What would you do if you saw a terrifying monster? Would you scream, cry, try to fight it, or run away—or would you have the wherewithal to deliver a memorable one-liner like the characters in some of the classic monster movies featured in this quiz? While you (hopefully) will never have to answer that question, you can test your knowledge of monster movie dialogue below.
How did you do? Is it time for a monster movie marathon, or are you well-versed in the parlance of characters facing off against all manner of creatures of the night? Some of these quotes were certainly more recognizable than others, while others were certified deep cuts. Either way, send this quiz to a fellow monster movie-loving friend to see how they do!
The most formative monster movies
Creature features have entertained and terrified audiences since the dawn of cinema. They have roots in an even older tradition: monster stories, which can be traced back to the dawn of recorded history.
One of the first monster films to hit the silver screen was Der Golem, a 1915 silent film based on a Jewish folktale about a clay statue brought to life by magic. After its love interest spurns it, the creature goes mad and embarks on a bloody spree. Countless films have followed the blueprint laid out by this film, which is essentially as follows: a monster is unknowingly created through carelessness or chance, and then tries to destroy humanity—until a hero, a sacrifice, or a super-weapon finally destroys it.
Another major breakthrough for monster horror movies came in the form of 1922’s Nosferatu, which retold the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in haunting, gloomy detail. By the 1930s, monster films were all the rage, and audiences were flocking to see films such as King Kong (1933). The 1950s saw the rise of a genre of horror in Japan called kaiju, or “giant monster,” which culminated in the creation of another classic: 1954’s Godzilla. In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho led to a rise in slasher horror films, which boomed in the ‘70s and ‘80s and continue their bloody reign to this day.
Sympathy for the devils
In more recent decades, more horror movies have attempted to subvert some of the many tropes cemented by these classic films. One particularly prominent trend has been giving monsters more scope, depth, and even humanity. Franchises such as Twilight and films such as The Shape of Water have turned vampires, werewolves, and inhuman-looking creatures into romantic heroes, while often demonizing very human systems of power and control in the process.
This trend is not new, of course; it’s easy to forget how sympathetic Frankenstein’s monster is in Mary Shelley’s foundational sci-fi text. Yet more and more these days, monsters are portrayed not just as pure evil, but as misunderstood forces driven to cruelty by all-too-human fears of the unknown.
That isn’t to say that if you ever see a many-legged creature rising out of the deep, you should immediately go ahead and invite it to dinner. Still, it’s probably worth at least trying to have a conversation before you try to become your own flamethrower-wielding horror-movie hero.
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