25 Interesting Facts about Movie Monsters

Freddy Krueger was inspired by Wes Craven's experience of watching a man in a fedora outside his apartment. “Somehow he sensed that someone was watching, and he looked right up and into my eyes.” Craven retreated, but when he looked out his window again, the man was still there, staring up at him.

2. Count Dracula was first depicted wearing a Bela Lugosi-style cape/tuxedo combo in 1924 when the book was adapted for London stage. It was the only way to make it obvious that the Count was charming and sophisticated from a distance.

3. The Prawns in the movie District 9 are not called that because of shrimp but are in reference to the Parktown prawn which is a type of cricket (insect) native to South Africa.

4. The T-Rex at the end of Jurassic World is the same exact one from the end of the original Jurassic Park, and the scars on its side are from its fight with the Velociraptors in the first movie.

5. Imhotep, unlike his movie counterpart in "The Mummy", had a respected reputation. He is considered to be the world's first architect, engineer, and doctor. He was also: Chancellor of the King of Egypt, Doctor, First in line after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Chief Carpenter, Builder, Chief Sculptor, and Maker of Vases in Chief. He was also the author of the first Egyptian medical treatise that was completely devoid of magical thinking.

Godzilla's iconic roar in its first 1954 movie was created using a leather glove coated in pine-tar resin and rubbing it against the string of a double bass.

7. Jabba The Hutt puppet was 2,000 lbs, took 3 months to build, 3 men to operate and cost half a million dollars to construct.

8. The "bolts" in the Monster's neck in Frankenstein (1931), are actually electrodes. One is positive and the other, negative.

9. The inner mouth of a Xenomorph from Aliens is called a pharyngeal jaw, and Moray Eels have them.

10. The T-1000 evolving noise from Terminator 2 was made with a condom covered microphone stuck into a flour/water mixture.

The monsters from the movie 'Gremlins' were thought to represent the negative stereotypes of black people.

12. The droopy lip and lazy eye of Pennywise, the clown in “It” wasn’t CGIed; Bill Skarsgård who played Pennywise did it on command.

13. Actor Tony Todd put actual bees in his mouth while filming a scene for Candyman.

14. Dementors from the Harry Potter series were inspired by J.K. Rowling's bouts with clinical depression.

15. Smaug the dragon originally had 4 legs in the first Hobbit movie but was changed to having 2 legs and 2 wing-arms in the second Hobbit movie.

The Balrog in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was just one of many that lived in Middle Earth. They even had a king named Gothmog.

17. The Demon Pazuzu Featured in the Exorcist, in real lore was not all bad. He was also used to ward off the much worse female demon lamashtu.

18. In "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah", the big white building in Shinjuku that takes a beating from Mecha-King Ghidorah and Godzilla during the final battle is the main center for tax in Japan. During the cinema showing the audience cheered when it was destroyed.

19. The character of Samara in "The Ring" and many other ghosts in Japanese popular culture was based on the legend of Banchō Sarayashiki, a young woman drowned in a well for breaking one of her family’s 10 precious delft plates.

20. The Monster in Cabin in the Woods with the gears through his head is a Cenobite from the 'Hellraiser' franchise.

The race of aliens (Chitauri) that invade earth led by Loki in The Avengers (2012) were inspired by the beliefs of ex-footballer, ex-politician and conspiracy theorist David Icke.

22. The giant monster Mothra is a heroic character that defends the Earth, rather than causing wanton destruction.

23. Count Orlok (Max Schreck) in the 1922 silent movie Nosferatu only blinks once in the movie.

24. Chucky the murderous doll was inspired by "Robert the Doll", a real-life cursed doll.

25. The sharks built for the movie Jaws were collectively named "Bruce," a tribute to Steven Spielberg's lawyer. Bruce the Fish Friendly Shark from Finding Nemo was also a reference to Jaws.