1. Dracula (Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman)
2. Frankenstein's Monster (Boris Karloff)
3. The Wolf Man (also The Howling, An American Werewolf in London)
4. Kong (1933)
5. Sharks (Jaws, also Open Water)
6. Count Orlock (Nosferatu)
7. Godzilla
8. Phantom of the Opera (Lon Chaney)
9. Wicked Witch of the West
10. Michael Myers (Halloween, 1978)
11. The Flying Monkeys (Wizard of Oz)
12. The Mummy (Boris Karloff, Tom Tyler, Lon Chaney, Jr., Christopher Lee)
13. Satan (The Exorcist, Legend)
14. Ghosts
15. Dead sisters (The Shining)
16. Clowns (Killer Klowns, Poltergeist, It)
17. Norman Bates
18. 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville
19. Zombies (Night of the Living Dead and sequels)
20. Freddy Krueger
21. Apes (Planet of the Apes, 1968)
22. Creature from the Black Lagoon ("Gill Man")
23. Alien
24. The Oompa Loompas (Willy Wonka, 1971)
25. Black Riders (Lord of the Rings)
26. Invisible Man
27. The Headless Horseman
28. Mr. Hyde
29. Samarra (The Ring)
30. HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)
31. The Blob
32. Bride of Frankenstein
33. Blair Witch
34. Moby Dick
35. Medusa (Clash of the Titans)
36. The Joker
37. Chernabog (Fantasia, 1940)
38. Hannibal Lecter
39. Baby Jane (Bette Davis)
40. Pinhead (Hellraiser series)
41. Gollum (Lord of the Rings)
42. The Fly (1958)
43. Dinosaurs (Jurassic Park)
44. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th series)
45. Creature in the crate (Creepshow)
46. Ghostface (Scream)
47. Sleestaks (Land of the Lost TV series)
48. The Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
49. The Body Snatchers
50. The Grinch (Dr. Seuss / Chuck Jones / Boris Karloff)
51. Giant ants (THEM)
52. Minnie Castevet (Rosemary's Baby)
53. The White Witch (The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, 2005)
54. Chucky (Child's Play series)
55. Mrs. Baylock (The Omen)
56. The Cast of Freaks (1932)
57. Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
58. Witchiepoo (H.R. Pufnstuf TV series)
59. Cujo
60. Prince Prospero (Masque of the Red Death, 1964)
4 comments:
1. Greatest literary monster, yes. Greatest film monster, no. He's #2.
2. He's #1. Also played by Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi and Glenn Strange, among others, though Karloff is beyond definitive.
4. Lower.
5. Way lower.
7. Higher.
8. Slightly higher.
12. Higher.
13. Lower; you should also mention Tim Curry in "Legend" as being definitive.
14. Kind of a broad subject...
15. Lower.
16. Lower.
17. Higher. The first of the psycho killers.
18. Way lower. Stupid choice.
19. Higher.
20. Higher.
21. Not true monsters. Shouldn't be on list.
22. Higher.
24. ? Creepy, but not really monsters.
27. Higher. Terrifying when used well.
28. Higher.
29. And with a bullet...
32. Higher.
33. No monster in the film.
34. Not a true monster.
36. Not a true monster.
44. Higher. Sad to say, but its true.
54. Higher.
57. Higher.
Consider: Zelda from Pet Sematary; Ursula from The Little Mermaid; The Hunchback, probably best from Frankenstein and played by the great Dwight Frye; Brides of Dracula, or just the vampire itself; the demon from Jeepers Creepers is on the rise.
I didn't count Quasimodo as a monster (Kong was a stretch); the Jeepers Creepers guy I just plain forgot; same with Tim Curry's demon from Legend.
I also had a pretty liberal definition of "monster"...which is why I could include the Amityville House and the apes from Planet of the Apes (which scared tons of kids).
Quasimodo isn't a villain, but he is generally viewed as a monster (perhaps unfairly). He is usually included in with the Universal Monsters. That's why I suggested Dwight Frye's Fritz from Frankenstein as representative as opposed to any Quasimodo portrayal. Fritz is a villain, and the hunchback is an iconic template in horror. Bela also played a fairly sinister hunchback in House of Dracula. A hunchback was also one of the antagonists in Hammer's Revenge of Frankenstein.
Next time you want to do a horror list, consult the McIlwain who knows his horror. I don't go making lists like "Greatest Methodist Theologians," do I?
As far as hunchbacks, I considered Igor. I also DID consider Quasimodo, but really felt that he was more sympathetic than monstrous, whereas in Freaks, they seemed (to me) to be presented as pretty mosntrous at the end (note that I included the entire cast, which includes the "normal" strong man and trapeze lady, who were both pretty monstrous in their own way).
My list is from the POV of a more casual fan who digs monsters and monster movies; yours would be from the POV of a far more passionate and knowledgeable horror fan, and would likely include little known characters. Mine's more "every man".
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