Gorgo x Konga x Anne Hathaway? 12 Godzilla knock-offs that are almost as good as the originals

Why do we love kaiju movies so much? Is it the sight of an enormous creature stomping its way through a metropolis, tapping into our secret desires to see them leveled? Or the representation of nature’s wrath against humanity for its mistreatment of the planet? A punishment for our sins of avarice and hubris? Whatever the reason, giant monster movies are more popular than ever. The King of the Monsters now holds an Oscar statue in his mighty claw after wowing audiences and critics alike in Godzilla Minus One. And following in the wake of last fall’s well-received TV series in Monarch, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, just became the fifth film in Legendary’s MonsterVerse series to open in theaters. The appeal is undeniable.

Ever since Godzilla and King Kong first fought each other back in 1962, in King Kong vs. Godzilla (the third of what’s now more than three dozen Godzilla films), audiences and filmmakers caught onto the notion that whenever two giant frenemies go head-to-head it makes for a good time at the movies. In the decades since, many studios and filmmakers have tried to repeat the success of these icons, and a few have even succeeded. Here are some of our favorite blatant attempts outside of the Godzilla and Kong universes to capitalize on our insatiable appetite for destruction on a massive scale.

Gorgo (1961)

The model for this British creature feature is clearly Godzilla—the promotional material makes the most out of the destruction of London by a giant monster who bears a striking resemblance to the Japanese original—but the plot actually has more in common with King Kong. After discovering a prehistoric predator in the waters off the Irish coast, treasure hunter Joe Ryan (Bill Travers) sells him to a promoter who offers a fortune for him. Gorgo becomes the star attraction at Dorkin’s Circus in Battersea Park (he’s even referred to at one point as “The Eighth Wonder of the World!”) angering his much bigger mother, who destroys half of London in search of her lost spawn. The film never quite finds the balance between satire and sincerity—it’s too silly to be serious, too straight to be camp—yet it’s acquired enough of a modern following (thanks, in part, to being featured on MST3K) to be considered a cult classic now.