Natural horror is a subgenre of horror films that features natural forces,[1] typically in the form of animals or plants, that pose a threat to human characters.
Though killer animals in film have existed since the release of The Lost World in 1925,[2] two of the first motion pictures to garner mainstream success with a "nature run amok" premise were The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1963; and Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1975. Following Jaws, numerous horror films of a similar narrative were produced, including Grizzly (1976), Piranha (1978), and Alligator (1980).[3]
Arthropods
editSee also the section on insects.
Arachnids
edit- Kingdom of the Spiders (1977; tarantulas)[1]
- Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977; banana spiders)[4][5]
- Arachnophobia (1990; spiders)[6]
- Ticks (1993; giant ticks)[7]
- Eight Legged Freaks (2002; giant spiders)[8]
- Big Ass Spider! (2013; giant spider)[9]
- Lavalantula (2015; giant lava-breathing tarantulas)[10]
Crustaceans
editBirds
edit- The Birds (1963; flocks of vicious gulls, crows, sparrows and other birds)[3]
- The Birds II: Land's End (1994)[12]
- Beaks: The Movie (1987)[1]
- KAW (2007; ravens)[13]
- Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010; mutated birds)[14]
- Birdemic 2: The Resurrection (2013; mutated birds)[15]
Fish
editPiranhas
edit- Piranha (1978; genetically enhanced piranhas)[16]
- Piranha II: The Spawning (1982; mutant piranhas)[17]
- Piranha 3D (2010; prehistoric piranhas)[18]
- Piranha 3DD (2012; prehistoric piranhas)[19]
- Piranha (1995; killer piranhas)[20]
Sharks
edit- Jaws (1975; a large great white shark)[21][22]
- Up from the Depths (1979; a prehistoric shark)[25]
- Great White (1981 a.k.a. L'ultimo squalo; a great white shark)[26]
- Deep Blood (1989 a.k.a. Sangue negli abissi; a great white shark)[27][28]
- Cruel Jaws (1995, a great white shark) [29]
- Deep Blue Sea (1999; large genetically engineered shortfin mako sharks)[30]
- Shark Attack (1999; great white shark) [31]
- Shark Attack 2 (2000; great white shark) [32]
- Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002, a Megalodon) [33]
- Megalodon (2004; a Megalodon) [34]
- Red Water (2003; a bull shark)[35]
- Shark Zone (2003; great white sharks) [36]
- Open Water (2003, Caribbean reef sharks)[37]
- Blue Demon (2004; a great white shark) [38]
- 12 Days of Terror (2004; great white shark) [39]
- Shark Swarm (2008; great white shark, mako shark, thresher shark) [40]
- Shark in Venice (2008; great white sharks) [41]
- Malibu Shark Attack (2009; goblin sharks) [42]
- The Reef (2010; a great white shark)[43]
- Shark Night (2011; great white shark, hammerhead shark, cookie-cutter shark, sand tiger shark)[44]
- Jurassic Shark (2012; a prehistoric great white shark) [45]
- Bait (2012; two great white sharks)[46]
- 2-Headed Shark Attack (2012; a mutated great white shark) [47]
- Sharknado (2013; swarms of various species of sharks emerging out tornadoes).[48]
- 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019; cave-dwelling great white sharks)[49]
- Great White (2021; two great white sharks)[50]
- The Requin (2022; a great white shark)[51]
Insects
editAnts
edit- The Naked Jungle (1954; army ants)[1]
- Them! (1954; giant mutated ants)[4]
- Phase IV (1974; super-intelligent ants of various species)[1]
- Empire of the Ants (1977; large mutated ants)[52]
- It Happened at Lakewood Manor (1977)[53]
Honey bees
edit- The Deadly Bees (1966)[54]
- Killer Bees (1974)[55]
- The Savage Bees (1976)[56]
- The Bees (1978)[57]
- The Swarm (1978)[3]
- Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare (1995)[58]
Cockroaches
edit- Creepshow (1982, killer cockroaches)[59]
- Mimic (1997, evolved human-sized genetically engineered cockroaches)[60]
Locusts
edit- Locusts: The 8th Plague (2005)[61]
Wasps
editMammals
editBats
edit- The Devil Bat (1940; mutant bats)[63]
- Nightwing (1979; vampire bats)[3]
- Bats (1999; genetically altered bats)[64]
Bears
edit- Grizzly (1976; a grizzly bear)[3]
- Prophecy (1979; a mutant bear)[4]
- Grizzly Rage (2007; a grizzly bear)[1]
- Grizzly Park (2008; a grizzly bear) [65]
- Bear (2010; A grizzly bear) [66]
- Backcountry (2014, a black bear) [67]
- Into the Grizzly Maze (2015; a grizzly bear)[68]
- Cocaine Bear (2023, a black bear) [69]
Canines
edit- Dogs (1976; domestic dogs turned into killers)[70]
- The Pack (1977; feral dogs)[4]
- Cujo (1983; a Saint Bernard infected with rabies)[71]
- The Breed (2006; mutated feral dogs)[72]
- Frozen (2010; gray wolves)[1]
- The Grey (2011; gray wolves)[1]
- The Pack (2015; feral dogs)[73]
Dolphins
edit- Orca (1977; a killer whale)[3][4]
Felines
edit- Black Zoo (1963; lions and tigers)[74]
- Maneater (2007; a Bengal tiger)[1]
- Burning Bright (2010, a tiger)[75]
Pigs
editPrimates
edit- Blood Monkey (2007)[79]
- Shakma (1990)[80]
- Monkey Shines (1988)[81]
Rats
edit- Willard (1971)[82]
- Ben (1972)[83]
- Deadly Eyes (1982; a.k.a. The Rats)[84]
- Graveyard Shift (1990)[85]
- Willard (2003)[86]
Others
edit- Night of the Lepus (1972; giant rabbits)[87]
- Black Sheep (2006; genetically engineered killer sheep)[9]
Mollusks
editGastropods
edit- Slugs (1988; abnormally large killer black slugs)[88]
Octopuses and squids
editReptiles
editAlligators and crocodiles
edit- The Great Alligator River (1979; an alligator god)[94]
- Alligator (1980; an abnormally large American alligator)[3]
- Alligator II: The Mutation (1991; a mutant alligator)[1]
- Dark Age (1986; a monstrous crocodile god called Numunwari)[95]
- Killer Crocodile (1989, mutated large crocodile)[96]
- Lake Placid (1999; an abnormally large saltwater crocodile)[97]
- Lake Placid 2 (2007)[98]
- Lake Placid 3 (2010)[99]
- Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012)[100]
- Crocodile (2000; an abnormally large Nile crocodile)[101]
- Blood Surf (2001; a monstrous giant crocodile)[102]
- Black Water (2007; a saltwater crocodile)[74]
- Croc (2007; a saltwater crocodile)[1]
- Primeval (2007; Gustave)[103]
- Rogue (2007; a giant saltwater crocodile)[104]
- Crawl (2019; several American alligators)[105]
Snakes
edit- Rattlers (1976)[106]
- Anaconda (1997)[107]
- King Cobra (1999)[111]
- Silent Predators (1999; rattlesnakes)[1]
- Snakes on a Plane (2006)[112]
- Mega Snake (2007)[113]
Plants
edit- Little Shop of Horrors (1960; mutant Venus flytrap)[114]
- The Day of the Triffids (1962; man-eating plants)[22]
- Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978; killer tomatoes)[22]
- The Ruins (2008; vines)[115]
Worms
edit- Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959, giant leeches)[116]
- Squirm (1976, bloodworms and sandworms)[4]
- Blood Beach (1982; a giant worm)[9]
Miscellaneous
edit- Godzilla (1954; a giant irradiated Godzillasaurus)[117]
- Frogs (1972; various species of animals)[118]
- The Food of the Gods (1976; various species of animals)[119]
- Day of the Animals (1977; various species of animals)[3][4]
See also
editReferences
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