15 Underwater Creature Feature Horror Movies

This is the best list of underwater creature feature horror movies where the antagonist is a hunter from the water. 15 of the best horror movie monsters are listed for you to devour at your leisure. There are probably more than a few creature feature movies missing from this list that you love and I love too. This list is collated from recommendations in the horror movie groups I love so it’s more diverse than if it were just my faves.

Creature Feature Movies Best List, Let’s Commence:

Jaws is the most iconic of the creature feature movies, I don’t need to tell you to watch it.

Piranha 3D (2010)

Well, would you be surprised if I told you there are quite a lot of creature movies with this title? There is. The one I was thinking of when I wrote this down was the 2010 version so that’s the one I’ll tell you about but just in case you were wondering, there is also Piranah (1978), Piranha (1995)  Piranha 3DD (2012) and a few more hybrid types. Piranha 2: The Spawning (1981), Piranha Sharks (2014), Piranhaconda (2012), and another favorite of mine; Mega Piranha (2010).

Both this film and the 1978 film of the same name have the highest audience satisfaction rate so I’ll stick with it thanks.

• Directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes 2006.) Written by Pete Goldfinger (Jigsaw 2017).
• Starring: Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell, Richard Dreyfuss, Eli Roth, and Christopher Lloyd.

Plot for Piranha: Each year the population of sleepy Lake Victoria, Arizona explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 residents for the annual Spring Break celebration. After an earthquake opens an underwater chasm, releasing an enormous swarm of ancient Piranha that has been dormant for thousands of years, now has a taste for human flesh. 

Orca The Killer Whale (1977)

Who doesn’t love a revenge flick? This creature movie is nearly as old as I am but as far as taking chances to go, the director Michael Anderson took one doing a film about a killer whale. He sells it well though. Sure the special effects are sometimes the type that causes a small smile to sneak onto your face but it’s still worth watching.

Captain Nolan killed his mate and kids so it only makes sense to go on a murder spree in the harbor. If people hassle you because you never watch old(er) films, then give this one chance. If you aren’t scarred for life by the opening scenes and wishing the Orca had arms so you could lend it some power tools to wreak more havoc then I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.

• Written by the same guy who wrote Casablanca Luciano Vincenzoni.
• Starring: Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson.

Orca The Killer Whale Movie Trailer

Lake Placid (1999)

Granted I haven’t watched this creature movie in a few years but I have a vivid memory of Betty White who is the obvious star of the whole movie. If you have not seen this movie and you like a bit of animal horror film in your life then you must drop what you are doing right now and go and watch this. The writer knew his shit even back then and David E. Kelly has written heaps of fantastic TV series like The Practice and Ally McBeal (1997) and lately Big Little Lies (2017.)

The plot is nice and simple and involves a very big crocodile who lives in Maine and begins causing some issues for the residents of Black Lake.

• Stars:  Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Marishka Hargitay, and Betty White.
• Directed by Steve Miner.

Watch it by streaming on Shudder or for free with ads on Crackle

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Deep Blue Sea is a fantastic shark movie. It has a massive cult following and I am part of that cult.

If you’ve seen the sequel and not watched the original I implore you to give it a chance and I promise it will make it all better. This film makes sense and has great tension and dated yet convincing special effects.

Plot for Deep Blue Sea: Searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientists in an isolated research facility becomes the prey in this monster movie, as a trio of intelligent sharks fights back.

• Starring:  Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard, and LL Cool J.
• Directed by Renny Harlin and written by Duncan Kennedy and Donna Powers.

---

• Deep Blue Sea 2 is a catastrophe. But how many fish-related words can you cram into a review anyway?
• 2022 Shark Movie: Where to watch “The Requin”

---

Alligator (1980)

I could practically just say the director Lewis Teague directed Cujo (1983) and be on my way but the writer for this John Sayles is also a legend. Sayles is currently doing The Alienist (2018) but he also wrote the original 1978 Piranha so with the two combined this film is a must-see.

Alligator 1980 movie is a case of “what might happen if we flushed an alligator down the drain?” The CGI and special effects are pretty good considering the movie is over 30 years old. Plus it’s just a fun film. I would watch it any time and have probably seen it at least 10 ten times.

Plot: A baby alligator is flushed down a Chicago toilet and survives by eating discarded laboratory rats injected with growth hormones. The small reptile grows gigantic, escapes the city sewers, and goes on a rampage.

Stars:  Robert Forster, Robin Riker, and Michael V. Gazzo

Zombeavers (2014)

To be honest I hate this film. I do come across the occasional horror comedy that I adore but this is not one of them. It is, however, a film that comes up again and again for the cheese lovers out there. It’s a trash-slasher to be precise and there is nothing wrong with that.

There is plenty of gore and laughs according to fans and some have even gone as far as to say it’s smart and clever. I suppose as a spoof film, it’s not a total disaster and I would prefer this over Sharnado any day.

Should I Watch Zombeavers?

A group of college kids staying at a riverside cabin is menaced by a swarm of deadly zombie beavers. The kids are soon fighting for their lives in a desperate attempt to fend off the hoard of beavers that attack them in and around their cabin after a toxic spill causes havoc to their dam. The Zombeavers movie is a classic monster zombie movie, only this time they live in the water. It’s dumb but fun.

• Director and screenplay by Jordan Rubin (Critters TV Series.)
• Additional screenwriter:  Al Kaplan. Stars:  Rachel Melvin, Cortney Palm, and Lexi Atkins.

Sharknado

I watched the original Sharknado shark film back in 2013 and while explaining the storyline to my partner, realized I sounded like I had lost the plot. Did they? Who knows but they keep spitting out sequels like pips from a watermelon so they must be doing something right. With plenty of haters, Sharknado also has plenty of adoring movie franchise fans. Made on just $1 million bucks, I honestly couldn’t find anything I liked about this one. Except for the cast. I have a weird kind of soft spot for Tara Reed. I don’t understand it and nor should you.

The storyline for Sharknado is exactly as it sounds and centers on a freak hurricane that swamps Los Angeles. Sharks rule the sea, land, and air as thousands of them terrorize the waterlogged populace. The CGI is as painful as anything I’ve seen from the bottom of any barrel of The Asylum films. The Sharknado films are shark movie cheese. But some people like it like that.

Sharknado’s cast includes Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, and  John Heard. Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante and written by Thunder Levin. Both of these people have made tonnes of films. Why?

Rogue 2007

One of my favorite crocodile horror films ever, Rogue is Australian-made. If you like the idea of a bunch of people becoming stranded on a small mud island with rising tides and a crocodile lurking around then get onto this one and give it a spin. It’s not five out of five stars by any means but it’s well-performed, well-constructed, and neat around the edges. A lesser-known crocodile horror movie that will not disappoint. The visual effects are extremely well done and were inspired by a real crocodile called Sweetheart.

• The Rogue cast includes Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington, and John Jarratt.
• Written and directed by Greg McLean who’s known best for The Belko Experiment (2016), Wolf Creek (2005), and Wolf Creek 2 (2013.)

Jaws 1975

Probably the most iconic shark movie in the whole world, if you haven’t watched this film, you simply haven’t lived. Don’t worry that it’s more than 40 years old. It simply doesn’t matter that the special effects aren’t smooth and realistic because this is one of the greatest movies ever made. When Steven Spielberg directed this film, I’m certain his eyes and fingers turned to gold because he didn’t put a foot wrong in his directorial chair for a hefty amount of time afterward.

The “Jaws” movie scarred me for years as a child and I am certain it’s the first horror movie I ever saw.

Written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb. Jaws cast includes Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, and Carl Gottlieb.

Jaws Movie Trailer

Humanoids From The Deep 1980

If you’ve not heard of this film, that’s ok. It could very well be one of the most confronting animal horror movies I’ve ever seen. Although the title suggests otherwise, this film is most definitely about salmon-crossed humans who live in the ocean. How they got there will be a surprise and is not original as far as concepts go.

This film contains one or two rape scenes. So if that type of content is something you do not want your eyes to see, then perhaps skip past this one. For everyone else, this film is one that either hits or misses which is one of the reasons I watched it. The director is a woman too, Barbara Peeters.

Storyline: Scientific experiments backfire and produce horrific mutations: half man, half fish, which terrorizes a small fishing village by killing the men and raping the women.

Stars:  Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, Vic Morrow, and Cindy Weintraub. Written by Frank Arnold and Martin B. Cohen.

Open Water 2003

This film is almost like the ultimate worst nightmare. Two divers are left at sea when the boat is on leaves without noticing they are still under the water. It’s also based on a true story. It all happened in North Queensland on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s fair to say the film made up the events of what may have had to Tom and Eileen Lonergan but it’s still a very terrifying story.

I thought the tension levels in this movie were over the top and irrespective of the bulk of Open Water is just two people in a large expanse of ocean, Chris Kentis, the director did an amazing job.

The Open Water movie has two sequels but in my opinion, neither was as good as this one. All three are entirely watchable though if water and being stranded in it gives you raised hairs on your arms and a knot in your stomach.

Stars:  Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, and, Saul Stein.

Black Water 2007

Another Australian film, this creature feature involves crocodiles. It’s also based again on another true story. I mean people couldn’t think this stuff up. It all starts when three people go on a tour of a swamp for fishing. When the tour guide gets killed by a large crocodile, everything after that is both terrifying and brutal. Black Water is one of my very favorite monster movies and you must see it.

One of the two writers and directors David Nerlich hasn’t gone on to do any other feature-length films before or after. The other Andrew Traucki has directed many cult-adored films like “The ABCs of Death” (2012) and “The Reef” (2010).

• Black Water is always a film I recommend to people looking for a creature feature they may not have seen.
• Starring:  Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, Ben Oxenbould, and, Andy Rodoreda.
• Stream it on Tubi TV (USA) for free with ads or rent it on FandangoNOW, and Pantaflix online.

47 Meters Down 2017 A Shark Creature Feature Horror Movie

47 Meters Down was the middle of the road for me. I found the storyline a little badly interrupted with the character-driven narrative when I usually love any type of character-driven premise. It just wasn’t executed in a way that made me care enough about them as sisters other than them for being sisters.

Unlike other horror movies on this list, the negligence of the guys driving the boat added to my dismay of the overall film. In any case, it was still a tense underwater ride with one of the best jump scares I’ve had in a while and scored bonus points just because of it. There is a sequel releasing in 2019 and even though I fear the worst I will still watch it as an avid fan of all things horror and shark.

If you don’t know the story, it is simply that two sisters get in a cage in the middle of the ocean with two guys running a dodgy operation. The chain holding the cage snaps and they sink to a very deep depth. How can a story like that be bad?

Stars:  Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, and Matthew Modine.

Red Water 2003

For a few reasons, Red Water was not one of the best monster movies. Firstly there wasn’t enough shark and secondly, they allowed Lou Diamond Phillips to star in it and I like him. I saw his name on the bill for this creature feature and stupidly got my hopes up. They could call it something else drama-ey and then I might have been a little surprised when the bonus of sharks pulling people under the water happened. I guess this film’s main issue other than being a bit boring is that it sells itself as a shark movie and it’s a crime thriller. If I was at home at midday sick in bed and accidentally caught this, I would probably be happy if I was all hopped up on pain meds.

Currently, you can watch and stream this stellar water-hunting creature feature with Crackle for free with ads.

• Plot for Red Water: A group of oil workers being held hostage by a group of gangsters on a small oil rig is attacked by a freshwater bull shark.
• Directed by Charles Robert Carner and written by J.D. Feigelson and Chris Mack.

Shock Waves 1977

I had to include Shock Waves here because how else will you ever know about an army of aquatic zombies? If monsters + zombies + water isn’t something that excites you like a horror movie then I’m afraid nothing can be done for you. If you ever wanted to watch something old and can get your head around the sometimes choppy messy editing to just see a film that could inspire you then see this. This movie is very tame as far as gore goes. You could almost watch it with a younger generation horror-curious person. But see it you must. Even if you hate it.

Plot: Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of Zombie soldiers.

Shock Waves’ director Ken Wiederhorn went on to do things like Freddy’s Nightmares (1988) and Return of the Living Dead: Part II (1988.) Written by John Jent Harrison.