Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
So with the remake of Pet Sematary hitting cinemas, I got to thinking. What’s more terrifying, than having a beloved pet go crazy on you? Not much! When you best friend gets possessed or infected, no amount of doggie treats, ‘good boy’ or walks in the park is gonna save you from these furry/scaly freaks.
Here are my TOP 5 SCARIEST PETS IN HORROR MOVIES
#5 Crocs — Lake Placid
PLOT: Three people attempt to stop a gigantic crocodile, who is terrorizing residents in Black Lake, Maine.
REVIEW: It’s a certain type of person that decides to go out and get a reptile as a pet. Usually they’re into heavy metal, tattoos and lots o’ snake skins. So it comes out of left field to see a sweet old lady named Mrs Bickerman feeding a gigantic crocodile like it’s her best friend in the world.
Betty White is hilarious in the short screen time she has and almost steals the movie from the killer croc itself, then again, with a pet like that guarding your property, you’ll save a ton of money on Geico or home security systems.
#4 Max — Man’s Best Friend
PLOT: A genetically engineered dog escapes from the science facility where it was created. A family takes it in unaware of its deadly instincts which soon emerge. The scientist who created the dog tries to find it before it’s too late.
REVIEW: This is one of those movies, where the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Like 28 Days Later, Max is rescued from a lab, when some animal lovers think he’s being experimented on. You would think someone would take the time to read up on the lab they’re breaking into or something.
Max is so much more than a beautiful Rottweiler/German Shepard mix though, and quickly starts murdering his way through the neighbourhood. I loved this movie as a kid, just because Max is the kind of super dog every child wishes they had as a pet. Well, except for the ripping people to pieces part. I don’t think obedience school can help this pup.
#3 Church — Pet Sematary
PLOT: Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.
REVIEW: So you wanna make zombies scarier? Easy, give ‘em four legs and fur! Church (awesome name btw) is a beautiful cat, with thick grey fur. At least he was, until he gets hit by a truck and instead of doing what all parents from the beginning of time do, and tell his kid Church ran away to go live on a farm, Dr. Creed takes his REALLY AWFUL GUY,IF YOU THINK ABOU IT neighbor’s advice, and bury him in the seminal sematary.
Cats can be standoff-ish naturally, add back-from-the-dead to the mix and this is one kitty who’s gonna spend his nine lives making yours, a living hell.
#2 Ella — Monkey Shines
PLOT: A quadriplegic man has a trained monkey help him with his paralysis, until the little monkey begins to develop feelings, and rage, against its new master.
REVIEW: This movie singlehandedly developed my dislike of monkeys (Apes I’m cool with though, King Kong rules!). Ella isn’t just any spider monkey, she’s super intelligent and somehow (through the magic of ‘movie science’) is telepathically linked to her owner, so she knows who he dislikes and she makes ‘em pay!
It’s a silly premise, but Ella is genuinely creepy, especially when she makes those screaming monkey noises. In my opinion, anyone who owns a monkey as a pet, is just begging to have their faces ripped off, Ella style!
#1 Cujo — Cujo
PLOT: Cujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.
REVIEW: You know your movie made an impact on audiences, when the title becomes synonymous with ‘a scary animal’.
What adds to the terror, is how realistic the story is. Rabies is real, it’s something pets can ACTUALLY get and there is NO CURE (only prevention). Cujo goes from being the big sweet pet and best friend of a little boy, to actively trying to kill one.
This movie also holds up pretty well, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it updated so a new generation can understand the terror of being trapped in a car while a gigantic rage monster does his best to make you his next meal.
That’s it folks! Hope you enjoyed this Top 5. If you have an ideas for a list you would like me to cover, feel free to drop it in the Comments and in the immortal words of Bob Barker,
“Don’t forget to have your pets spayed or neutered, or blessed with holy water”
What? I’m POSITIVE that’s how it goes.
For my ranking of the Top 10 Scariest Clowns Ever you can click here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby!