Top 10 Animal Attack Scenes in Film
Hello, Toby Gold here and welcome to another Top 10 List. Today, I will be counting down my Top 10 Animal Attack Scenes in Film. For this list, I have compiled my favourite movie scenes where a human is attacked by an animal. I am excluding scenes where an animal attacks another animal because that happens all the time in the wild. Also, for those of you who haven't seen the movies we will discuss, I will issue a spoiler alert, so you have been warned. So, let's get dangerous!
10. Gary Gets Swallowed - Anaconda (1997)
While shooting a documentary on a native tribe in the Amazon, director Terri Flores and her film crew encounter a deranged snake hunter named Paul Serone, whom they believe to know the tribe they are searching for. However, Serone is after a giant anaconda, and his pursuit of the record-breaking snake puts the documentary crew at risk. Among the victims of the snake hunt is sound engineer Gary Dixon, who sides with Serone and is ultimately crushed, killed, and eaten by the anaconda. Afterwards, the impression of Gary's face is gruesomely pressed into the snake's skin. Think about that trying to sleep tonight.
9. Animals in the House - Jumanji (1995)
In this wild adventure film, two kids get their hands on a board game called Jumanji, which literally comes to life around them, and encounter Alan Parrish, a man from the 1960s who was sucked into the game when he took a stab at it. Throughout the film, Alan and the kids are attacked by a variety of animals, including bats, monkeys, and lions, but the attack that takes the cake is announced in these wise words: "Don't be fooled, it isn't thunder. Staying put would be a blunder." Alan and the kids locate Sarah, Alan's childhood friend, in order to finish the game, but Judy, one of the kids', next roll of the dice releases a stampede of various animals, which chase the group through Sarah's house, until a pelican steals the game and flies off. It's called the wilderness for a reason, my friends.
8. Hellhound Ambush - The Omen (1976)
Dogs are commonly seen as a man's best friend, but the dogs of Hell are anything but friendly. While investigating his adoptive son, Damien's, origins, Ambassador Robert Thorn and photographer Keith Jennings visit an abandoned cemetery in Cerveteri. Shortly after learning the horrific truth about the 5-year-old Antichrist's birth and adoption, Robert and Keith are attacked by large black dogs called hellhounds, and barely escape from the cemetery with their lives. The hellhounds may have been terrifying, but while shooting the film, the Rottweiler portraying the hellhound belonging to Damien's evil nanny was nothing like the monster he represents, preferring to lick and play with his co-stars as opposed to threaten them. Let that fun fact make the scenes involving said hellhound less of a nightmare.
7. King Fergus Loses His Leg - Brave (2012)
Bears are large, aggressive, and dangerous creatures, and Disney/Pixar's Highland fantasy Brave features one as a truly terrifying antagonist. In the film's opening scene, Princess Merida of Clan Dunbroch receives a bow and arrows for her sixth birthday, much to the chagrin of her prim and proper mother, Queen Elinor. While venturing into the woods to fetch a stray arrow, Merida encounters a will-o'-the-wisp, a glowing blue-coloured spiritual creature that leads one to their fate. Soon after, a large, vicious bear named Mor'du attacks the royal family. Merida and Elinor escape on horseback while their father/husband, King Fergus, holds Mor'du off at the cost of his leg. Merida and Mor'du encounter each other again when the former ages into a spirited young woman, and it is revealed that Mor'du is actually an ambitious prince who got cursed by an elderly witch. Since he was permanently transformed into a bear at the time of the story, I'll let this one slide.
6. Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog - Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Rabbits are cute animals whose diet consists of plants, but the Arthurian comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail proves that looks can be deceiving by portraying a rabbit as a carnivore. During King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, the knights meet an enchanter named Tim, who directs them to a cave where the Grail is said to be located. However, it is guarded by the Rabbit of Caerbannog, a vicious, bloodthirsty rabbit who makes short work of three of the knights. Luckily, the knights of Camelot are provided with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch by Brother Maynard and his monks, which destroys the creature. It just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
5. Serpentine Possession - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1 (2010)
Snakes are often associated with evil, and Harry Potter's archenemy is no exception. The evil Lord Voldemort, formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, looks like a snake, has the ability to speak to snakes, attended Hogwarts as a member of a house whose symbol is a snake, and has a (formerly human) pet snake named Nagini. While searching for the source of the Dark Lord's power, Harry and his female friend, Hermione Granger, stop by the house where the former's parents lived and died to meet with Bathilda Bagshot, a wizard historian who knew the late Albus Dumbledore. The meeting doesn't go as planned, however, as Voldemort had killed Bathilda beforehand and placed Nagini inside her corpse. Nagini attacks the two teenagers, and Hermione accidentally breaks Harry's wand in the resulting skirmish. If you told me I am watching a horror film when I see this terrifying scene, I would totally believe you.
4. Mutated Sea Bass - Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1999)
In many a James Bond film, the villain captures 007, but instead of killing him right then and there, subjects him to an overly elaborate death trap, giving the British spy enough time to escape. Mike Myers mercilessly parodies this, among many other James Bond tropes, in the Austin Powers series, starting with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. After being captured by his archenemy, Dr. Evil, time-displaced secret agent Austin Powers and his new partner, Vanessa Kensington, are slowly lowered into a pool full of ill-tempered, mutated sea bass (as opposed to sharks, which are endangered). Luckily, Austin and Vanessa escape Evil's death trap by using dental floss to swing to safety and dispatch a henchman by pinning him down on the edge of the pool, causing him to be decapitated by the sea bass. I guess you could say that two heads are better than one.
3. Attack of the Flying Monkeys - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Monkeys are very aggressive creatures, but give them wings and employ them as minions to a villainous green-skinned witch and you have a nightmare. Young protagonist Dorothy Gale and her companions arrive at the Emerald City, hoping to have their wishes granted by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Wizard, who takes the form of a large ghostly head, agrees to help the group, but only if they bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West. As the group approach West's castle, the Wicked Witch sends her winged monkeys to capture Dorothy and her dog Toto in order to recover the ruby slippers that belonged to her deceased sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. The monkeys tear the Scarecrow apart, incapacitate the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, and fly off with Dorothy, but Toto manages to escape and leads the others to West's castle to rescue her. Let us be thankful that those monkeys didn't use their faeces as a weapon, as monkeys are known for doing in real life.
2. Dino in Plain Sight - Jurassic World (2015)
The Jurassic Park franchise is driven by the controversial science of resurrecting dinosaurs, which more often than not escape and attack humans. One of the most terrifying dinosaur attacks in the history of the franchise occurs in 2015's Jurassic World, thanks to the Indominus rex, a genetically engineered dinosaur created as an attraction of the newly-opened dinosaur theme park Jurassic World. However, the I-Rex lacks social skills, making it dangerous and unpredictable. Needless to say, the I-rex escapes, but to protect his investment, park owner Simon Masrani sends a team of soldiers to subdue the man-made behemoth with non-lethal weaponry. Unfortunately, the I-rex can camouflage and mask its heat signature, and all the soldiers are killed after discovering that it clawed out its tracking implant. Keeping wild animals in captivity is a controversial practice, but creating new creatures is even worse, especially when they become intelligent enough to turn on their handlers.
Before I reveal my top choice, here are some honourable mentions.
- Chrissie's Last Swim - Jaws (1975)
- The Gorilla Mates Tonight - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
- The Evil Time Ends - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
- Furious George - Rampage (2018)
1. San Francisco Rampage - Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Unlike the other animal attacks on this list, this one is not just an animal attack, but a revolution. In this 2011 reboot of Planet of the Apes, San Francisco biotech firm Gen-Sys Laboratories creates ALZ-113, a drug designed to cure Alzheimer's. However, the drug proves fatal to most of humanity, but boosts the intelligence of the simians on which it is tested. Led by a chimpanzee named Caesar, the apes escape not only from Gen-Sys, but also from a primate shelter and the San Francisco Zoo, and embark on a rampage through the city. They tear down power lines, de-arrest comrades, and fight their way past a police blockade on the Golden Gate Bridge to escape to the Muir Woods. During the standoff, the apes use the fog and an overturned bus to their advantage, rounding it off when a scarred bonobo named Koba exacts his revenge on the man who experimented on him. Caesar may not have wanted any harm to come to humanity, only using violence when threatened, but circumstances arose that led to the decline of Homo sapiens and the rise of the apes as Earth's dominant species.
Do you agree with my list? Which animal attack scene is your favourite? This is Toby Gold, bidding you farewell until we meet again.
10. Gary Gets Swallowed - Anaconda (1997)
While shooting a documentary on a native tribe in the Amazon, director Terri Flores and her film crew encounter a deranged snake hunter named Paul Serone, whom they believe to know the tribe they are searching for. However, Serone is after a giant anaconda, and his pursuit of the record-breaking snake puts the documentary crew at risk. Among the victims of the snake hunt is sound engineer Gary Dixon, who sides with Serone and is ultimately crushed, killed, and eaten by the anaconda. Afterwards, the impression of Gary's face is gruesomely pressed into the snake's skin. Think about that trying to sleep tonight.
9. Animals in the House - Jumanji (1995)
In this wild adventure film, two kids get their hands on a board game called Jumanji, which literally comes to life around them, and encounter Alan Parrish, a man from the 1960s who was sucked into the game when he took a stab at it. Throughout the film, Alan and the kids are attacked by a variety of animals, including bats, monkeys, and lions, but the attack that takes the cake is announced in these wise words: "Don't be fooled, it isn't thunder. Staying put would be a blunder." Alan and the kids locate Sarah, Alan's childhood friend, in order to finish the game, but Judy, one of the kids', next roll of the dice releases a stampede of various animals, which chase the group through Sarah's house, until a pelican steals the game and flies off. It's called the wilderness for a reason, my friends.
8. Hellhound Ambush - The Omen (1976)
Dogs are commonly seen as a man's best friend, but the dogs of Hell are anything but friendly. While investigating his adoptive son, Damien's, origins, Ambassador Robert Thorn and photographer Keith Jennings visit an abandoned cemetery in Cerveteri. Shortly after learning the horrific truth about the 5-year-old Antichrist's birth and adoption, Robert and Keith are attacked by large black dogs called hellhounds, and barely escape from the cemetery with their lives. The hellhounds may have been terrifying, but while shooting the film, the Rottweiler portraying the hellhound belonging to Damien's evil nanny was nothing like the monster he represents, preferring to lick and play with his co-stars as opposed to threaten them. Let that fun fact make the scenes involving said hellhound less of a nightmare.
7. King Fergus Loses His Leg - Brave (2012)
Bears are large, aggressive, and dangerous creatures, and Disney/Pixar's Highland fantasy Brave features one as a truly terrifying antagonist. In the film's opening scene, Princess Merida of Clan Dunbroch receives a bow and arrows for her sixth birthday, much to the chagrin of her prim and proper mother, Queen Elinor. While venturing into the woods to fetch a stray arrow, Merida encounters a will-o'-the-wisp, a glowing blue-coloured spiritual creature that leads one to their fate. Soon after, a large, vicious bear named Mor'du attacks the royal family. Merida and Elinor escape on horseback while their father/husband, King Fergus, holds Mor'du off at the cost of his leg. Merida and Mor'du encounter each other again when the former ages into a spirited young woman, and it is revealed that Mor'du is actually an ambitious prince who got cursed by an elderly witch. Since he was permanently transformed into a bear at the time of the story, I'll let this one slide.
6. Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog - Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Rabbits are cute animals whose diet consists of plants, but the Arthurian comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail proves that looks can be deceiving by portraying a rabbit as a carnivore. During King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, the knights meet an enchanter named Tim, who directs them to a cave where the Grail is said to be located. However, it is guarded by the Rabbit of Caerbannog, a vicious, bloodthirsty rabbit who makes short work of three of the knights. Luckily, the knights of Camelot are provided with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch by Brother Maynard and his monks, which destroys the creature. It just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
5. Serpentine Possession - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1 (2010)
Snakes are often associated with evil, and Harry Potter's archenemy is no exception. The evil Lord Voldemort, formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, looks like a snake, has the ability to speak to snakes, attended Hogwarts as a member of a house whose symbol is a snake, and has a (formerly human) pet snake named Nagini. While searching for the source of the Dark Lord's power, Harry and his female friend, Hermione Granger, stop by the house where the former's parents lived and died to meet with Bathilda Bagshot, a wizard historian who knew the late Albus Dumbledore. The meeting doesn't go as planned, however, as Voldemort had killed Bathilda beforehand and placed Nagini inside her corpse. Nagini attacks the two teenagers, and Hermione accidentally breaks Harry's wand in the resulting skirmish. If you told me I am watching a horror film when I see this terrifying scene, I would totally believe you.
4. Mutated Sea Bass - Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1999)
In many a James Bond film, the villain captures 007, but instead of killing him right then and there, subjects him to an overly elaborate death trap, giving the British spy enough time to escape. Mike Myers mercilessly parodies this, among many other James Bond tropes, in the Austin Powers series, starting with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. After being captured by his archenemy, Dr. Evil, time-displaced secret agent Austin Powers and his new partner, Vanessa Kensington, are slowly lowered into a pool full of ill-tempered, mutated sea bass (as opposed to sharks, which are endangered). Luckily, Austin and Vanessa escape Evil's death trap by using dental floss to swing to safety and dispatch a henchman by pinning him down on the edge of the pool, causing him to be decapitated by the sea bass. I guess you could say that two heads are better than one.
3. Attack of the Flying Monkeys - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Monkeys are very aggressive creatures, but give them wings and employ them as minions to a villainous green-skinned witch and you have a nightmare. Young protagonist Dorothy Gale and her companions arrive at the Emerald City, hoping to have their wishes granted by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Wizard, who takes the form of a large ghostly head, agrees to help the group, but only if they bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West. As the group approach West's castle, the Wicked Witch sends her winged monkeys to capture Dorothy and her dog Toto in order to recover the ruby slippers that belonged to her deceased sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. The monkeys tear the Scarecrow apart, incapacitate the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, and fly off with Dorothy, but Toto manages to escape and leads the others to West's castle to rescue her. Let us be thankful that those monkeys didn't use their faeces as a weapon, as monkeys are known for doing in real life.
2. Dino in Plain Sight - Jurassic World (2015)
The Jurassic Park franchise is driven by the controversial science of resurrecting dinosaurs, which more often than not escape and attack humans. One of the most terrifying dinosaur attacks in the history of the franchise occurs in 2015's Jurassic World, thanks to the Indominus rex, a genetically engineered dinosaur created as an attraction of the newly-opened dinosaur theme park Jurassic World. However, the I-Rex lacks social skills, making it dangerous and unpredictable. Needless to say, the I-rex escapes, but to protect his investment, park owner Simon Masrani sends a team of soldiers to subdue the man-made behemoth with non-lethal weaponry. Unfortunately, the I-rex can camouflage and mask its heat signature, and all the soldiers are killed after discovering that it clawed out its tracking implant. Keeping wild animals in captivity is a controversial practice, but creating new creatures is even worse, especially when they become intelligent enough to turn on their handlers.
Before I reveal my top choice, here are some honourable mentions.
- Chrissie's Last Swim - Jaws (1975)
- The Gorilla Mates Tonight - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
- The Evil Time Ends - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
- Furious George - Rampage (2018)
1. San Francisco Rampage - Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Unlike the other animal attacks on this list, this one is not just an animal attack, but a revolution. In this 2011 reboot of Planet of the Apes, San Francisco biotech firm Gen-Sys Laboratories creates ALZ-113, a drug designed to cure Alzheimer's. However, the drug proves fatal to most of humanity, but boosts the intelligence of the simians on which it is tested. Led by a chimpanzee named Caesar, the apes escape not only from Gen-Sys, but also from a primate shelter and the San Francisco Zoo, and embark on a rampage through the city. They tear down power lines, de-arrest comrades, and fight their way past a police blockade on the Golden Gate Bridge to escape to the Muir Woods. During the standoff, the apes use the fog and an overturned bus to their advantage, rounding it off when a scarred bonobo named Koba exacts his revenge on the man who experimented on him. Caesar may not have wanted any harm to come to humanity, only using violence when threatened, but circumstances arose that led to the decline of Homo sapiens and the rise of the apes as Earth's dominant species.
Do you agree with my list? Which animal attack scene is your favourite? This is Toby Gold, bidding you farewell until we meet again.
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