Monsters, by their very name, are supposed to be monstrous. Perhaps hideous like The Hideous Sun Demon, or beastly like Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Just throw an exclamation point on a film title like Them! or Tarantula! so we know something terrible is coming. Just give us a monster – it’s why we watch.
But there’s the chance if the monster lets us down through no fault of its own – bad design, poor effects or lame powers – it can taint our film experience. That means low-budget B-movie monsters – a favorite of mine – are at a disadvantage from a lack of resources. (I like to think filmmakers do the best with their creativity and budget, so I’ll forgive the shortcomings of the B-movie monsters.)…