25 greatest and most terrifying horror movie monsters

Most horrifying horror movie monsters: 7. Zuul (Ghostbusters)

Though Ghostbusters is now a beloved comedy, there’s no denying that it contains some serious horror elements. After all, the central team in the film is tasked with capturing and containing ghosts throughout New York City. The very fact that the dead can manifest in a spectral form here on Earth is unsettling enough already.

Then, the film decides to pile on the interdimensional weirdness. There’s a demon lord, Gozer the Gozerian, a shape-shifting god of destruction that hails from ancient Sumeria. Of course, you can’t forget that Godzilla-sized big boss at the end, in the shape of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Even Slimer, one of the first ghosts to appear in the film and who later became a signature feature of the franchise, is really weird-looking. I mean, he’s a glowing green blob with tiny arms, a gaping maw, and the ability to deposit some suspicious-looking slime all over anyone who stands in his way.

But none of these creeped me out nearly as much as the demon dog, Zuul. This particular baddie is a demigod and servant of Gozer. It first appears as Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) returns to her NYC apartment with her groceries. When Dana opens the door to her refrigerator, she finds that the insides no longer house salad dressing, but a dark hell dimension dominated by the Temple of Gozer.

If that weren’t bad enough, Zuul pops up into her vision and growls out its own name. Its glowing red eyes and horns don’t really make a good impression. Neither does its monstrous set of teeth. Even when Dana herself transforms into Zuul, you can’t imagine that she’s entirely comfortable with the new look.