MOVIE MONSTERS BRING RAINY SUMMER DAYS TO LIFE

Today, the sky is gray with various shades of black and blue punched through. It looks bruised and half-dead. Thunder rumbles, reverberating through my stairwell and I hope it might storm. I have been waiting for a day where the sun isn't poking through the cotton white clouds of the usual joyful Charleston sky and finally, I got it. Rain is a perfect excuse to tuck myself away into the corners of my couch, grab a blanket, and flip on countless hours of horror movies.

The ominous Charleston sky.

Save the slasher flicks for Halloween because summer has its own set of thematic horror. Sitting on my balcony breathing in the thick June air, I conjured up a list of my top nine favorite warm-weather monster movies that will be sure to give you chills. Grab a pina-colada and turn out the lights for this summer monster movie fest! 

9. The Ruins

Monster: Ancient Evil Vines

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: Self-mutilation with a breathtaking Mexican jungle backdrop.
If You Liked This You Might Like: Apocolypto

8. Black Water

Monster: Giant Aussie Croc

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: The prehistoric reptile slowly poking his head out from the murky black swamp.

If You Liked This You Might Like: Lake Placid

7. Cloverfield

Monster: Pacific Ocean Alien

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: New York's skyline exploding on a warm late May night.

If You Liked This You Might Like: Super8

 

 6. The Cabin In The Woods

Monster: Mutant Backwood Hilbillies

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: Any of the plentiful humorous lines the co-ed cabin campers spit as they fight off the inevitable: death.

If You Liked This You Might Like: The Evil Dead

5. The Descent

Monster: Cave Crawlers

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: In a space too small for a child, a daring young woman wedges herself between two boulders in a hot, dark, steamy cave, unable to escape.

If You Liked This You Might Like: The Ruins

4. Predator

Monster: Tropical Beast

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: Schwarzenegger fist-fighting the monster in a lush Central American jungle.

If You Liked This You Might Like: Alien

3. Jaws

Monster: Great White Shark

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: We're gonna need a bigger boat, enough said.

If You Liked This You Might Like: The Shallows

2. Jurassic Park 

Monster: Dinosaurs, lots of them

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: T-Rex blinking his beady eyes in the rear view mirror of the Jeep as the rain pounds against the ground.

If You Liked This You Might Like: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1. Pan's Labyrinth  

Monster: The Pale Man

Favorite Scary Summer Scene: Ophelia's enchanting encounter with the naked guy over dinner.

If You Liked This You Might Like: The Labyrinth

Honorable mentions from great rainy day memories of yore:
Rosemary's Baby, Chronicle, and The Beach

This summer, make use of those dismal days by taking a load off and diving into your dark side.