Editorials
Six Period Piece Monster Movies You Should Watch
From historically accurate costumes to expensive set designs, it takes a lot of money to shoot a believable period piece, with these films requiring an additional level of planning in order to feel true to life. That’s why it’s so rare to see non-blockbuster productions take on this challenge – especially when it comes to monster movies.
That being said, there are still some brave genre filmmakers that try and experiment with different story settings without the benefit of a super-hero movie budget, which often leads to incredibly unique horror films. That’s why we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six of the best period-piece monster movies, as creature features shouldn’t have to be limited to any particular era.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining “period piece” as any movie that takes place in a time period previous to when it was filmed. This excludes classic creature features like Godzilla and The Creature From the Black Lagoon since they were technically contemporary productions back when they were first released.
With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own historical horror favorites if you think we missed a particularly spooky one. And if you’re a fan of Viking horror, I’d also recommend checking out our previous article on Howard McCain’s Outlander!
Now, onto the list…
6. Frankenstein’s Army (2013)
A rare example of historical Found Footage, Richard Raaphorst’s Frankenstein’s Army accompanies a group of Soviet soldiers as they document their invasion of Nazi Germany and accidentally discover bio-mechanical monstrosities created by a descendant of the original Dr. Victor Frankenstein. From this description alone, you probably already know whether or not you’re going to enjoy this cheesy midnight movie.
While I personally wish that there was an alternate cut of the film with more period-accurate visuals and sound, the nightmarish production design and utterly insane story make this a must-watch for fans of monstrous schlock and World War II action alike.
5. Deathwatch (2002)
The horrors of World War I are a criminally underused setting for scary stories, with trench warfare and chemical weapons being naturally suited for the horror genre. That’s why I appreciate M.J. Bassett’s Deathwatch as an underrated foray into WWI paranoia, with the film chronicling the plight of a British squad that becomes trapped in a supernaturally evil trench.
While including this film on the list is kind of a stretch, as the “monster” here happens to be the living trench itself, there’s no denying Bassett’s eye for monstrous terror as barbed wire comes alive like tentacles and attacks these ill-fated soldiers. Not only that, but the film also benefits from a talented cast featuring the likes of Jamie Bell and even Andy Serkis.
4. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2009)
While it’s often regarded as the worst entry in the Ginger Snaps trilogy, this 19th century parable still works as an entertaining standalone werewolf yarn even if you haven’t seen the previous films. Telling the story of two sisters who find themselves trapped in a Trading Fort as it comes under siege by ravenous werewolves, Ginger Snaps Back is completely different from its predecessors.
While the low budget means that the production isn’t 100% historically accurate (this was shot back-to-back with the second film, after all), Katherine Isabelle and Emily Perkins still make for a kick-ass duo in this refreshingly atmospheric werewolf flick.
3. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
The Underworld franchise has seen its fair share of ups and downs, but I think it’s pretty well accepted at this point that the first and third entries are by far the best in the series. And while the first film benefits from Kate Beckinsale’s star-making performance, Rise of the Lycans stands out by giving Michael Sheen the chance to shine as a medieval Werewolf on a quest for freedom from his vampiric masters.
Featuring plenty of over-the-top monster-on-monster violence coupled with Game-of-Thrones-esque political intrigue, this unexpected prequel manages to entertain without the need for ultraviolet bullets or Matrix-inspired visuals. Plus, it features some of the best practical effects on this list.
2. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Set in 1921, E. Elias Merhige’s Shadow of the Vampire isn’t just a meta-horror story inspired by the real production of F.W. Murnau’s infamous Nosferatu, it’s also a showcase for one of the best vampiric performances of all time. In the film, Willem Dafoe plays a fictionalized version of German actor Max Schreck, who just so happens to be a real vampire recruited by Murnau (John Malkovich) to make his horror film more authentic.
While the film will likely appeal more to fans of German expressionism and the silent film era in general, there’s no denying the charm of this horrific bit of cinematic satire. Hell, the movie even went on to inspire an episode of American Horror Story where Murnau was also revealed to have been a vampire all along.
1. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Featuring gorgeous cinematography, impressive martial arts action and plenty of good old-fashioned monster hunting, Christophe Gans’ Brotherhood of the Wolf is an incredibly underrated action horror flick with more up its sleeve than you might initially realize. Telling a fictionalized account of the real-life Beast of Gévaudan incident, the film features one of the most unique movie monsters ever put on film.
Sure, some of the flick’s CGI hasn’t aged all that well (and the script is clearly confused about who the main character is supposed to be), but I’d still recommend Brotherhood of the Wolf to any fan of bloody thrillers with a historical twist. Hell, it even influenced FromSoftware’s Bloodborne, so you know it’s gotta be good!
Editorials
The Lovecraftian Behemoth in ‘Underwater’ Remains One of the Coolest Modern Monster Reveals
One of the most important elements of delivering a memorable movie monster is the reveal. It’s a pivotal moment that finally sees the threat reveal itself in full to its prey, often heralding the final climactic confrontation, which can make or break a movie monster. It’s not just the creature effects and craftmanship laid bare; a monster’s reveal means the horror is no longer up to the viewer’s imagination.
When to reveal the monstrous threat is just as important as HOW, and few contemporary creature features have delivered a monster reveal as surprising or as cool as 2020’s Underwater.
The Setup
Director William Eubank’s aquatic creature feature, written by Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You) and Adam Cozad (The Legend of Tarzan), is set around a deep water research and drilling facility, Kepler 822, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, sometime in the future. Almost straight away, a seemingly strong earthquake devastates the facility, creating lethal destruction and catastrophic system failures that force a handful of survivors to trek across the sea floor to reach safety. But their harrowing survival odds get compounded when the group realizes they’re under siege by a mysterious aquatic threat.
The group is comprised of mechanical engineer Norah Price (Kristen Stewart), Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel), biologist Emily (Jessica Henwick), Emily’s engineer boyfriend Liam (John Gallagher Jr.), and crewmates Paul (T.J. Miller) and Rodrigo (Mamadou Athie).
Eubank toggles between survival horror and creature feature, with the survivors constantly facing new harrowing obstacles in their urgent bid to find an escape pod to the surface. The slow, arduous one-mile trek between Kepler 822 and Roebuck 641 comes with oxygen worries, extreme water pressure that crushes in an instant, and the startling discovery of a new aquatic humanoid species- one that happens to like feasting on human corpses. Considering the imploding research station, the Mariana Trench just opened a human buffet.
The Monster Reveal
For two-thirds of Underwater’s runtime, Eubank delivers a nonstop ticking time bomb of extreme survival horror as everything attempts to prevent the survivors from reaching their destination. That includes the increasingly pesky monster problem. Eubank shows these creatures piecemeal, borrowing a page from Alien by giving glimpses of its smaller form first, then quick flashes of its mature state in the pitch-black darkness of the deep ocean.
The third act arrives just as Norah reaches the Roebuck, but not before she must trudge through a dense tunnel of sleeping humanoids. Eubank treats this like a full monster reveal, with Stewart’s Norah facing an intense gauntlet of hungry creatures. She’s even partially swallowed and forced to channel her inner Ellen Ripley to make it through and inside to safety.
Yet, it’s not the true monster reveal here. It’s only once the potential for safety is finally in sight that Eubank pulls the curtain back to reveal the cause behind the entire nightmare: the winged Behemoth, Cthulhu. Suddenly, the tunnel of humanoid creatures moves away, revealing itself to be an appendage for a gargantuan creature. Norah sends a flare into the distance, briefly lighting the tentacled face of an ancient entity.
It’s not just the overwhelming vision of this massive, Lovecraftian entity that makes its reveal so memorable, but the retroactive story implications it creates. Cthulhu’s emerging presence, awakened by the relentless drilling at the deepest depths of the ocean, was behind the initial destruction that destroyed Kepler 822. More importantly, Eubank confirmed that the Behemoth is indeed Cthulhu, which means that the humanoid creatures stalking the survivors are Deep Ones. What makes this even more fascinating is that the choice to give the Big Bad Behemoth a Lovecraftian identity wasn’t part of the script. Eubank revealed in an older interview with Bloody Disgusting how the creature quietly evolved into Cthulhu.
The Death Toll
Just how deadly is Cthulhu? Well, that depends. Most of the on-screen deaths in Underwater are environmental, with implosions and water pressure taking out most of the characters we meet. The Deep Ones are first discovered munching on the corpse of an unidentified crew member, and soon after, kill and eat Paul in a gruesome fashion. Lucien gets dragged out into the open depths by a Deep One in a group attack but sacrifices himself via his pressurized suit to save his team from getting devoured.
The on-screen kill count at the hands of this movie monster and its minions is pretty minimal, but the news article clippings shown over the end credits do hint toward the larger impact. Two large deepsea stations were eviscerated by the emergence of Cthulhu, causing an undisclosed countless number of deaths right at the start of the film.
Norah gives her life to stop Cthulhu and save her remaining crewmates, but the Great Old One isn’t so easily vanquished. While the Behemoth may not have slaughtered many on screen here, his off-screen kill count through sheer destruction is likely impressive.
But the takeaway here is that Underwater ends in such a way that the Lovecraftian deity may only be at the start of a new reign of terror now that he’s awake.
The Impact
Neither Underwater or Cthulhu overstay their welcome here. Eubank shows just enough of his Behemoth to leave a lasting impression, without showing too much to ruin the mystery. The nonstop sense of urgency and survival complications only further the fast-paced thrills.
The result is a movie monster we’d love to see more from, and for horror fans, there’s no greater compliment than that.
Where to Watch
Underwater is currently available to stream on Tubi and FX Now.
It’s also available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.
In television, “Monster of the Week” refers to the one-off monster antagonists featured in a single episode of a genre series. The popular trope was originally coined by the writers of 1963’s The Outer Limits and is commonly employed in The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and so much more. Pitting a series’ protagonists against featured creatures offered endless creative potential, even if it didn’t move the serialized storytelling forward in huge ways. Considering the vast sea of inventive monsters, ghouls, and creatures in horror film and TV, we’re borrowing the term to spotlight horror’s best on a weekly basis.
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