After Kong: 5 monster movies to enjoy on Netflix

Have you guys seen Kong: Skull Island yet? We’d highly recommend it. Mixing the sweaty, tropical paranoia of Predator with classic war movies like Hell in the Pacific and Apocalypse Now, it’s a roaring good time at the movies. Ape-pocalypse Now, anyone?

In fact, we had so much fun at Skull Island, that we wanted more – more monsters, more dark humour and more scares (cheap and otherwise).

Here are some films to watch in addition to/instead of the new ape flick.

Predator
Arnold Schwarzenegger is in top form in this 1987 film, which clearly is an influence on Kong’s new adventure. Skull Island even references the classic Predator line: “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”

The Arnie film deals with a team of soldiers carrying out a shady, black-ops mission in a South American jungle. But there’s something else in the jungle, something not human…

Director John McTiernan later went on to make Die Hard, and he shows the same craft, skill and sense of fun here, with a scary, exciting and often-funny monster flick.

Apocalypto
While not technically a monster movie (unless you count an unforgettable jaguar scene), we’re confident that this tropical thriller would satisfy fans of Kong.

Directed by Mel Gibson, it’s the story of a peaceful tribe who are conquered by a sadistic one. Cue an extended chase through gorgeous jungles, and some nasty surprises among the trees and leaves. It’s an expertly made, thrilling and original piece of work.

Lake Placid vs Anaconda
Yes, we know this creature feature doesn’t have the same budget as Skull Island, but it still offers pulpy thrills. Robert Englund (best known as Freddie from Nightmare on Elm Street) stars in this film about a small town that’s caught in the middle of deadly showdown.

As the crossover title suggests, this is giant crocodile vs big snake. B-movie heaven!

The Reef
Let’s face it, there may never be a shark movie as good as Jaws, but The Reef is a good effort. A forceful, surprisingly serious Australian horror, The Reef follows a group of friends whose boat capsizes on the way to Indonesia. Stalked by a great white shark, they must use their wits (and swimming skills!) to get to safety.

This is a neat, scary, low budget and critically acclaimed horror. Well worth a bite!

Grabbers
And finally, Grabbers is a very fun Irish horror/comedy set in the rural West. Monsters with big tentacles overrun a small town, and the only way to stop them is with alcohol.

Grabbers is an often funny, sometimes silly but always entertaining little monster movie. And Irish viewers will recognise some familiar faces from local TV shows such as The Clinic and Trivia.

Predator, Apocalypto, Lake Placid vs Anaconda, The Reef and Grabbers are available now on Netflix. Kong: Skull Island is in cinemas now.