9 Scariest Horror Movie Monsters (3 of 5)

Jean Jacket—Nope (2022)

A cloud that watches is creepy. A cloud that sucks people in like a sky vacuum cleaner is nightmare fuel. Jean Jacket allows you to glance at it, but if you continue to stare, you’ve unwittingly agreed to become its prey. Peele plays his cards masterfully, so you feel it more than see it: the whooshing sounds, the shadow, and the distant metallic screeches. When it unfurls into its final, extraterrestrial shape, you’re witnessing predation as performance art. It’s not just a mindless monster: respect it, avert your eyes, and maybe the sky won’t fold around you.

Deadites—The Evil Dead (1981-)

Deadites may look like your regular old decaying zombies, but they’re actually much scarier. Read one bad sentence in some ancient book with a face on the cover, and your best friends will lose their minds and try to slaughter you in the most ridiculous way. They mock, mutilate, and keep cackling after you’ve decapitated them. You’re forced to fight someone you love while they gleefully remind you of every sin and regret you’ve ever had. And just when you think it’s all over, guess what? It’s never over!