Stay Home, Watch Horror: 5 Giant Monster Movies to Stream This Week – Bloody Disgusting

Theres something vastly appealing, on an international scale, about giant monster movies. For nearly as long as film has existed, theres been massive-sized beasts decimating cities and terrorizing those in its path. Time only proves that you cant keep a good monster down, as theyve been resurrected, rebooted, remade, and pitted against each other with no signs of slowing down.

Its not just the monster designs, epic set pieces, and big spectacle fun that has audiences returning to the giant monster movie, but they so often serve as hefty metaphors for societys biggest (pun intended) fears. Who isnt a sucker for a good monster movie with layers?

This weeks streaming picks belong to the giant monster, all available to binge now.

Godzilla Criterion Channel

A worldwide pop culture icon, Godzilla is the definitive poster child of kaiju films. Starring in a long-running franchise more than thirty-films long and counting, including the upcomingGodzilla vs. Kong, it can be intimidating knowing where to start. Or even if kaiju fits your style and tastes. In this case, start with the granddaddy of kaiju; the original 1954Godzilla. Directed by Ishiro Honda, the film sees the residents of Odo island terrorized by ancient sea beast Godzilla after hes awakened by nuclear testing. Meaning,Godzilla isnt really about Godzilla at all, but a metaphorical response to the atomic bombs effect on nature and humanity through Japans perspective. Godzilla may have become a more lovable protector throughout the years, but this giant monster started as a sobering allegory. This pick is also available to stream on HBO Max.

Monsters Pluto TV, Tubi

Written and directed by Gareth Edwards, this giant creature feature is very likely responsible for Edwards landing the gig directing the 2014 American reboot,Godzilla. His feature debut is set six years after extraterrestrials crash-landed in Central America and began to spread. The U.S. and Mexican military struggle to keep the giant creatures contained in a quarantined area, creating a danger zone in which a cynical journalist must navigate as he escorts a shaken tourist to the safety of the U.S. border. Gareth transcends the shackles of low budget constraints with great visual effects, and a story focused on the human condition. Its innovative and ambitious.

Q The Winged Serpent Prime Video, Tubi

No one does guerilla filmmaking like Larry Cohen. Within days of being let go from a film being shot in New York, Cohen decided to stick around and make a movie of his own. After a mere few days of pre-production, including preparing a shooting script and pulling a cast together, he began shooting Q a film about a Quetzalcoatl thats taken up residence in the Chrysler building. David Carradine stars as the detective attempting to solve a string of Aztec ritual murders and Michael Moriarty stars as a crook with jazz aspirations that stumbles upon Qs nest. Throw in impressive stop-motion animation, and you have a giant American kaiju film that shouldnt be near as coherent as this is for coming together so quickly.

Anaconda Prime Video

This late 90s Blockbuster horror movie pit Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube against a massive Amazonian snake. Or, more accurately, against Jon Voigts over the top villain Paul Serone, a snake hunter that forces them to assist in capturing the eponymous anaconda. Its a big action spectacle that features a 40-foot man-eating snake that squeezes its prey to death, eats it, and occasionally barfs it back up to enjoy all over again. Look for Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, Danny Trejo, and Kari Wuhrer to round out the cast as potential snake fodder.

Trollhunter Tubi, Crackle, Pluto TV, YouTube

In this mockumentary by Andr vredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe), a group of students set out to make a documentary about a bear poacher. They soon learn that hes a troll hunter tasked with eliminating dangerous trolls that have escaped their territory. One of the most unique entries in the found footage subgenre, Trollhunter infuses Norwegian folklore into a thrilling tale with massive creatures and dry wit. Its highly entertaining and hilarious and makes full use of scenic Norway as a breathtaking backdrop for the adventure. Its a breezy genre adventure that offers easily digestible escapism, but one that contains layers and Norway-specific references worth digging into after the first watch.

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Stay Home, Watch Horror: 5 Giant Monster Movies to Stream This Week - Bloody Disgusting

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero