Iconic Monster Moments

The best monster moments don’t always involve blood, screaming or a full reveal. Sometimes it’s a face behind someone who hasn’t seen it yet. Sometimes it’s a still image that moves when it bloody shouldn’t.

These five scenes got under my skin and stayed there. Here’s why they work, and what horror writers can steal from them … Ready? Let’s go!

1) Ripley comes face to face with the Xenomorph  (Alien 3)

Whaaaaaaat you say?? How about ‘Get away from her, you BITCH!’ 

Look, Ripley in the robotic loader versus the Alien Queen in Aliens is a classic, one hundred per cent … and yes, Aliens is objectively the better movie overall.

However, this one lives in my head rent-free because of its simplicity. Ripley is completely helpless as the creature leers at her grabs me by the gut every time. What’s more, it provides one of my favourite moments of dramatic irony of all time.

2) The Man With Fire In His Face Reveals Himself (Insidious)

Again, simplicity is key here. We know there’s a monster on the loose in Insidious, but we don’t know what or why. All we know is poor Dalton is in a coma and no one can work out how to get him out of it.

Then the creature – The Man with Fire In His Face – reveals himself behind Dalton’s oblivious father, Josh.

The first time I saw this, I nearly had a heart attack. Even knowing it’s coming when re-watching doesn’t make a difference. It’s the very epitome of a jump scare and works so well. (Also, like Ripley, we discover why the creature has attached himself to Josh later, as well).

3) Pennywise tempts Georgie from the storm drain (It)

Whether you prefer the original with Tim Curry, or the 2017 version with Bill Skaarsgard, this is terrifying.

The clown lurking beneath the street has become one of horror’s defining images. Hell, it gave an entire generation coulrophobia!

‘You’ll float too.’ Holy crap. My house is built on reclaimed farmland, so there’s a drainage grate at the back of my place. I run past it EVERY TIME!

4) The Predator becomes visible (Predator)

‘Monster vision’ might be a common trope now, but back in the 80s, no one had seen events from the monster’s POV before.

For that reason alone, Predator is a stone-cold classic. Combine that with its invisibility, this killer alien seemed unstoppable.

So when it becomes injured, this is a huge deal in the story. To see it turn its invisibility cloak off to treat its wounds was a big surprise. To see all its technology on top of that … wow!

5) Bughuul moves in the screen (Sinister)

Sinister is one of my all-time horror movies. What I love about it is how it turns even the most innocuous day to day activities into unstable space (popularised by Alfred Hitchcock).

When the protagonist Ellison looks away, he freezes his computer. On the screen is a pic of Bughuul, the creature at the heart of the story. As Ellison turns away, despite being paused – BUGHUUL MOVES.

It’s such a small moment, yet a masterclass in how tiny things can freak horror audiences out.

Want Even More Horror? 

It’s Halloween month this October … but the horror’s just getting started here at B2W!

HorrorCon with B2W is a two-week programme for writers who want to make their audience afraid to turn the page, then desperate to find out what happens next.

We’ll pull apart films including Alien, Candyman and The Babadook (and plenty of others!), then put your own horror writing under the spotlight in two live hot-seat sessions. You’ll get four Zoom calls, audio training, Q&As and a dedicated Telegram group to keep the ideas coming.

We start 2 November 2026. Ready to scare someone? Join HorrorCon with B2W now, details below.

HorrorCon with B2W: 2 Weeks Inside The Stories That Scare Us!