Rank 5: Godzilla
The “King of Monsters” originates from 1954, a decade when horror monsters were very popular. Another well-known example that narrowly missed our list is the creature from “Creature from the Black Lagoon”, which served as inspiration for Guillermo del Toro in “Shape of Water”.
Godzilla, on the other hand, has long been an icon. While most films may not necessarily fall under the horror genre, the first one certainly does, and even outside of that, the character represents pure terror. On one hand, Godzilla brings destruction, destroying cities and lives.
On the other hand, the giant lizard was particularly a symbol for the atom bomb in the first film. Japan was still processing the trauma of the atomic bombings by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki nearly ten years earlier in 1954. From this perspective, Godzilla becomes a real threat – a horror that comes in the form of a giant lizard but embodies fears that exist in our real world. You can find out more about Godzilla on MeinMMO.
