AtoZ2018 - B is for ... #MovieMonsters #AtoZChallenge

B is for ...

Welcome back for day 2 of the AtoZChallenge. I hope everyone is enjoying April so far. Today I have lots of different types of monsters for you. Some are monstrous to look at, some are very human, others only hide in a human guise.

Scariness Rating

The little skulls by their name are my scariness rating as to how monstrous and scary I think the creatures are when seen in their films.

• 1 skull (not scary at all) - 5 skulls (very scary)
• and there is a special rating for a few - 5 red skulls (utterly terrifying)

Belial (Dylan Dog: Dead of Night)

Belial is the ultimate monster. He is immortal and cannot be killed unless the person who raised him, his master, is destroyed first. As we can see in the piccie, he's not very pretty, and his favourite things are death and destruction.

This nasty comes from the film Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, which is a film I love, but which critics didn't receive well. It's based on a comic book and set in New Orleans, where Dylan Dog, P.I. extraordinaire, used to specialise in supernatural cases, but who now refuses to have anything to do with them. Of course he gets dragged back into the world of zombies, werewolves and vampires because of a murder and a mystery.

The production values on the movie are high, the effects believable, and the actors are good. This is a movie with lots of monsters, but not designed to scare.

Fulton Balcus (The Guyver)

Doesn't look very scary, does he, but you have to wait until he sheds his human disguise. Fulton Balcus is the head of the Chronos corporation. He is in fact a Zoanoid, a human, genetically modified to be able to be able to turn into a monster. He is actually the Zoalord, the big boss of Zoanoids.

What he really wants is the Guyver unit. An alien armour that bonds itself symbiotically to a host, making them all but invincible. Unfortunately for him, Sean Barker (Jack Armstrong) accidentally bonds himself to it before Chronos can get to it.

When I originally saw this film it was under the title Mutronics, but it's been The Guyver every other time I've seen it. It is a movie full of action and adventure and the monsters are men in suits - very good suits, but still suits. However, the stunt work and martial arts are superb and this is a fun watch. It also has Mark Hamill, so what is not to love?

Boone (Nightbreed)

Aaron Boone is the hero of Clive Barker's Nightbreed. He starts as a normal human, but dreams of a place called Midian, where monsters are accepted. Mistakenly believing he is a killer he seeks out Midian, but is refused entry and attacked. However, killed by police who also believe he is guilty, he returns from the dead, now properly a monster.

Nightbreed is a classic. It has high production values, a great cast and a great director. Of course, it being Clive Barker it is also very dark. Boone and the other Nightbreed are fantastic monsters, but this is a world of misunderstood creatures who wish to live quietly in peace, but are hunted by humans.

There is the theatrical version and the director's cut now available on blu-ray, but only on US format.

Batty (Blade Runner)

Roy Batty is a human made monster. He is a genetically engineered being, a replicant, specifically a Nexus-6. Designed to be a soldier in off world situations. He and four of his fellow Nexus-6 replicants have come to Earth seeking a way to extend their limited life spans.

He is a very sympathetic monster, in that he is fighting for his life, but he kills without regret. He is ruthless and has been trained to have a disregard for the lives of his enemies.

Blade Runner is a brilliant film. Of course it has its issues, but it is a science fiction classic of the first order. This is a must see for all sci-fi fans.

Blake (The Fog)

So we come to the first monster I have ranked at 5 skulls. The Fog is a movie that still freaks me out, even now, and the reason is Blake.

Blake was a rich man who contracted leprosy. An outcast, he and his fellow sufferers wished to create a colony along the coast from Antonio Bay. However, they were betrayed and their ship, the Elizabeth Dane, was sunk with all hands, their gold stolen by the new town.

On the 100th anniversary of Antonio Bay Blake and his crew return as revenants to have their revenge. The way they come out of the fog is so very, very creepy, and if the fog gets in, so do they.

When I first saw The Fog, many years ago, it scared the bejeezus out of me, and it still does, especially on a dark night with all the lights off. The book of the film is also well worth reading, although hard to find.

Q: Do you have any monster movies you saw when you were younger that can still scare you? Any B monsters to add to the list?

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