Movies
HORROR 101: Everything You Need to Know About Giant Nuclear Bugs
Name a creepy crawler. An insect, an arachnid, four legs, six legs, eight legs, a hundred… If it exists, somewhere in 1950s cinema it has been irradiated, grown to terrifying size, and crushed puny little humans beneath its mighty, composited feet. On this month’s Horror 101, we’re here to give you a quick and dirty breakdown of the who, what, and why behind this towering titan of science fiction tropes.
It’s Creepy Crawlers month here at Horror Press, and while there may be something creepier, there’s certainly nothing crawlier than one of my favorite subgenres of the 1950s: the giant nuclear bug movie. Name a creepy crawler. An insect, an arachnid, four legs, six legs, eight legs, a hundred… If it exists, somewhere in 1950s cinema it has been irradiated, grown to terrifying size, and crushed puny little humans beneath its mighty, composited feet. On this month’s Horror 101, we’re here to give you a quick and dirty breakdown of the who, what, and why behind this towering titan of science fiction tropes.
Why Were 1950s Sci-Fi Movies Obsessed with Radiation?
Wouldn’t you be obsessed with radiation if you were living in the years after the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan at the end of World War II? Sure, in America, plenty of people at the time were pretty pleased with themselves about said atrocity. But those concerns were nevertheless ever-present. Did the testing we performed to put the bomb together already plant the seed of our own destruction in our soil, water, and DNA? Will other countries pick up on what we did and, in return, split the atom on our smug asses? These fears have carried on into the modern era, of course, but the ongoing Cold War stoked those tensions to a fever pitch in the 1950s.
It might seem unlikely that people flocked to see movies about scientists tampering in God’s domain and having their nuclear testing go wrong and bite them in the ass. Or the torso. Or the head. However, like many a good horror movie, those giant nuclear bug titles provoked a reaction by playing into those fears, only to have the intrepid heroes solve them, neutralize the threat, and probably mack on a sexy lady scientist at some point in the process. Or, more likely, mack on a sexy lady who’s the daughter of a scientist – the 1950s weren’t exactly a haven of progressive virtue.
Whatever the case, those movies poke at the wound a little bit, only to bandage it up and tie a little bow around it by the end. They offered the same cathartic experiences as horror stories throughout time, allowing audiences a glimpse into their deepest fears just long enough for them to begin to cope with them.
What Are Some Key Giant Nuclear Bug Movies?
Them! (1954, dir. Gordon Douglas) – Them!, which follows giant ants rampaging around New Mexico, isn’t fucking around. It literally ends with a character more or less staring into the camera and wondering what other horrors the Trinity test and ongoing nuclear testing may have unleashed that we are as yet unaware of.
Tarantula (1955, dir. Jack Arnold) – Arnold didn’t direct too much else under the giant nuclear bug territory, but he did helm It Came from Outer Space, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Incredible Shrinking Man, so when he talks, you listen. The titular tarantula that took to the hills has been embiggened thanks to tests attempting to use a radioactive element to create an artificial super-nutrient, showcasing how even the best intentions can lead to destruction and chaos. Oppenheimer who?
Beginning of the End (1957, dir. Bert I. Gordon) – This schlocky but entertaining venture follows USDA testing of radioactive fertilizer causing a cloud of giant locusts to tear their way through Illinois. Keep an eye on this Bert I. Gordon fellow. The notorious B.I.G. made plenty of giant movies, nuclear movies, and bug movies, though not always at the same time, including King Dinosaur (1955), The Cyclops (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), War of the Colossal Beast (1958), The Spider (1958), Village of the Giants (1965), The Food of the Gods (1976), and Empire of the Ants (1977).
Monster from Green Hell (1957, dir. Kenneth G. Crane) – The giant wasps here are exposed to cosmic radiation. I’ve decided that this premise does count for the list, because even though our scientific hubris didn’t come from exposing the wasps to radiation on purpose, we still sent wasps up to space in the first place, which seems like a silly idea if you ask me.
Mothra (1961, dir. Honda Ishirô) – OK, the Japanese monster movie Mothra is a little outside the scope of its study for multiple reasons, not the least of all being its year of release. However, it does involve a giant nuclear moth who defends her remote island home against further nuclear testing. The combination of gentleness and power at the center of both the story and the titular figure in Mothra is a beautiful button on a decade of tension and dismay, offering a way forward beyond mere catharsis.
For more giant bug fun without the “nuclear” part, see The Black Scorpion (1957), The Deadly Mantis (1957), and The Spider (1958). For a giant nuclear octopus, see It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955). For a non-giant nuclear teenage werewolf, see I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957). For the granddaddy of giant nuclear monsters, see Honda’s previous monster movie Godzilla (1954), which of course was already a riff on the giant nuclear dinosaur movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953).
Looking to expand your horror knowledge even more? Check out our other HORROR 101 articles here!
We are finally in the midst of Shudder’s 61 days of Halloween! There are so many horror movies to consume and 31 days simply isn’t enough. Use the long Labor Day weekend to kick off your horror movie countdown and add these movies to your Shudder queue. Here is a list of what I would recommend checking out to ease into the Halloween spirit right before going into full blown premature trick-or-treating mode.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
The Yeti (2026)
A large creature has captured people in a remote Alaskan town in the 1940s. The sheriff has put together a search-and-rescue monster hunting party to bring back the captives. It sounds like the premise of a Cold Iron Studios co-op video game in the same vein as Aliens: Fireteam Elite. The stylization from co-directors Gene Gallerano & William Pisciotta in the trailer makes me think they have cooked up a story that blends action, horror, and wilderness survival. Sign me up, sheriff!
Leave (2022)
Hunter was found as a baby abandoned in a cemetery wrapped in a cloth covered with satanic symbols. She has been searching for answers her whole life about where she came from. Her journey to find her parents takes her down a mysterious path, and she is being warned by something from the beyond to leave this mystery alone. Can she trust who this investigation is leading her towards? It’s a mysterious, supernatural, culty film that will give you chills.
Penny Lane is Dead (2026)
One crazy night in Australia with perhaps a dash of revenge. Shudder’s latest original looks to be packed with blood and violence in this story of girls just trying to have fun until the crazy cousin drugs the party and invites dangerous people to play. The trailer promises lots of body horror (trigger warning, there may be SA or threat of it). I’m not saying it will be Evil Dead level, but there’s definitely something in the Aussie water with Lee Cronin pumping out his gory deadites and mummy films, and now Mia Kate Russel with this one.
The Others (2001)
This is a PSA to the younger readers of Horror Press; stop what you’re doing and watch Nicole Kidman go 100 miles per hour in this classic ghost story with a twist. Dreary weather, massive estate, confusing corridors, creepy house servants you don’t know if you can trust, and sad British kids. The ending is an all-timer and spoilers should be avoided at all costs. It has exactly what you need to get right into the cozy, spooky mood for 61-days of Halloween.
Dark Harvest (2023)
If The Hunger Games and The Purge had a baby and raised it during Oktoberfest. Teenage boys are tasked with hunting and killing the entity known as Sawtooth Jack on Halloween night, or it could mean certain peril for their town. Of the movies I have listed here that I have not seen, this is going to be at the top of my watchlist. Teens fighting for survival on Halloween night and the battle setting is in a cornfield?! Say less. I am there with my Sam Adams seasonal in hand. Another perfect movie to cannonball me right into the Halloween spirit.
This list has been carefully curated to watch in a specific order to gear up for a Halloween marathon. Start with the wintry monster movie, move on to a macabre supernatural thriller, followed by a ramp-up in blood and gore, to then be lulled into a spooky, bump-in-the-night classic, all to end on a ritualistic hunt taking place on Halloween night. This is just getting things started for the first 30-days. Looking forward to sharing the next list to get you through October.
Anyone who follows legendary horror author Stephen King on social media or reads the back of books knows one thing. It’s harder to find something that King hasn’t blurbed than something that he has. The dude is a voracious consumer of genre media, and he finds a lot to love. It’s an admirable quality. But, speaking as someone who saw American Ultra after he praised it, you can’t always trust his recommendations. Today, I’ll cut some of the wheat from the chaff and break down the best modern horror movies he’s recommended.
Three notes: First, I have decided to define “modern” as “2001 or later.” Second, King practices good social media hygiene and has deleted many of his old posts. A lot of them are archived elsewhere. However, it’s more or less impossible to make a truly comprehensive list of his recommendations. I’ve synthesized multiple different sources and done my best to truly encapsulate the breadth of his recommendations. Third, I have not included any adaptations of his own work. He may be outspoken about the ones he doesn’t like, but he’s still obviously biased in that department.
#10 Snakes on a Plane (2006)
To quote King himself (defending putting 2012 among his top 2009 movies), “no filmgoing diet is complete without some cheese.” Snakes on a Plane is a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin movie, delivering high-flying serpentine thrills. However, it’s also a remarkably faithful resurrection of the atmosphere of old 1970s airplane thrillers.
#9 Final Destination 5 (2011)
In his Best of 2011 entry on Final Destination 5, King called it “the best since the first,” and he’s absolutely right. While the sequels probably peaked with the highway prologue in Final Destination 2, the fifth installment is pound-for-pound the most thrilling entry. Between the bridge collapse, the laser eye surgery, and the nail-biting sequence where a screw falls pointy-side-up on a balance beam, there’s no denying there’s real power here. And that’s not even mentioning the fun final twist!
#8 A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
In a since-deleted Tweet, King called Day One “the rare ‘big Hollywood film’ that is both intimate and textured.” It’s true. A Quiet Place: Day One is a mini miracle of horror filmmaking. An IP-drenched prequel to a duology of good-not-great post-apocalyptic popcorn blockbusters shouldn’t be this genuinely stirring. Plus, relative newcomer Joseph Quinn holds his own against the awe-inspiring Lupita Nyong’o, resulting in an all-timer two-hander.
#7 The Strangers (2008)
After watching The Strangers, King took to Entertainment Weekly to pontificate about what makes good horror. If you inspire someone who literally wrote the book on horror to think about it more, you’ve done something right. Bryan Bertino’s home invasion movie is one of the grimmest movies of the 2000s, but its desperate existential dread is terrifying and perfectly in line with King’s best works.
#6 Splice (2009)
King included Splice on his Top 10 list for 2010, particularly praising the “talented actors… who take the material seriously.” How did this grotesque genetic-experimentation horror movie directed by the guy who made Cube land Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley? Who knows. But they breathe life into some already super solid material. What Brody in particular gets up to feels even more twisted because it’s the guy from The Pianist doing it.
#5 Smile (2022)
In a since-deleted Tweet, King called Smile a “good, scary horror film.” He added that “the real surprise is Sosie Bacon as Rose. What a hell of a performance.” Bacon really was a revelation, but so was debut director Parker Finn. His control over tone and pacing leads to some of the best scare sequences of the 2020s.
#4 The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)
King’s not fucking around about the New Zealand horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen. It’s one of just two horror movies on his New York Times ballot for the best of the 21st century. The underseen movie is a real corker, too. It follows a judge (Geoffrey Rush) recovering in a care home after a stroke. However, his relaxation is ruined by a sadistic retiree (John Lithgow) who is obsessed with his baby doll puppet. Lithgow’s performance is stunning, and his thrillingly dark energy commands the screen every second he’s in front of the camera.
#3 Barbarian (2022)
In a since-deleted reply to a fan’s Tweet about Barbarian, King said “Yeah, that movie blew me away. It was crazy! Crazy GOOD!” This movie contributed what is perhaps the definitive scary basement in horror, which is no small feat. That’s all thanks to director Zach Cregger’s control over onscreen darkness (one of his many skills). The man must be a shadowmancer of some kind.
#2 Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan is the only other horror movie on King’s NYT ballot. It has received a lot of international recognition over the years. Perhaps more than any other non-Parasite movie from South Korea. That’s because it’s flipping amazing. Its crackling energy makes it one of the scariest fast-zombie movies in history. But it also marries that with a compelling father-daughter story. There’s really nothing Train to Busan can’t do.
#1 The Descent (2005)
King put The Descent on his 2006 best-of list, calling it “the best horror movie of the year.” Forget that. It’s one of the top horror movies of the century so far. It’s a bloody good monster movie nestled into a skin-crawlingly claustrophobic spelunking movie.
Honorable Mentions:
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – I’ve never seen it, so I can’t in good faith recommend it
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – A masterpiece, but it’s not really “horror”
Obsession (2026) – We gotta let this one sit, in order to avoid recency bias
