Monster Movies The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era  

Ranker Film
3.6k votes 285 voters 5.8k views 50 items

List Rules Vote up the best monster movies that have been released since 1990. No zombies.

This list contains information on the best modern monster movies, ranked from best to worst by user votes. The best films about new monsters come in many forms. Some monster movies made after 1990 find characters fighting for their lives against alien invaders while other good monster movies feature flesh-eating zombies. Many of the best new giant monster movies are remakes of classic horror films.

What films will you find on this top modern monster movies list? Godzilla has to be near the top. Dinosaurs, werewolves, aliens, goblins, basilisks, and even a terrifying unicorn are among the monsters featured in the best new monster films. War of the Worlds is another good recent monster movie.

Cloverfield used a found footage narrative to demonstrate the fear characters felt facing off against a horrifying monster. Other good films featured on this top modern monster movies list include Super 8, The Mist, and Kong: Skull Island.

How will we ever determine which modern monster movie is the best? Help us decide by giving your favorites a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

list ordered by

1
96 21
Jurassic Park is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the first installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. It is based on the 1990 novel of the ...more

2
75 31
Tremors is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Kevin Bacon, Reba McEntire, Fred Ward Tremors is a 1990 American western monster film directed by Ron Underwood, written by Brent Maddock, S. S. Wilson and Underwood, and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, ...more

3
72 31
Jurassic World is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio Jurassic World is an upcoming 2015 American science fiction adventure film directed by Colin Trevorrow. It is the fourth installment in the Jurassic Park film series. The screenplay was ...more

4
82 39
Godzilla is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche Godzilla is a 2014 American science fiction monster film directed by Gareth Edwards. It is a reboot of the Godzilla film franchise and retells the origins of Godzilla in contemporary times as a ...more

5
71 32
The Mist is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden The Mist is a 2007 American science fiction horror film based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. The film was written and directed by Frank Darabont, who had previously ...more

6
72 33
Kong: Skull Island is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman Kong: Skull Island is a 2017 American monster film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. The film is a reboot of the King Kong franchise and will serve as the second film in Legendary's Godzilla–Kong ...more

7
70 32
Hellboy is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
John Hurt, Selma Blair, Ron Perlman Hellboy is a 2004 American supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman and directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is loosely based on the Dark Horse Comics graphic novel Hellboy: Seed of ...more

8
75 37
Pacific Rim is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman Pacific Rim is a 2013 action sci-fi film directed by Guillermo del Toro.

9
72 35
King Kong is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody King Kong is a 2005 epic monster film and remake of the 1933 film of the same name. Directed, co-written, and produced by Peter Jackson, it stars Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow, Jack Black as Carl ...more

10
64 29
The Cabin in the Woods is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Chris Hemsworth, Sigourney Weaver, Amy Acker The Cabin in the Woods is a 2012 American horror comedy film directed by Drew Goddard in his directorial debut, produced by Joss Whedon, and written by Whedon and Goddard. The film stars Kristen ...more

11
60 27
Cloverfield is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Odette Annable, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas Cloverfield is a 2008 American science fiction found footage monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams & Bryan Burk, and written by Drew Goddard. Before settling on an ...more

12
71 38
Pan's Labyrinth is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Doug Jones, Ivana Baquero, Sergi López i Ayats Pan's Labyrinth, originally known in Spanish as El laberinto del fauno, is a 2006 Spanish-Mexican dark fantasy film written and directed by Mexican Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and ...more

13
52 25
The Lost World: Jurassic Park is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Julianne Moore, Steven Spielberg, Camilla Belle The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 American science fiction adventure directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second installment in the Jurassic Park franchise. The film was produced by ...more

14
41 26
Alien vs. Predator is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen, Tommy Flanagan Alien vs. Predator is a 2004 American science fiction action film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen. It is the first installment of the Alien vs. ...more

15
46 31
TrollHunter is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Knut Nærum, Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoltenberg Trollhunter is a 2010 Norwegian dark fantasy film, made in the form of a "found footage" mockumentary. It is written and directed by André Øvredal, and features a mixed ...more

16
42 28
Lake Placid is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Betty White, Mariska Hargitay, Bridget Fonda Lake Placid is a 1999 American monster horror comedy film. The film was written by David E. Kelley and directed by Steve Miner, starring Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan ...more

17
40 28
Reign of Fire is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Gerard Butler Reign of Fire is a 2002 post-apocalyptic action fantasy film directed by Rob Bowman and starring Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey and Gerard Butler. It takes place in the year 2020 in ...more

18
39 27
The Descent is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Gabi Golan, Keren Miedzinski, Shosh Miedzinski The Descent is a 2009 short drama film written and directed by Shai Miedzinski.

19
35 23
Alien 3 is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, Paul McGann Alien 3 is a 1992 American science-fiction horror film and the debut feature film of director David Fincher. The film is the third installment of the Alien film series. The film takes place ...more

20
24 12
A Quiet Place is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
carlybobarly added John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe A Quiet Place is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed by John Krasinski. A family living on a farm hides from a supernatural evil attracted to sound by avoiding making sound and ...more

21
40 29
Super 8 is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction horror film written, co-produced, and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle ...more

22
38 27
Jurassic Park III is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Téa Leoni, William H. Macy, Laura Dern Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction adventure monster film. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and a sequel to the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic ...more

23
47 41
Godzilla is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Matthew Broderick, Hank Azaria, Jean Reno Godzilla is a 1998 American science fiction monster film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. A reimagining of the popular Japanese film monster of the same name, the film focuses on a ...more

24
39 34
Alien: Covenant is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup Alien: Covenant is a 2017 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, and the sixth film in the Alien film series. The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an ...more

25
16 9
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, B. D. Wong Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 American science fiction adventure film directed by J. A. Bayona. When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire ...more

26
10 3
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Carly Kiel added John Hurt, Seth MacFarlane, Jimmy Kimmel Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a 2008 American supernatural superhero film based on the fictional character Hellboy created by Mike Mignola. The movie was written and directed by Guillermo del ...more

27
38 34
Monsters, Inc. is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film directed by Pete Docter, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. John Lasseter and Andrew ...more

28
33 29
Slither is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Elizabeth Banks, Jenna Fischer, Rob Zombie Slither is a 2006 American science fiction-comedy horror film written and directed by James Gunn in his directorial debut, and starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, and Michael ...more

29
8 2
Godzilla, King of the Monsters... is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
DugoNinja added Raymond Burr, Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a 1956 Japanese American science fiction kaiju film co-directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishirō Honda. The film is a heavily re-edited American adaptation, ...more

30
7 1
Shin Godzilla is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira, also known as Godzilla Resurgence) is a 2016 Japanese science fiction kaiju film and the 31st installment in the Godzilla franchise. It received 11 Japan Academy ...more

31
35 34
10 Cloverfield Lane is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher 10 Cloverfield Lane is a 2016 American science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Dan Trachtenberg. The film was developed from a script titled The Cellar, but under production by ...more

32
45 46
Independence Day is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction disaster film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. The film stars Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, ...more

33
29 28
Alien: Resurrection is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Winona Ryder, Sigourney Weaver, Ron Perlman Alien: Resurrection is a 1997 American science fiction action horror film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by Joss Whedon. It is the fourth installment in the Alien film series, and ...more

34
30 30
The Host is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Bae Doona, Scott Wilson, Song Kang-Ho The Host is a 2006 South Korean monster film. The movie concerns a monster taking a man's daughter, and his attempts to rescue her. According to the director, his inspiration came from a local ...more

35
21 20
Tremors 2: Aftershocks is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Fred Ward, Michael Gross, Helen Shaver Tremors II: Aftershocks is a 1996 direct-to-video sequel to Tremors, in which the character of Earl Bassett, returning from the first film, is hired to deal with a subterranean ...more

36
24 24
Evolution is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Julianne Moore, Sarah Silverman, Dan Aykroyd Evolution is a 2001 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Julianne Moore and Ted Levine. In the United ...more

37
28 29
Clash of the Titans is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes Clash of the Titans is a 2010 British-American fantasy adventure film and remake of the 1981 film of the same name produced by MGM. The story is very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. ...more

38
29 33
Eight Legged Freaks is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Scarlett Johansson, David Arquette, Kari Wührer Eight Legged Freaks is a 2002 American horror-comedy film directed by Ellory Elkayem and stars David Arquette, Kari Wührer, Scott Terra, and Scarlett Johansson. The plot concerns a ...more

39
37 44
War of the Worlds is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Channing Tatum War of the Worlds is a 2005 American epic science fiction disaster film and a loose adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh ...more

40
24 28
Splice is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac Splice is a 2009 Canadian-French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, and Delphine Chanéac. The story concerns experiments in ...more

41
29 36
Monsters vs. Aliens is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Reese Witherspoon, Amy Poehler, Renée Zellweger Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated science fiction action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was DreamWorks ...more

42
22 29
The Shape of Water is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins The Shape of Water is a 2017 American fantasy romance film directed by Guillermo del Toro. Lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of silence and isolation until she discovers a secret ...more

43
18 24
Wrath of the Titans is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Rosamund Pike Wrath of the Titans is a 2012 film directed by Jonathan Liebesman.

44
19 28
Colossal is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens Colossal is a 2016 science fiction comedy film directed and written by Nacho Vigalondo. Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an unemployed writer struggling with alcoholism. After moving back to her ...more

45
10 16
Primeval is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Dominic Purcell, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones Primeval is a 2007 American horror film which was released on January 12, 2007. The film, starring Dominic Purcell, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones and Jürgen Prochnow, depicts a team of ...more

46
16 26
Anaconda is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Owen Wilson Anaconda is a 1997 adventure-horror film, directed by Luis Llosa, starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, Kari Wuhrer and Jonathan Hyde. It centers on a film ...more

47
34 51
Ghostbusters is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon Ghostbusters (alternatively known as Ghostbusters: Answer the Call and marketed as such on home release) is a 2016 American supernatural action comedy horror film directed by Paul Feig. It is ...more

48
18 29
Monsters University is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Helen Mirren, Kelsey Grammer, Billy Crystal Monsters University is a 2013 animation adventure comedy film directed by Dan Scanlon.

49
20 35
Independence Day - Resurgence is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman Independence Day: Resurgence is a 2016 American science fiction action disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Nicolas Wright, James A. Woods and James ...more

50
11 35
Gods of Egypt is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best Monster Movies of the Modern Era
Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Geoffrey Rush Gods of Egypt is an upcoming American adventure epic fantasy film directed by Alex Proyas and co-written with Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The film stars Brenton Thwaites, Gerard Butler, ...more