There is a genre of horror movies called natural horror that encompasses animals, not genetically enhanced or alien in origin, that attack people. The reasons for their actions vary from genetic testing to just being bad-tempered and territorial. The 1970s especially had its number of films with a central theme of animals turning against people in response to their careless destruction of nature. And how many times have you changed the channel when another cheapo shark movie on Syfy starts up? Well, here are some memorable critters from all kinds of horror movies.
 The Alligator in Alligator1980 This reptilian horror flick is based on the enduring urban legend that alligators, flushed as baby gators down the toilet when the owners could no longer care for them, lurk in the sewers. While there has been rare cases of alligators ending up in the sewer system for random reasons, the urban legend is more or less fiction. |
| The titular behemoth, whose size was caused by eating dead pets injected with growth hormones, in the film has an insatiable appetite. One notably cruel scene is when some clueless children toss their mate into a pool, not realizing that the overgrown crocodilian was lurking at the bottom. |
 Thor in Bad Moon1996 This fairly obscure werewolf movie from the '90s is based on a book called Thor. The story was changed quite a bit as the novel's perspective was told from the dog's POV. |
| In the cinematic adaptation, a single mother's brother comes to stay with her, her son, and their pet German Shepherd, Thor. Only Thor notices that the uncle is a werewolf, and he does whatever it takes to protect his family. Bad Moon is remembered mainly for the impressive, non-CGI werewolf costume. |
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| Even today, this film sets the standards for creature features. There was a 1994 made-for-TV sequel, The Birds II: Land End, that also featured Tippi Hedren. She went on to say of the sequel "It's absolutely horrible, it embarrasses me horribly" in a 2002 interview. |
This anthology was inspired by short stories written by Stephen King, and it shares the same director, Lewis Teague, as Alligator. The linking element for each tale is a stray cat later named General. |
| The final segment, simply titled "General," has our feline protagonist being adopted by a family that includes a daughter portrayed by a young Drew Barrymore. The child is being targeted by a breath-stealing troll in the wall. The only thing in the monster's way is General, who must deal with the girl's cat-hating mother first. |
Here is one of Stephen King's most well-known characters: a rabid Saint Bernard called Cujo. The poor dog was bitten by an infected bat, which caused its aggressive and violent behavior. While Cujo could be considered a monster, you cannot help but a feel a little pity for this canine. |
The 1975 shark thriller and its novel basis written by Peter Benchley are both loosely adapted from the "Twelve Days of Terror," the 1916 string of shark attacks off the New Jersey coast. The movie's giant fish is so iconic now that you cannot help but think twice when going swimming at the beach. |
| There are three sequels, but only the first one is decent. Jaws 2 plays out like a slasher - instead with a shark as the killer. The mediocre follow-up takes place at Sea World, and the final installment features Michael Caine as the love interest to a woman whose family has been destroyed by the notorious great whites. |
The massive success of Jaws created a series of similar films. Many of which were downright awful. Yet in 1975, a dark and ridiculous movie about a vengeful killer whale broke through to the surface. |
| At the time of its release, Orca was widely panned. Even though the core premise (a killer whale seeking revenge after its mate is killed) was not really like that of Jaws, audiences and critics felt that it was still too familiar. That being said, the movie has some beautiful scenery shots and suspenseful scenes. |
It is not surprising that a lot of people have never heard of this Australian movie. At the time of its release, Razorback was a financial flop. It only received a limited theatrical run in the United States, too. |
| For what is basically a movie about a giant wild boar killing people in rural Australia, Razorback is a top notch natural horror film with a deep eeriness and a frightening antagonist. |
One of the better horror remakes is Alexandre Aja's 2006 film The Hills Have Eyes. As with the original 1977 movie directed by Wes Craven, the story's victimized family owned two German Shepherds named Beauty and Beast. Clever, right? |
| The murderous clan of mutants in the reimagining gets its just desserts when Beast takes it upon himself to avenge its his fallen mate. |
In spite of the title, Frogs is led by a bunch of toads. The amphibians headed an army of animals (alligators, snapping turtles, lizards, insects, snakes) in this 1972 groaner, which is deservingly picked apart by viewers. If you like camp, there's plenty of it here. |
The Birds in The Birds
General in Cat's Eye
Cujo in Cujo
The Shark in Jaws
The Killer Whale in Orca
The Boar in Razorback
Beast in The Hills Have Eyes
The Entire Animal Cast in FrogsImages (made by me) source
Movie info taken from IMDB: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
Ever had a strange run-in with an animal, ONTD? Or what animal scares you? Pet post?
