Monster Showdowns: Any Good Ones?

Usually, by definition, they are crud. The first ever vs. film between two classic monsters was Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman (1943) and while it was amusing it didn’t have very much else going for it (we won’t go into Lugosi’s performance as Frankenstein’s monster). Nearly a century years later and trying to name a good vs. film is difficult if not impossible.

The rule seems to be that when you take a great character from a classic film and try to make a film based on an imposed rivalry it is almost certainly going to be a disaster, like pouring fish stock into beef stew.

Now of course Godzilla produced a slew of vs. films which have a cult following, but I don’t believe any have critical acclaim. One of the biggest modern clashes was Alien vs. Predator (2004), but as we all know that film was terrible – even more so for the fact it spawned a sequel.

I wonder if it’s actually possible to make a good monster clash film…

If I’m forgetting one, do tell!