Top 10 Scariest Deep Sea Movie Monsters

“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954)
This massive mollusk’s attack on Captain Nemo’s submarine will make you think twice before ordering calamari. Its tentacles toss men like ragdolls and can envelope whole ships. Huge eyes help it launch ambushes in the dimly lit depths. Did we mention a beak big enough to make sushi out of Nemo’s crew? Electric shocks only tick it off and harpoons are little more than bee stings. In a film overflowing with Academy Award-winning special effects, this animatronic squid steals the show. The fact these giants are real only adds to its fear factor. However, this scene almost wasn’t. Originally filmed in calm water at sunset, it was reshot on a dark storming sea. Producer Walt Disney spared no expense bringing this aquatic nightmare to life.

“The Fog” (1980)
The vengeful apparitions in Director John Carpenter’s follow-up to 1978’s “Halloween” are as frightening as they are unstoppable. Superhuman strength and near invincibility make each member of this shadowy crew a force to be reckoned with. They wage psychological warfare by possessing radios, blowing out windows and causing objects to spontaneously combust. A mysterious fog provides cover while frying engines and electronics. Even scarier, these ghouls may have a point, and we’re not talking about their many hooks, swords and knives. You see, they died when their ship was sunk and robbed by the founders of Antonio Bay. They’ve returned 100 years later to exact revenge on their murderers’ descendants. Despite a limited budget, Carpenter’s killer crew make this an unsettling cult classic.

“Deep Rising” (1998)
This feature may be funnier than it is freaky, but its creature is pure cringe. Initially, the Octalus appears to be several gargantuan worms. These are lightning-fast but strong enough to crush steel. Each sports a disgusting orifice they use to swallow victims whole. These unlucky monster snacks are horrifically digested from the inside out while still alive. Eventually, the Octalus’s colossal main head is revealed. At least several stories tall, it has a mouth big enough to gulp down a semi. Fearsome, clever and slimy, this sea creature has us firmly committed to never going on a cruise with Treat Williams.

“Clash of The Titans” (2010)
The big bad in this remake had some mythically huge shoes - or should we say flippers - to fill. While we love the design of the original from 1981, the 2010 version grotesquely reimagines this behemoth on a grander scale. Those beady eyes and big mouth give it a more animalistic feel. Its unique body plan includes extremely long tentacles, crab-like legs and arms with major tickets to the gun show. This thing is truly gigantic, dwarfing the city of Argos. Literally made from the God of Death’s body, this monster was slaying Titans moments after it was…hatched? For humans and demigods in ancient Greece, this brute inspired panic, all the more so since the gods were literally on its side.

“Moby Dick” (1956)
When you break it down, this white whale is just a 90-foot-long albino sea mammal with a mean streak. Don’t get us wrong, that’s enough sea monster to make anyone number two their wetsuit! But the foreboding this cetacean inspires is much more than physical. Captain Ahab claims the white whale's clever attacks prove an evil intellect. The old man’s missing leg is evidence, though the big fish seems to have taken his marbles too. Gregory Peck’s commanding performance as the mad captain builds the beast up before it ever breaches the surface. When you consider Ahab and his crew do battle on boats not much bigger than paddleboards, you see why this sea devil drove so many sailors mad with fear.

“Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954)
Sure, this aquatic humanoid may not be as tall as a skyscraper, but size isn’t everything when it comes to dread. First off, the Gill-man shows real smarts, carefully observing prey and setting traps before attacking. It’s tough too, surviving harpoons, bullets and getting set on fire. Our fishy fellow is also strong enough to move tree trunks and easily overpower full-grown men. Plus, it has superfast healing, razor-sharp claws and can breathe underwater. Yet, the creature’s strange blend of human and fish features is perhaps its most unsettling aspect. The rubber suit might seem a little hokey now, but two sequels, numerous cameos and legions of imitators prove this beast still swims in the depths of our subconscious fears.

“Pacific Rim” (2013)
Few films feature as many terrifying sea monsters as this international blockbuster. These aren’t just mindless brutes either. Kaiju are humongous bioweapons sent from another dimension to exterminate humanity. Ever resourceful, people fight back using giant robotic suits called jaegers. This arms race culminates with the nearly 600-foot tall monstrosity Slattern. It’s got a dome like a hammerhead shark, three highly destructive tails, a retractable chest spike and some very toxic morning breath. As if that wasn’t enough, this killing machine is backed up by two smaller but equally ugly Kaiju. Even a nuclear bomb doesn’t kill this walking extinction-level event. Say what you will about Pacific Rim’s plot, few horror flicks have spawned freaks as otherworldly as this Kaiju king.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest” (2006)
Davy Jones and the mutated crew of the Flying Dutchman are monsters in their own right. But while we’d definitely steer clear of them at a seafood buffet, it’s Jones’s pet Kraken that really makes us flip. Like a giant squid on steroids, this cephalopod heavyweight swings low and from the starboard. It easily karate chops ships in half while swallowing sailors by the dozen in its gaping, tooth-filled mouth. Even worse, victims may find themselves serving Jones as fishy freaks. To simulate its attack, the film crew used a small navy of grips, tons of pneumatic cannons and 30,000 pounds of concrete. However you say Kraken — or is it Kray-ken — this beast’s name is synonymous with existential dread in all seven seas.

“Godzilla” franchise (1954-)
The king of monsters has taken many forms over the decades, with some admittedly scarier than others. Exact power sets vary, but Godzilla’s near invulnerability and atomic breath mean he’s always a major threat. While physically the toughest creature on this list, our radioactive reptile is more than muscle. He is the physical embodiment of the horror of nuclear war. In the 1954 original, his scabby hide is modeled on the disfigured skin of atomic bomb survivors. Likewise, 2016’s “Shin Godzilla” echoes aspects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Once Godzilla emerges from the ocean, he's almost unstoppable, inspiring fear in everyone from Tokyo residents to his many monstrous rivals.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Cthulhu & The Deep Ones, “Underwater” (2019)
This Ominous Dark God Evokes Cosmic Horror


Megalodons, “The Meg” (2018)
These Giant Sharks Make Easy Meals of Giant Squids, Whales, & Even Each Other


Alligators, “Crawl” (2019)
These Opportunistic Reptiles Stage a Home Invasion During a Hurricane

Gwoemul, “The Host” (2006)
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Gwoemul is Korean: to e it sounds like Kway-mwee

“Jaws” (1975)
Compared to the other monstrosities we’ve discussed, a 25-foot long shark weighing 6,000 pounds may not sound so bad. Nevertheless, when it comes to inspiring real-world pandemonium, this fish has every other bottom feeder beat. Part psychological thriller, part blockbuster creature feature, “Jaws” proved fear is about what you don’t see as much as what you do. A malfunctioning mechanical shark forced the crew to use floating barrels, solitary fins and clever shots as stand-ins. Legendary performances by the likes of Robert Shaw and the simple but haunting score by John Williams more than overcompensate for the camera-shy killing machine. Rather than detracting from the fear factor, this focus on the emotional fallout from our oversized fish’s rampage has left generations crippled by hydrophobia.