2025 marked a clear shift in how monsters were brought to life on screen. Instead of leaning heavily on polished CGI, cinema and television turned back to practical effects, creating creatures that felt solid, heavy, and unsettling. These monsters carried a physical presence that added tension to every scene and made the fear feel more grounded.

The return of prosthetics was not just a stylistic choice but a statement about craft and impact. Three such monsters stood out throughout the year, dominating conversations and leaving a lasting impression. Each delivered something different, raising one lingering question: Which of them was really the best?

Jacob Elordi’s transformation into the Creature in Frankenstein takes the cake, as it demanded a staggering daily commitment and an intense makeup process. Released in select theaters on October 17 and on Netflix on November 7, the film utilized approximately 42 prosthetic pieces applied to Elordi, resulting in a hauntingly detailed look inspired by Gothic design and anatomical art.

The actor endured 10-hour makeup sessions daily, including fake dentures and contact lenses, to embody the sympathetic monster Guillermo del Toro envisioned.

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The next monster worked because the actor’s physical control, makeup, and other transformative enhancements were in sync beat for beat.

It: Welcome to Derry debuted on October 26, reintroducing Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The character’s unsettling presence was achieved through traditional makeup and hair. The actor, notably, leaned heavily into his signature physicality, using every twitch in his body and vocal shift to amplify fear.

In the finale, his sudden appearances, whether lurching from shadows or stalking characters with that trademark grin, triggered genuine jumps and dread in viewers, proving how terrifying an incarnation could be even without CGI.

Last, but far from insignificant on this list, is dark fantasy veteran Jamie Campbell Bower’s return as the nightmarish Vecna in the ongoing final season of Stranger Things. The actor reprised the role with a version of the character that evolved both visually and thematically from earlier seasons. The makeup reportedly combined practical prosthetics with digital refinements, creating a grotesque, cavernous form marked by vine-like textures.

Though Vecna’s full body also embraced CGI, the prosthetic pieces anchored the monster in reality, grounding Bower’s movements and expressions in palpable physical terror. The result was a horror figure deeply rooted in the Upside Down’s grim world, with his screams, silent stares, and unnatural contortions leaving viewers with lingering unease long after each episode ended.

As 2025 comes to a close, these three monsters proved that fear hits harder when it feels real. Whether through raw emotion, sudden shocks, or slow-burning dread, each performance left a distinct scar on pop culture. The debate over which monster ruled the year may be subjective, but their impact made one thing clear: Practical horror was truly back, and audiences loved every terrifying minute of it.

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Do you agree with our ranking of practical monsters in 2025? Let us know in the comments.