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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: Giant Animals

This refers to films that concern themselves with larger than usual sized animals and insects. These are almost always seen as going on the rampage and are thus Monster Movies. Regular sized animals that appear in genre cinema are covered under Animals Attack Films. Dinosaurs are certainly giant-sized animals but get their own entry because they are not enlarged beyond their normal size.

The most famous and endearing of all giant animals is King Kong (1933) who roared his way onto screens, fell for Fay Wray and met his end on the Empire State Building and has made many screen appearances since.

The major iteration of the Giant Animal film came during the Atomic Monster fad of the 1950s. Although not all giant animals were atomic in nature, plentiful giant ants, spiders, scorpions, crabs, leeches, grasshoppers, shrews, octopi and gila monsters ran across the screen.

The 1970s Nature’s Revenge and Animals Attack cycle saw another wave of giant animals. Since then, we have seen sporadic individual revivals of the genre, principally of the giant bug variety and a number of others among the CGI monster fad of the 2000s/10s.


Lake Placid (1999)

21 July 19994 October 2019

Rating: ★★

Giant Killer Crocodile

Director: Steve Miner
Actors: Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, …
Category: Horror

Lavalantula (2015)

30 November 20152 December 2024

Rating: ★★½

Giant Fire-Breathing Spiders

Director: Mike Mendez
Actors: Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples, Michael Winslow, Marion Ramsey, …
Category: Science Fiction

Love and Monsters (2020)

11 December 202011 December 2020

Rating: ★★

Journey Across a Post-Apocalyptic World of Giant Animals

Director: Michael Matthews
Actors: Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Dan Ewing, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

23 December 200331 December 2024

Rating: ★★★½

Epic Fantasy Adventure

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Sean Astin, …
Category: Fantasy

Recent Posts

  • A Letter to Momo (2011)
  • A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman (2012)
  • A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
  • A Little Bit of Soul (1997)
  • A Little Bit Zombie (2012)
  • A Lobster Tale (2006)
  • L.A. Slasher (2015)
  • L.A. Zombie (2010)
  • L: Change the World (2008)
  • La Llorona (2019)
  • Labyrinth (1986)
  • Labyrinth (2012)
  • Lady and the Tramp (1955)
  • Lady and the Tramp (2019)
  • Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (2001)
  • Lady Beware (1987)
  • Lady Frankenstein (1971)
  • Lady in a Cage (1964)
  • Lady in the Water (2006)
  • Lady in White (1988)
  • Lady Krampus (2018)
  • Lady of Csejte (2015)
  • Lady Usher (2020)
  • Lady, Stay Dead (1981)
  • Ladyhawke (1985)

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Theme Essays

  • Films About Atlantis
  • Werewolf Films
  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns
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Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2025

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