20 best B-movie beasts

11. Willard (2003)

The beast: Killer rats

Killer features: Gnawing teeth, superior intelligence.

The movie: This toe-curling horror, stars Crispin Glover as an introvert who unleashes an army of rats on his co-workers. With one superior rat at the helm, the cunning rodents pull apart a cat before moving onto humans. Paired with Glovers unnerving performance as the unhinged Willard, the story is stacked full of disturbing scenes. Its a silly premise with some less than convincing CGI effects, but that doesnt make it any less scary. We dare you not to feel completely creeped out by these beady eyed beasts.

10. Bait 3D (2012)

The beast: Murderous shark

Killer features: Razor sharp teeth.

The movie: When a tsunami engulfs an Australian town, a group of friends become trapped with a shark in the confines of a submerged supermarket. Obviously theres nowhere to run or hide and the shark starts snacking on body parts. This beast may not boast a deformity or super-strength, but no-one (including the audience) wants to share close quarters with a great white. The films simple premise is predictable, but extremely enjoyable. Theres even a cute pet pooch who outwits the shark and outlives most of the cast. Go Rover!

9. Lake Placid (1999)

The beast: Giant crocodile

Killer features: Super-strength and an enormous bite.

The movie: Lake Placid is a scaly horror show which sees Bill Pullman facing off with a giant crocodile that is scaring the locals in Aroostook County, Maine. This beast means business and can pull down boats and helicopters with its dino-sized strength. Only a sheriff, a game officer and a crocodile enthusiast have what it takes to trap the beast. It may be lacking some snazzy CGI effects, but this movie has Pullman and his gung-ho, good guy routine to keep it afloat.

8. Rogue (2007)

The beast: Oversized crocodile

Killer feature: Mouth full of razor sharp giant teeth.

The movie: Wheres Crocodile Dundee when you need him? Before Aussie Sam Worthington slipped on his gladiator sandals in Clash of the Titans, he was busy wrestling oversized crocs in the outback. Dimly lit scenes in muddy caves and subtle shadows add to the suspense, and give this low-budget beast a sinister edge. Rogue takes itself a tad more seriously than most B-movies but it has all the trimmings of a clichd creature feature, filled with nail-biting fun. A terrifying must-see.

7. Alligator (1980)

The beast: Chemically enhanced alligator

Killer features: HUGE teeth and super-strength... again.

The movie: After a young girls pet baby alligator is flushed down the toilet it grows to epic proportions, living on the remains of chemically tested animals in Chicagos sewers. The rubbery looking reptile ascends on the city gorging on police officers for its dinner, and later chowing down on a young boy in a local swimming pool for dessert. Successfully scaring audiences with its suspense, the film doesnt fail to deliver a few humorous moments too. This snap happy horror also spawned a sequel, Alligator II: The Mutation, which went straight to video. Shocking!

6. Piranha 3D (2010)

The beast: Flesh-eating piranhas

Killer feature: Hundreds of gnawing teeth.

The movie: Back to the Future's Christopher Lloyd and pin-up Kelly Brook bite off more than they can chew in this deep sea horror remake, about a school of killer piranhas. When a small earthquake rips a hole in a piranha infested lake trouble inevitably ensues. The film is a parody of the horror genre, with bikini clad babes completing the casts endless supply of disposable victims. Its guts, gore and gratuity are B-movie gold and thoroughly fun to watch, but its definitely not one for the squeamish.

5. Anaconda (1997)

The beast: Massive anaconda

Killer features: Deathly grip and killer bite.

The movie: Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube and Jon Voight star in this horror movie about an oversized anaconda with a blood lust for human flesh. Deep in the Amazon rainforest the largest snake in the world lurks looking for its next kill. Enter a naive group of National Geographic explorers and the deadly game of cat and mouse begins. Low budget effects, over the top acting and unusual casting (which includes a popstar, a rapper and Angelina Jolies dad), give this film its B-movie credentials.

4. Sharknado (2013)

The beast: Sharks

Killer feature: Flying jaws... literally.

The movie: With perhaps the most ridiculous title and premise - in the history of cinema Sharknado is, youve guessed it, about a group of sharks falling from a water tornado spinning through the sky. With American Pie's Tara Reid running in terror and some rather sketchy looking CGI sharks chomping through the air, this may not be the finest piece of cinema, but its a lot of fun thats for sure. In fact, the film was such a cult hit, that three follow-up movies have been made with a fourth being released in 2016.

3. Arachnophobia (1990)

The beast: Lots and lots of spiders

Killer feature: Seriously venomous bites.

The movie: Frank Marshalls Arachnophobia is a creepy-crawly horror about a new species of Venezuelan spider that takes over a small American town. The plague descends on residents, including Jeff Daniels and John Goodman, who team up to pinpoint the cause of the increasing death toll. Anyone with a phobia about spiders will struggle to watch these deadly arachnids scuttling across their screens, but for the rest of us its just a bit of fun that will probably leave you itching all over afterwards.

2. The Fly (1986)

The beast: Fly-human hybrid

Killer feature: Corrosive vomit. Yes, really.

The movie: Jeff Goldblum puts in a transformative performance as eccentric scientist Seth Brundle, who morphs into a squishy looking, life size fly when an experiment goes awry. When Brundles body parts start dropping off, David Cronenbergs freak show becomes less scary and more tongue in cheek. Certain moments (including a subtle shot of a rubber-looking penis in the bathroom cabinet) add to the storys funnier side, but dont be fooled, this isnt all a barrel of laughs. You will be bugging out by the end.

Jen has written for the MailOnline, the Express, LOVEFiLM/Amazon Instant Video, and interviewed some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Fave films: Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Legends of the Fall, Carlito's Way, Batman Begins. Fave TV shows: The Walking Dead, The West Wing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sex and the City.