Giant insects, spiders and other very bad infestations

Oversized mosquitoes turn a familiar summer nuisance into a very physical creature problem. The monster attacks are the reason to pick this over a more solemn laboratory-conspiracy film.

For your group: Bloody punctures and splatter; the human performances are considerably less consistent than the premise.

An exterminator is an immediately useful person to put in a giant-spider story. The comedy keeps the hero engaged with the problem instead of waiting for another scientist to explain it.

For your group: This is an intentional creature comedy with a knowingly oversized finale.

A property pitch makes an excellent setting for people refusing to recognise a disastrous investment. The ants and the increasingly strange turns in the plot reward an audience that enjoys vintage ecological panic.

For your group: The human setup is substantial. Set expectations for seventies pacing and enlarged-insect effects.

The scruffy rural setting and quarrelling locals give the eventual giant spider an oddly domestic context. Choose it for visible monster engineering and the feeling that the apocalypse has arrived in someone's yard.

For your group: A shaggy build-up; the biggest creature is not on screen throughout.

The ski-resort setting supplies a distinct visual change from another swamp or laboratory. Earnest rescue efforts and digital arachnids make a reliably peculiar winter-sports broadcast.

For your group: Television-movie pacing and obvious effects; best with a group happy to supply its own commentary.

A student investigation grows into a space-programme nightmare with impressive practical nastiness. Put this on when your group wants actual monster transformations alongside the conspiracy nonsense.

For your group: Body horror and thin characters. This is the 2000 film, not the New York-set 2013 release.

New York's subway system becomes the route into a large-scale spider emergency. Use it when the group wants the story to keep finding reasons for a bigger creature and a closer attack.

For your group: The 2013 film was designed around 3D spectacle; watching flat changes some of its appeal.

The human-to-mosquito angle makes this a useful variation after several films about ordinary insects growing. The creature suit supplies a tangible villain while the laboratory logic supplies conversation.

For your group: Also circulated as Mansquito. Expect gore and earnest pursuit rather than a gentle insect comedy.

Give the evening a vintage anchor with a well-built giant-ant investigation. Its seriousness and practical craft make a useful contrast with the more chaotic digital infestations.

For your group: Patient black-and-white science fiction. The relatively strong filmmaking is part of the recommendation.