Sea monster movies are always thrilling to see as they are packed with so many adrenaline-rush effects. From Kraken to alien creatures, millions of sea monsters have been featured as characters for aquatic horror and adventure genres.
From our selection, these 15 sea-monster movies have received the best ratings and positive reviews over the years. They stand out credibly anytime you think of movies filled with unexpected twists and jump scares.
Here are the 15 Best Sea Monster Movies
1. Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
- Released Year: 2006
- Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
- Monster: The Kraken, Ghost Sharks
- Box Office: $423.3 million
- Director: Gore Verbinski
This American fantasy movie is known as one of the best sea monster movies with a lot of scary scenes. From ghost sharks to krakens, “Pirates of the Caribbean” exposed its viewers to a mix of adventure and action.
The lead character Capt. Jack Sparrow was portrayed by Johnny Depp and it’s not hard to see why the movie is rated 72% by the audience. Some other casts of this eccentric blend include Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann, Bill Nighty as Daves Jone, Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, and Stellen Skarsgard as Bootstrap Bill Turner.
2. Jaws (1975)
- Released Year: 1975
- Genre: Horror and Adventure
- Monster: White Shark
- Box Office: $272.2 million
- Director: Steven Spielberg
This is an entertaining flick from the 70s. For a movie that has seen many decades, it really does age nicely. It is rated at 97% and this remains unarguable. Well, except for critics.
From several reviews, the audiences have their eyes glued to this endless thrill that captured efforts made by the police, marine biologists, and shark hunter to kill a white shark that had devoured thousands off the coast of Amity Island.
With a nice blend of horror and adventure, it made Steven Spielberg a household name even though, it scared millions of people from swimming in the ocean.
3. Godzilla (1998)
- Released Year: 1998
- Genre: Sci-fi and Action
- Monster: MUTOs
- Box Office: $200.7
- Director: Gareth Edwards
If you have seen most of Gareth Edwards’s movies, then you’ll agree that his expertise could give any movie a solid feel. Even though this movie is a reboot of the Godzilla franchise, fans are still fascinated by the grand visuals, audio effects, and adventurous scenes the movie unfolded.
With actors like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, and David Strathairn, the movie wouldn’t have been anything short of exciting.
4. The Meg (2018)
- Released Year: 2018
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller, Action, Adventure
- Monster: Megalagon
- Box Office: $142.8 million
- Director: Jon Turteltaub
This sea monster movie is based on a 1997 book titled “Meg: A Novel of Deep Horror” by Steve Alten.
The movie relates the star actor Jonas Statham as the iconic diver who arrives just in time to save other casts from the threat of the prehistoric shark, Megalodon. Some other cast of the movie includes Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Cliff Curtis, Winston Chao, and Shuya Sophia Cai.
5. Pacific Rim (2013)
- Released Year: 2013
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
- Monster: Kaiju
- Box Office: $101.8M
- Director: Gullermo Del Toro
Even critics of this 2013 American Sci-Fi film call it an irresistible scene of fun and this is only true.
The story opens the audience to a war between mankind and the sea creatures call Kaiju from the Pacific Rim. In the heat of their battle, humans created humanoid robots called Jaegers to combat and I guess war has never been this fun.
The top characters in this film include Charlie Hunnam, Diego Klattenhoff, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, and Burn Gorman.
6. The Lure (2015)
- Released Year: 2015
- Genre: Mystery & Thriller
- Monster: Cannibalistic mermaids
- Box Office: $98.8k
- Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska
This Polish horror musical film is a blend of romance, mystery, and horror. It’s funny how this three get to blend and still remain entertaining.
In this movie, the sea monsters are mermaids sisters who use their siren-like powers to seduce humans as cabaret singers and devour them. It becomes more interesting as they both fall in love with the same man and this complicated their relationship.
7. Cloverfield (2008)
- Released Year: 2008
- Genre: Sci-Fi and Action
- Box Office: $80 million
- Director: Matt Reeves
This Sci-fi film takes its audience through a series of suspense which keeps opening thrilling scenes. With actors like Micheal Stahl David, Mike Vogel, Odette Annable, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, and T.J. Miller it’s not hard to see why the movie is rated 78%.
In the film, three groups of New Yorkers who had plans to throw a surprise party for a friend were rather left frightened after an unclassified mega creature emerged in the city to cause havoc.
8. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
- Released Year: 1999
- Genre: Sci-Fi
- Monsters: DNA-altered sharks
- Box Office: $ 73.6 million
- Director: Renny Harlin
In search of a possible cure for Alzheimer’s disease which had claimed the lives of so many, scientists are left with no choice than harvesting the brain tissue of DNA-altered sharks. Unfortunately, their efforts go wrong when the sharks start attacking the researchers.
Some cast of “Deep Blue Sea” includes; Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, and LL Cool J.
9. The Shape of The Water (2018)
- Released Year: 2018
- Genre: Fantasy, Romance
- Monster: Mysterious water creature
- Box Office: $63.3M
- Director: Guillermo del Toro
The shape of the water is one sea monster movie that gives a subtle blend of fantasy and romance. The film starred Elisa Esposito portrayed by Sally Hawkins as a princess without a voice who works as a cleaner for a Balmore-based underground laboratory. It becomes more interesting when she discovered the laboratory’s mysterious water creature and developed a bond with it. She taught him sign language, offered him eggs, and plays him records.
The audience is thrilled by how the two quickly connected and soon enough Elisa found out that her new friend’s life is threatened by the government and marine biologist.
The Shape of the Water is rated at 92% thanks to actors like Micheal Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Micheal Stihbarg, and Doug Jones.
10. The Abyss (2002)
- Released Year: 2002
- Genre: Sci-Fi and Adventure
- Box Office: $54.3 million
- Director: James Cameron
This is another film that has made name for itself as one of the best sea monster movies. it was written by James Cameron and also directed by him.
The film features stars actors such as Ed Harris who played the lead role of Virgil “Bud” Bergman. Other stars of the movie include Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Lindsey Brigman, Micheal Biehn as Lt. Hiram Coffey, and Leo Burmester as Catfish DeVries.
Read Also: 10 Best Submarine Movies Everyone Should Watch
11. Lake Placid (1999)
- Released Year: 1999
- Genre: Horror and Adventure
- Monster: Crocodile-like creature
- Box Office: $31.8 million
- Director: Steve Miner
It would be impossible to make a list of sea monsters movies without giving “Lake Placid” a well-deserved spot. The movie cuts across several interesting genres. From horror to adventure and from some reviews comedy.
The movie was scripted by David E. Kelley, one of the very view writers who can easily blend any form of the genre. Some of the top cast include; Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, Betty White, and David Lewis.
12. In The Heart of The Sea (2016)
- Released Year: 2016
- Genre: Adventure, Action, History, and Drama
- Monster: Whale
- Box Office: $23.1 million
- Director: Ron Howard
“In The Heart of the Sea” is a true story from the 1820s which captured the story of crewmen who faced a survival battle after a mammoth-sized whale attacked their whaleship, Essex.
While top critics think the movie was plain and empty, we cannot ignore the efforts of actors such as Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw, and Michelle Fairley who tried to replicate the sad fate of the 1820s havoc.
13. Shark Night (2011)
- Released Year: 2011
- Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
- Monster: Sharks
- Box Office: $ 18.9 million
- Director: David R. Ellis
What should have been a fun weekend for Sara Paxon the lead actor and her friends turned out to be a horror feast as they are faced with hungry sharks at a lake house in the Louisiana Gulf.
Other top casts of the movie include Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack, Joel David Moore, Katharine McPhee, and Alyssa Diaz.
14. Underwater (2020)
- Released Year: 2020
- Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Action
- Box Office: $17.3 million
- Director: Williams Eubank
This deep-sea action movie is a blend of horror and adventure that took most of its audience on a thrill ride.
The movie captured a group of ocean researchers who were faced with a mysterious earthquake while working for a deep sea company. In a bid to escape, they were attacked by mysterious creatures.
Some of the top-cast include; Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, T.J Miller, John Gallagher Jr, and Jessica Henwick.
15. Deep Rising (1998)
- Released Year: 1998
- Genre: Horror and Adventure
- Box Office: $11.2 miliion
- Director: Stephen Sommers
Though one of the underrated, sea monster movies, there are many fans who find this Stephen Sommer movie thrilling.
In this movie, a boatman is left perplexed after discovering that most of his passengers have been devoured by a sea monster with tentacles.
Some of the cast of this movie include; Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, Anthony Heals, Wes Studi, and Kelvin J. O’Connor.
