, but the action sequences are fun and makes the movie more than worth it.

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Water Monster

Where to Watch

Lincheng Liu Lilan Zhu Sihong Le Gaoji Li Hongqian Wang Jian-guo Wang Runlin Wang (Groom) Hao Wu Yi Xie

Qiuliang Xiang, Hesheng Xiang

A man killed by "water monkey" while fishing with his son. Ten years later, "water monkey" reappears and kills people. The son has to assemble villagers together to fight the "water monkey " to protect his lover.

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The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

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Watch The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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The Water Horse is a fine family film. It takes a classic tale and infuses it with extra imagination, sly humor, heart, and inventive special effects.

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Jay Russell

Emily Watson

Anne MacMorrow

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“Underwater” is the kind of no-nonsense B-movie with an A-list cast that Hollywood used to make more often. It's a lean and mean film that gets you into its action instantly and then doesn’t release the pressure until the ending credits. In an era of increasingly long blockbusters with pretensions of greatness, it’s refreshing to see a tight movie that knows exactly what it needs to do and sets about doing it. Anchored by another impressive performance from Kristen Stewart and really effective cinematography from Bojan Bazelli , “Underwater” absolutely bullies you into liking it. There's no time not to. Some of the midsection succumbs to incoherent effects in which the murky setting overwhelms the ability to actually be able to tell what the heck is going on, but the flaws of the film never linger long enough to, sorry, sink “Underwater.”

Stewart plays Norah, a worker on an underwater research site that’s literally miles below the surface. An annoying opening narration that feels tacked on by a producer during the film's delayed post-production details how time starts to lose all meaning when you’re that far underwater. There’s no light and you sometimes can’t even tell if you’re awake or dreaming. Just about then, while you're still trying to find your seat in the theater, all hell breaks loose. The hull of the rig starts to crack and explode. Norah runs to safety, eventually finding other survivors that include characters played by Vincent Cassel , Mamoudou Athie , John Gallagher Jr., Jessica Henwick , and T.J. Miller. That’s it. It’s six people trying to survive a catastrophe that has killed the hundreds of other people aboard the site. No shots of emergency crews on the surface. No flashbacks. The escape pods have either been used or destroyed. Their only hope is to literally walk a mile along the ocean floor to another site and hope there are pods that work there. Then they discover they’re not alone.

Yes, “Underwater” is half disaster movie and half monster movie, combining two B-movie genres that I’ve always loved. As “Underwater” shifts from something more akin to “ The Poseidon Adventure ” to a submerged riff on “ Alien ,” the transition doesn’t always work but director William Eubank directs his cast to incredibly strong in-the-moment performances that hold it together. We need to believe Norah’s plight, and Stewart sells the immediacy of her waking nightmare, well-assisted by Henwick and Cassel in particular. (On the other hand, Miller’s schtick gets old fast, but that’s the only weak link). The writers tack on a few too many manipulative back stories to try to heighten the emotional stakes, but that’s commonplace in both genres on which “Underwater” is riffing.

It also helps that the producers of “Underwater” tapped the eye of the great Bojan Bazelli to shoot the film. The cinematographer behind “ A Cure for Wellness ” and “ The Ring ” knows how to build tension with a combination of extreme close-ups that put us inside Norah’s helmet while never losing the geography of where these people are fighting against incredible odds. When the movie becomes a full-out monster flick, Bazelli and Eubank could have dialed down the underwater murk a few degrees, but it’s still an effective film visually, the value of which cannot be understated. Most bad B-movies like “Underwater” rely on a steady diet of jump scares and shaky camerawork to disguise their low budgets and lack of visual acuity. What sets this apart is that there’s an artistry to the visuals and captivating sound design. The film is filled with flashing lights of broken or breaking equipment and the din of metal creaking under the pressure of water. It’s all necessary to enhance the tension.

What I think I responded to the most in “Underwater” is its relentlessness. It’s almost real time for at the least first chunk of the movie, and the immediacy of the filmmaking gives it power. "Underwater" discards all that on-the-surface nonsense that worse movies would have forced viewers through, in which we meet the characters and foreshadow weird happenings underwater. There’s no time for that. Don’t show up late. It’s a film that’s about panic, and how unexpected heroes can be made through instinctual response to adversity. That, and underwater monsters.

The final act of “Underwater” will likely divide some people, but I’m a fan of when a B-movie really goes for it, and there are a few beats in this one’s final scenes that are impressively ambitious. My kids are at an age where they’re fascinated by the idea that there could be species so far below the ocean’s surface that we have yet to identify them. When they’re old enough, I’ll show them “Underwater.” Maybe they’ll like B-movies too. 

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Underwater (2020)

Rated PG-13

Kristen Stewart as Norah Price

T. J. Miller as Paul

Vincent Cassel as Le capitaine

Jessica Henwick as Emily

• William Eubank
• Brian Duffield
• Brian Berdan
• Todd E. Miller

Cinematography

• Bojan Bazelli

Original Music Composer

• Brandon Roberts
• Marco Beltrami

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The Best Movies With Water Creatures

The allure of the ocean brings audiences flocking to movies in which water creatures play significant roles. They offer viewers a thrilling peek at life beneath the surface of the sea. These films highlight the mysteries of the deep, revealing the unknown, and sometimes terrifying, aquatic beings that inhabit oceans, lakes, and rivers. These movies invite audiences to immerse themselves in the hidden world of water-dwelling creatures. 

Revealing the beauty and terror of the underwater world, these sea creature movies present narratives that include many facets of aquatic existence and its impact upon human characters. From fearsome underwater predators to peaceful inhabitants of the depths, these movies bring these enigmatic creatures to life, demonstrating both their behavior and their impact on humans. Through stunning visuals, compelling storylines, and engaging character development, these movies create an immersive experience for viewers, a peek into how it feels to encounter the unknown beneath the waves. 

Lake Placid, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Underwate r are example of the water creature movie genre. In Lake Placid , a gigantic crocodile wreaks havoc in a peaceful lake, creating a horrifying scenario and challenging conventional ideas about underwater monsters. Creature from the Black Lagoon , a classic gem from the 1950s, tells the tale of a mysterious amphibious creature discovered in the Amazon, while Underwater presents a group of deep-sea researchers facing a new kind of terror in the ocean depths. 

Water creature movies continue to captivate viewers by revealing the mysteries of the deep and allowing us to see the extraordinary realm inhabited by these remarkable beings. By shedding light on the thrilling, chilling, and captivating aspects of these remarkable beings, these films provide insight into the mystery of water creatures. 

Lake Placid

Lake Placid , an enthralling horror-comedy film, revolves around the mysterious presence of a massive crocodile in a serene lake, leading to a series of gruesome events. Featuring an impressive ensemble cast, including Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, and Oliver Platt, this late '90s gem skillfully combines suspenseful moments with quirky humor, resulting in a truly entertaining experience. The realistic portrayal of the colossal water creature by director Steve Miner elevates the film's thrilling atmosphere while keeping viewers invested in the unfolding action. Undoubtedly, Lake Placid holds its ground as one of the best movies featuring water creatures.

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Piranha 3D is a sensational horror-comedy that takes aquatic terror to another level by reintroducing vicious prehistoric piranhas into modern-day waters during Spring Break festivities at Lake Victoria. Directed by Alexandre Aja and boasting a talented cast led by Elisabeth Shue and Adam Scott, this film expertly balances tongue-in-cheek humor with grisly death scenes depicting relentless attacks from these ravenous water creatures. Combining state-of-the-art 3D technology with pulse-pounding suspense throughout its runtime makes Piranha 3D stand tall among other movies featuring water beasts.

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Based on Jules Verne's classic novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a groundbreaking adventure film that immerses viewers into a fantastical underwater world. Produced by Walt Disney and directed by Richard Fleischer, this pioneering movie offers a captivating story centered around the enigmatic Captain Nemo and his astounding submarine, Nautilus. In addition to its compelling narrative, the film showcases an array of imaginative sea creatures through impressive special effects for its time. As an adventurous journey beneath the ocean's surface with an unforgettable giant squid battle scene, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remains an influential masterpiece in films featuring water creatures.

• # 91 of 369 on The Best Movies Based On Books
• # 45 of 175 on The Best Science Fiction Action Movies
• # 16 of 52 on The 50+ Best Submarine Movies

Creature from the Black Lagoon

A definitive classic in monster cinema, Creature from the Black Lagoon tells the haunting tale of an amphibious humanoid discovered during a scientific expedition in Brazil's Amazon rainforest. Directed by Jack Arnold and impeccably designed by Milicent Patrick, this 1954 film not only introduced audiences to one of horror's most iconic figures but also delved into ecological issues ahead of its time. With its gripping atmosphere and alluring underwater photography showcasing interactions between humans and the mysterious Gill-Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon continues to captivate generations of moviegoers as one of the best water creature-focused films ever made.

• # 136 of 396 on The Best Horror Movies Of All Time
• # 10 of 16 on The Most Terrifying Figures In Horror With The Lowest Kill Counts
• # 9 of 13 on Horror Movies Adapted Into Broadway And Off-Broadway Musicals

From visionary director James Cameron comes The Abyss , a thrilling sci-fi adventure set in a claustrophobic underwater environment where oil rig workers encounter otherworldly beings deep below the ocean's surface. Starring Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as estranged partners facing mortal peril together amidst their personal turmoil adds emotional depth to this visually stunning film. Revolutionary special effects techniques employed for creating mesmerizing aquatic spectacles still hold up today while offering thought-provoking themes about humanity and our relationship with Earth's oceans alongside captivating performances.

• # 98 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 7 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 176 of 279 on 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime

Set at deep-sea mining outpost besieged by mysterious underwater creatures genetically engineered as bio-weapons, Leviathan is a captivating sci-fi horror blend reminiscent of '80s classics like Alien and The Thing. Directed by George P. Cosmatos and starring Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, and Amanda Pays, this 1989 film boasts impressive special effects to portray its grotesque aquatic antagonists and their nightmarish transformations. Rich in atmosphere and suspense, Leviathan delivers an engaging tale that delves into the potential consequences of humanity's irresponsible manipulation of nature.

• # 28 of 71 on The Scariest Animal Horror Movies Ever Made
• # 9 of 14 on Pretty Good Horror Movies That Will Make You Afraid To Go In The Water
• # 2 of 31 on The 31 Scariest Ocean Horror Movies That'll Keep You On Dry Land

Set deep beneath the ocean's surface at a drilling facility, Underwater is an action-packed sci-fi thriller that follows a group of researchers who find themselves under attack by unknown aquatic entities. Starring Kristen Stewart and Vincent Cassel in riveting performances, this visually striking film offers breathtaking underwater cinematography and heart-pounding action sequences. The mysterious creatures lurking beneath the depths are masterfully brought to life through innovative special effects and design work, making Underwater essential viewing for fans of marine-based thrillers.

• # 323 of 396 on The Best Horror Movies Of All Time
• # 36 of 52 on The 50+ Best Submarine Movies
• # 4 of 31 on The 31 Scariest Ocean Horror Movies That'll Keep You On Dry Land

Deep Rising

Deep Rising is a thrilling action-horror flick set aboard a luxurious cruise ship that finds itself under attack by monstrous tentacled creatures from the ocean depths. Director Stephen Sommers blends nail-biting tension with sharp-witted humor as he leads audiences through the battle against these unknown marine horrors. Starring Treat Williams and Famke Janssen, this 1998 film showcases impressive practical effects that bring its fearsome underwater antagonists to life while offering high-stakes survival scenarios for its diverse cast of characters amidst intense aquatic mayhem.

• # 87 of 99 on The Best 1990s Action Movies
• # 7 of 14 on 14 Sci-Fi Monsters That Still Make Us Shudder
• # 39 of 44 on The 40+ Best Lost At Sea Movies

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho masterfully blends social commentary, family dynamics, and a terrifying aquatic monster in The Host . Following the story of a dysfunctional family's desperate attempt to rescue their youngest member from the clutches of a mutated amphibious creature that has emerged from Seoul's Han River, this 2006 film is both an engaging character-driven drama and an unnerving monster movie. Featuring exceptional performances by Song Kang-ho and Bae Doona, The Host offers viewers tense action sequences, realistic special effects for depicting the horrifying water creature, and thought-provoking themes that elevate it above other entries in the genre.

• # 280 of 396 on The Best Horror Movies Of All Time
• # 48 of 101 on The Best Movies Of 2006
• # 12 of 14 on 14 'Stupid' Sci-Fi Movies That Are Secretly Brilliant

The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning masterpiece, The Shape of Water , tells a captivating love story between a mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) working at a government laboratory during the Cold War era and a captured amphibious creature (Doug Jones), exploring themes such as tolerance, empathy, and connection beyond language barriers. Boasting stunning visuals, enchanting music by composer Alexandre Desplat, and standout performances from Michael Shannon and Octavia Spencer alongside its leads, this unconventional fairy tale expertly weaves romance with elements reminiscent of classic monster movies while providing thought-provoking commentary on society's prejudices.

• # 64 of 96 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
• # 25 of 45 on 50+ Quirky Romance Movies With Unique Love Stories
• # 41 of 58 on The Best Valentine's Day Movies

The Irish horror-comedy film Grabbers revolves around blood-sucking alien sea creatures wreaking havoc on a small island community while local residents desperately try to fend them off using unconventional means. Directed by Jon Wright, this lighthearted romp successfully combines laughs with genuine scares as it pits eccentric characters against deceptively cute yet deadly aquatic invaders in a race against time to save their homes from utter destruction. With its distinct sense of humor and charmingly gory visual effects depicting bizarre water-dwelling adversaries, Grabbers offers a refreshing twist on traditional monster movies.

• # 43 of 62 on The Best Alien Horror Movies Ever Made
• # 10 of 12 on The 12 Best Irish Horror Movies Of All Time
• # 4 of 17 on Freaky Monster Movies That Aren't Mainstream For A Reason

Pacific Rim

Director Guillermo del Toro brings his signature imaginative flair to Pacific Rim - an exhilarating sci-fi action spectacle that follows human-controlled giant robots called Jaegers who battle colossal monsters known as Kaijus emerging from interdimensional portals in Earth's oceans. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, and Idris Elba in dynamic roles, Pacific Rim expertly marries bombastic action sequences with engaging character development to create a visually stunning epic that pays homage to classic Japanese monster films while offering its interpretation of aquatic adversaries through intricate creature design work.

• Dig Deeper... 24 Behind-the-Scenes Facts from the Original 'Pacific Rim'
• # 494 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 44 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens

DeepStar Six

DeepStar Six is an underwater horror-thriller set at a remote undersea military installation where scientists inadvertently unleash deadly creatures from the ocean depths while attempting to install nuclear missile silos. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham and featuring Greg Evigan in a lead role, this claustrophobic 1989 film focuses on tension-filled survival scenarios amidst relentless attacks by these monstrous inhabitants of the deep sea. With its gritty atmosphere and memorable monster designs that evoke primordial terrors lurking beneath the waves, DeepStar Six offers ample scares for fans of water creature films.

• # 11 of 14 on Pretty Good Horror Movies That Will Make You Afraid To Go In The Water
• # 21 of 31 on The 31 Scariest Ocean Horror Movies That'll Keep You On Dry Land
• # 4 of 20 on Underrated Movies About Sea Monsters

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Based on Dick King-Smith's novel, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is an enchanting family adventure film set in Scotland during World War II, where a young boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches into the mythical Loch Ness Monster. Directed by Jay Russell and featuring stellar performances from Emily Watson and Alex Etel, this heartening tale delves into themes of friendship, loyalty, and hope as it fuses charming humor with breathtaking visual effects to bring the magical water creature to life.

• # 178 of 188 on The 180+ Top Kids Movies
• # 10 of 15 on Underrated Fantasy Movies About Magical Creatures
• # 1 of 15 on The Best Loch Ness Monster Movies

The Blob is a classic sci-fi horror film featuring an alien entity that crash-lands on Earth and begins consuming everything in its path while growing larger with each victim it devours. Initially released in 1958 and later spawn Steven Mcqueen's iconic career before being remade in 1988 with updated special effects by Chuck Russell; both iterations offer gripping narratives centered around small-town residents struggling to contain this malevolent gelatinous mass threatening their lives. Entertaining and eerie in equal measure, The Blob has solidified its place among memorable movies featuring horrifying yet distinctly non-humanoid water creatures from outer space.

• # 82 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 260 of 279 on 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime
• # 131 of 396 on The Best Horror Movies Of All Time
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Monster review – multifaceted mystery from Hirokazu Kore-eda

The Japanese director of Shoplifters uses different takes on a single story to tell the fraught tale of two troubled boys

A frazzled widowed mother, Saori (Sakura Andô), suspects that all is not well with her preteen son, Minato (Soya Kurokawa). The boy seems subdued and withdrawn; she catches him hacking inches from his mop of hair. He asks odd, troubling questions: if the brain of a pig was transplanted into a human, what would the resulting creature be, human or pig? Or some kind of monster? And then there are the injuries – an ear yanked so brutally that it bleeds; a livid facial bruise. Saori soon deduces that her son’s new teacher, Michitoshi Hori (Eita Nagayama), at his provincial Japanese elementary school, is responsible for her son’s brooding disquiet. She confronts the school principal (a confounding reflecting prism of a performance from veteran actor Yūko Tanaka), but is frustrated by the school’s response: a suffocating blanket of meaningless apologies designed to stifle her complaints. Saori is understandably angry: her son, after all, is the victim of a cruel teacher.

Or is he? The latest film from Hirokazu Kore-eda ( Shoplifters ), and the first since 1995’s Maborosi that he didn’t also write or co-write (the screenplay is by Yūji Sakamoto), rewinds to the beginning of the story – a burning building is a marker point – and replays key scenes, fleshing out the tale, this time from the perspective of the well-meaning teacher. Hori feels, perhaps fairly, that he is being thrown to the wolves by the school authorities (“What actually happened does not matter,” says the chillingly dispassionate headteacher). His view of the classroom dynamic is that Minato is a bully who has systematically targeted a smaller, weirder child, Yori (Hinata Hiiragi), the social outcast of his class.

But then we rewind again, and the story plays out from the point of view of the two boys, showing the fragile new growth of a tentative friendship and the beginning of an understanding of deeper feelings for each other. The kind of feelings that Yori’s drunken, boorish father already suspects in his sensitive son, and is prepared to beat out of him.

It’s a difficult thing to pull off without it feeling a little disingenuous. This structure – the Rashomon technique of offering different perspectives on a single story, with each new angle subtly shifting the audience’s view – is by its nature manipulative. It only works when we, the viewers, accept that the film-maker is deliberately misleading us through selective omission and unreliable witness accounts; when we agree to be led astray and then guided toward some kind of truth and resolution.

Monster is an interesting case. Aided by a delicate, crystalline score by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto , Kore-eda deftly carries us through the shifting perspectives of the story with an ease born of extensive practice – the director of films such as Broker and Our Little Sister is no stranger to elegantly handled emotional manipulation, after all. There are a few too many red herrings, and some nagging questions. Why, for example, if the teacher suspected that Yori was being bullied by Minato, did he somehow fail to notice the campaign of terror being run by the other little shits in the class?

But when it comes to the payoff, that satisfying clincher that ties everything together, we are confronted with not one but two starkly contrasting readings of the ultimate “truth” at the end, one optimistic of a new start, the other involving the deaths of several characters. After the first viewing I veered emphatically towards the bleaker option. A rewatch opened up the possibility that the more hopeful take was the correct one. For what it’s worth, Kore-eda said after the film’s Cannes premiere that the cast and crew opted for the positive reading of events, but he conceded that the tragic interpretation was equally valid.

Does it matter that there is such ambiguity about the film’s ending? Perhaps not as much as you might expect, although there’s a sense that Monster pulls its punches throughout, forever stopping short of making a bold statement. The decision to focus on the relationship between pre-adolescents rather than older children is a key example – the film hints at questions of sexuality but neatly sidesteps actual sex. Ultimately, the question of what actually happened is just another red herring. The real point of the film is its heartfelt, if slightly trite, message: that it’s the wider world that needs to adapt and accept the differences of children like Minato and Yori, rather than the other way around.

• Wendy Ide's film of the week
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The Shape of Water

At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity. At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity. At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

• Guillermo del Toro
• Vanessa Taylor
• Sally Hawkins
• Octavia Spencer
• Michael Shannon
• 1.7K User reviews
• 1K Critic reviews
• 87 Metascore
• 137 wins & 350 nominations total

• Elisa Esposito

• Zelda Fuller

• Richard Strickland

• Amphibian Man

• Dr. Robert Hoffstetler

• General Hoyt

• Elaine Strickland

• Brewster Fuller

• Mr. Arzoumanian

• Burly Russian

• Military Policeman

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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia Director Guillermo del Toro said about Sally Hawkins , "Not only was she the first choice, she was the only choice. I wrote the movie for Sally, I wrote the movie for Michael [Shannon]... Sally is -- I wanted the character of Elisa to be beautiful, in her own way, not in a way that is like a perfume commercial kind of way. That you could believe that this character, this woman would be sitting next to you on the bus. But at the same time she would have a luminosity, a beauty, almost magical, ethereal."
• Goofs After Richard Strickland's children leave to get on the school bus, Strickland's wife Elaine states she wants to have sex upstairs, but the establishing shot of their house a few seconds earlier does not have a second story.

[last lines]

Giles : If I told you about her, what would I say? That they lived happily ever after? I believe they did. That they were in love? That they remained in love? I'm sure that's true. But when I think of her - of Elisa - the only thing that comes to mind is a poem, whispered by someone in love, hundreds of years ago: "Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with Your love, It humbles my heart, For You are everywhere."

• Crazy credits The opening credits roll over footage of a flooded apartment.
• Connections Featured in FoundFlix: The Shape of Water (2017) Ending Explained + Analysis (2017)
• Soundtracks You'll Never Know Music by Harry Warren Lyrics by Mack Gordon Performed by Renée Fleming & The London Symphony Orchestra Arranged & Conducted by Alexandre Desplat Recorded & Mixed by Jonathan Allen at Studio de la Grande Armée, Paris Assistant: Ludovick Tartavel Piano: Frédéric Gaillardet Double Bass: Riccardo Del Fra Drums: Jeff Boudreaux (as Jeffrey Boudreaux) Bass Flute: Alexandre Desplat Courtesy of Decca Music Group Limited Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd.

User reviews 1.7K

• Dec 22, 2017
• How long is The Shape of Water? Powered by Alexa
• December 22, 2017 (United States)
• United States
• Fox Searchlight
• Official Facebook
• American Sign Language
• Người Đẹp và Thủy Quái
• Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Double Dare You (DDY)
• Searchlight Pictures
• TSG Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $19,400,000 (estimated)
• $63,859,435
• Dec 3, 2017
• $195,243,464

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• Runtime 2 hours 3 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Water Monster Reviews

• 1 hr 30 mins
• Fantasy, Action & Adventure
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After years in hiding, the water monster returns and wreaks havoc on a small village.

The Water Monster

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