There are endless horror movies about ghosts, monsters and demons out there.

But, sometimes the scariest things we can imagine are right there in the natural world. With the release of the new Idris Elba film 'Beast', our fears of big animals have been reawakened.

We've compiled a list of eight films all featuring a real-world animal as the formidable foe. And, believe us, it will be a long time before we leave the house again.

The shark from 'Jaws'

The one true champion of all animal antagonists has got to be Amity Island's very own great white shark. Those lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes, they'll stay with you long after you finish watching Spielberg's classic.

The legendary director created terror through the unknown and unseen and the giant fish remains as unsettling as it was the day it was released into the world in 1975. The iconic "duh duh, duh duh" score by John Williams has become synonymous with the dread we feel of something creeping up on us from the depths of the dark waters.

Other spine-chilling sharks: 'Deep Blue Sea', 'Open Water'.

Giant snakes in 'Anaconda'

As if snakes needed any more of a bad rep, this 1997 film starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube and Owen Wilson gave a whole generation the creeps upon its release.

The plot centres around a film crew who are venturing deep into the Amazon to try and find a long lost indigenous tribe. However, they get involved with a dodgy snake hunter (Jon Voight) who takes over their boat and goes in search of a legendary giant anaconda.

Other sinister snakes: 'Snakes on a plane'

The grizzly bear in 'The Revenant'

Leonardo DiCaprio effectively won an Oscar by being mauled by a big mamma bear in one of the most harrowing scenes in cinema over the last decade. DiCaprio played the real-life frontiersman Hugh Glass, who sets out on an arduous and treacherous journey through the American wilderness.

On a scouting mission, Glass unfortunately stumbles upon some young bear cubs who are closely followed by their protective mother. In a rage, the giant Grizzly attacks Glass and the ensuing scene is a long, drawn-out close up of just how bad a bear attack is. And, trust us, it's pretty awful.

Other blood-curdling bears: 'Backcountry'

The alligators in 'Crawl'

There's something about an animal lurking just below the surface, waiting to strike, that really translates well into horror cinema. Endless amounts of movies have gone for the killer-croc (or killer-gator) approach, from 'Primeval' to 'Lake Placid'. But the scariest reptilian flick we're going for is the more recent 'Crawl'.

Starring 'Skins' alumni Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper, 'Crawl' is set in hurricane-ravaged Florida where a whole load of alligators descend upon a house in which the two are stuck.

Featuring gore aplenty, tense scenes and brilliant acting, 'Crawl' is as close to a complete animal horror you could find. You'll also be left triple-checking your bathroom door is locked after watching this.

Other nerve-racking reptiles: 'Primeval', 'Lake Placid'

The wolves from 'The Grey'

Poor Liam Neeson can never catch a break. In 'The Grey', he plays a grizzled sharpshooter who ends up on a plane that crashes into the Alaskan wilderness.

In a seemingly hopeless situation where if starvation or the cold don't get him, then pesky wolves will tear him to shreds, he tries to lead a group back to safety, away from the snarling snouts of those hungry canines.

Other terrifying wolves: 'Frozen' (No, not that one).

The dog from 'Cujo'

Keeping it canine, we move onto this classic adaptation of the one and only Stephen King's story. The basic premise is big friendly dog gets rabies from a rat bite and tries to kill an entire family.

Even though it got mixed reviews at the time of release, 'Cujo' has become something of a cult classic and still hits close to home for a lot of pet-owners.

Other dastardly dogs: 'The Brood'.

The spiders from 'Arachnophobia'

Arachnophobia

The spider. Small, speedy and inherently evil. The eight-legged arachnid makes for the perfect movie villain. And in this 1990 flick starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman, they sure generate chaos.

Comedy and horror usually always go well together. Throw in an irrational fear of spiders and you're in for a good time (unless you are indeed a sufferer of said irrational fear, of course).

Other scary spiders: 'Eight Legged Freaks'

The birds from 'The Birds'

Finally, we have to finish with the scariest of all movie creatures, straight from the mind of the master of suspense himself, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock.

'The Birds' released in 1963 and is still regarded as one of the most pivotal horrors of all time. If anyone can turn a small bird into an evil villain, it's Hitchcock. And my god does he do just that.

The movie is based on a true story of a California town getting attacked by birds during the early 60's. Unbeknownst to the locals, toxic algae was the cause of the erratic behaviour and caused the birds to divebomb at people and cars.

Anyone that has seen 'The Birds' can tell you that you'll never look at a crow perched outside your window the same again.

Other frightening flyers: The raven from that scene in 'The VVitch'.