The Scariest Animal Attacks in Movie History

With the upcoming animal attack movie Pirahna 3-D stirring up the horror movie crowd, it brings to mind the previous horror movie animal attack scenes that have made us scream. From the earliest entries into the genre such as "Kingdom of the Spiders" to the most recent entry Pirahna 3-D, the animal attack genre has been a go-to for horror movie makers looking for an easy scare. Amazingly, however, some of these animal attack movies have ended up being highly respected movies in the world of cinema, in spite of their exploitative nature. Here is a look at some of the best animal attack scenes and movies in history, along with what made them great:

Piranha - This early entry was actually the forerunner of the new Pirahna 3-D, and it was considered pretty dang scary back in 1979. Produced by Roger Corman the movie was largely considered a disappointment. It merits listing here, however, because of the proximity to the next movie on the list.

Jaws - Who among us has not been affected in some way by this movie? While Pirahna was fairly silly, Jaws felt real. The shark was rather laughable at times, but the real scary parts of the movie do not even show the shark. The opening scene where the drunk girl gets naked and swims out to the buoy is the scariest ten minutes in movie history. Jaws pulled no punches with the suspense, but the groundswell for a remake is growing.

The Swarm - This Irwin Allen animal attack movie was one of the spookiest movies ever for a long time. The effects and acting are certainly not at the top of the list, but the creepiness factor certainly is. You can literally feel the bees crawling all over you as they attack. Animal attacks can be icky in all sizes, and these bees prove that forcefully.

Cujo - Man's best friend is certainly one of the most likely candidates for animal attack movies. Cujo was a lovable St. Bernard until he went all rabid on everybody. This movie is horrifying and shows that animal attacks happen close to home as well. A rabid dog is not so far-fetched, so it makes the movie much more believable.

Lake Placid - Crocodile attacks are among the most frightening if you ask people that spend any time near the water. Sharks and crocodiles. While Lake Placid is as funny as it is scary, the crocodile is larger than life, and the storyline is about as contrived as one could ever hope for, the movie is still a great animal attack entry.

The Birds - The birds invades our minds and takes over somewhere around the middle of the movie. The innocence of the movie does little to take away from the scary factor, and Hitchcock was a master at doing just that.

Anaconda - While Jennifer Lopez certainly helped this movie along with some early pacing issues, the movie really is quite good. The snakes are laughable, but they are still scary as hell. By the end of the movie, the CGI effects are so outlandish that the movie loses all credibility. In spite of that fact Anaconda is simply fun to watch. That is the point of an animal attack movie after all.

Animal attack movies like Pirahna 3-D are sure to continue to pop up over the years, and some of them will end up being awesome. Likewise, some of these movies will end up being a flop. What truly sets one animal attack movie apart from the others is the realism factor. You can bend the rules, of course, but do not break them. The movies above all bent the rules, but they generally did not break them with the exception of Anaconda and possibly Lake Placid. Pirahna 3-D, like the 1979 Pirahna appears to be heading towards that area where the rules are broken. Will Pirahna 3-D make the list of great ones?

We will have to wait and see.