History Main / MonsterDelay

* ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}''. Very closely related to the Godzilla example, we don't get to see the entire thing until nearly half the movie has gone by. Not only is its appearance rather hard to explain without seeing the movie, [[MurderArsonAndJaywalking it's quite ugly too]]. For both films, the entire strategy behind their marketing campaigns was to avoid showing the monsters so that audiences would go see the movies to find out what they looked like for themselves.

* In the ''EdEddNEddy'' episode "The Day the Ed Stood Still", Ed's friends dress him up like a monster, and Ed proceeds to get a little ''too'' into character and go on a rampage. We don't see Ed's monster costume in full until about two-thirds of the way into the cartoon.

* {{Godzilla}}: The 1998 American film may well provide the quintessential example. A monster the size of a skyscraper manages to travel halfway around the world while being stalked by the US military, attacks Manhattan, and yet still does not fully appear on screen for forty-five minutes.
* ''{{Cloverfield}}''. Very closely related to the Godzilla example, we don't get to see the entire thing until nearly half the movie has gone by. Not only is its appearance rather hard to explain without seeing the movie, [[MurderArsonAndJaywalking it's quite ugly too]]. For both films, the entire strategy behind their marketing campaigns was to avoid showing the monsters so that audiences would go see the movies to find out what they looked like for themselves.

* In ''{{Terminator 2}}: Judgement Day'', the monster is visible ([[AllThereIsToKnowAboutTheCryingGame as Robert Patrick in police blues]]) from the beginning, but its superpowers (and stunning visual effects) are trickled in as per MonsterDelay. The powers are hinted at with first encounter, their lethality is realized with the death of the foster parents, and they're fully exploited to the limits in the double-finale.

* {{Galactus}}. In ''FantasticFour #48'', Galactus, who is probably the largest and most omnipotent bad guy in the Marvel pantheon (at that time), does not appear until the very last panel.

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exagerated]] in {{StephenKing}}'s Literature/[[It]], which first introduces Pennywise the a MonsterClown at It's avatar, later reveals It's physical form to be more akin to a giant spider, which itself is only a partial manifestation It's interdimensional form, which is even more terrifying to the characters (just perceiving it risks making you [[spoiler: lose your mind]].

* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The Mayor's ascension takes an entire season arc.
* ''{{Firefly}}''. The reavers are constantly referred to, but hardly ever appear on screen.

* ''Film/{{Alien}}'', with the added bonus of including only 3 [[JumpScare jump scares]] in the entire film...and only one of them has anything to do with the eponymous xenomorph.
* ''{{Cloverfield}}''. Very closely related to the godzilla example, we don't get to see the entire thing until at LEAST half the movie has gone by. Not only is it's appearance rather hard to explain without seeing the movie, [[MurderArsonAndJaywalking it's quite ugly too]].
* {{Godzilla}}. The quintessential example. A monster the size of a skyscraper manages to travel halfway around the world while being stalked by the US military, attacks Manhattan, and yet still does not fully appear on screen for 45 minutes.
* ''Film/{{Jaws}}''. Further justified in that Spielberg didn't like the model of the shark used in the film, so he ensured as little of it was shown on camera as possible.
* ''Film/KingKong''. Justified in that the main characters travel for a long time in order to see the monster.

* Galactus. In ''FantasticFour #48'', Galactus, who is probably the largest and most omnipotent bad guy in the Marvel pantheon (at that time), does not appear until the very last panel.

[[quoteright:350:[[AmnesiaTheDarkDescent http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amnesia_9410.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[ZeroPunctuation Woah-- what was that thing]] ''[[NothingIsScarier I just glimpsed running down a hallway?]]'']]

* ''KingKong''. Justified in that the main characters travel for a long time in order to see the monster.

* The smoke monster on ''{{Lost}}'' was not seen in full until the middle of season 2, and his nature wasn't fully understood until season 6.

* AmnesiaTheDarkDescent ''runs on this trope''; the first glimpse of a monster is a silhouette hobbling through the fog. [[spoiler: It doesn't reappear in that area, but the suspense alone stops you from finding out.]]

* In ''FinalFantasyX'', we see bits and pieces of Sin, but not the entire thing until its third appearance. Interestingly, its earlier glimpses make it look much more like an EldritchAbomination than its full body, which is something like a blind whale with extra designs on it.

This law emerges from the cost of special effects and the desire to [[NothingIsScarier keep the audience in suspense]] until the "good stuff" appears. It has become a standard feature of monster movies.

* Averted by ''Rawhead Rex''; it was {{CliveBarker}}'s intent to make the monster as visible as possible early in the film.

* ''OrderOfTheStick'' has the literal, and so named, Monster in the Darkness. Even the monster himself does not know what he is.

[[AC: {{Film}}]]
* {{Pluto}} The title character is only glimpsed at until his appearance 7/8ths of the way through.
* {{Godzilla}}. The quintessential example. A monster the size of a skyscraper manages to travel halfway around the world while being stalked by the US military, attacks Manhattan, and yet still does not fully appear on screen for 45 minutes.
* ''KingKong''. Justified in that the main characters travel for a long time in order to see the monster.
* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The Mayor's ascension takes an entire season arc.
* ''{{Firefly}}''. The reavers are constantly referred to, but hardly ever appear on screen.

* In ''FinalFantasyX'', we see bits and pieces of Sin, but not the entire thing until its third appearance. Interestingly, its earlier glimpses make it look much more like an EldritchAbomination than its full body, which is something like a blind whale with extra designs on it.
* ''OrderOfTheStick'' has the literal, and so named, Monster in the Darkness. Even the monster himself does not know what he is.
* ''Film/{{Jaws}}''. Further justified in that Spielberg didn't like the model of the shark used in the film, so he ensured as little of it was shown on camera as possible.

* Parodied in an episode of ''{{Doug}}''. Doug watches a horror movie called ''The Abnormal'', about an evil alien shape-shifter whose true form is always just off-screen. Doug can't bring himself to watch TheReveal near the end of the movie, and ends up having reoccurring nightmares about it. He finally works up the nerve to watch the film one last time... and discovers [[NightmareRetardant the monster is just a guy in a cheap suit with an obvious zipper on the back]].

* In ''{{Terminator 2}}: Judgement Day'', the monster is visible (as Robert Patrick in police blues) from the beginning, but its superpowers (and stunning visual effects) are trickled in as per MonsterDelay. The powers are hinted at with first encounter, their lethality is realized with the death of the foster parents, and they're fully exploited to the limits in the double-finale.
* In the ''EdEddNEddy'' episode "The Day the Ed Stood Still", Ed's friends dress him up like a monster, and Ed proceeds to get a little ''too'' into character and go on a rampage. We don't see Ed's monster costume in full until about two-thirds of the way into the cartoon.
* The smoke monster on ''{{Lost}}'' was not seen in full until the middle of season 2, and his nature wasn't fully understood until season 6.

* Daemon in the Fan fic ''[[FanFic/TamersForeverSeries Tamers Forever]]'', lampshaded by the author.
-->''Episode five and Daemon hasn't arrived to Shinjuku… *sigh* Oh well, I just hope I actually get him in there before chapter eight, and I expect to finish this story in twenty chapters in the worst case scenario.''

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* ''{{Predator}}'': Only the view of the soldiers from the predator's eye-view, then a view of the cloaked predator, then close-ups of him patching up his wound, a full-body view, and finally the unmasking.
* In ''[[{{Terminator}} Terminator 2: Judgement Day]]'', the monster is visible (as Robert Patrick in police blues) from the beginning, but its superpowers (and stunning visual effects) are trickled in as per MonsterDelay. The powers are hinted at with first encounter, their lethality is realized with the death of the foster parents, and they're fully exploited to the limits in the double-finale.

* ''{{Jaws}}''. Further justified in that Spielberg didn't like the model of the shark used in the film, so he ensured as little of it was shown on camera as possible.
* ''{{Alien}}'', with the added bonus of including only 3 [[JumpScare jump scares]] in the entire film...and only one of them has anything to do with the eponymous xenomorph.

* Daemon in the Fan fic [[TamersForeverSeries Tamers Forever]] Lampshaded by the author

* ''{{Cloverfield}}''. Very closely related to the godzilla example, we don't get to see the entire thing until at LEAST half the movie has gone by. Not only (As [[TheNostalgiaCritic Doug Walker]] rightfully said) is it's appearance rather hard to explain without seeing the movie, [[MurderArsonAndJaywalking it's quite ugly too]].

* ''{{Jaws}}''
* ''{{Alien}}''

* ''{{Cloverfield}}''. Very closely related to the godzilla example, we don't get to see the entire thing until at LEAST half the movie has gone by. And it's quite ugly too.

* In ''[[{{Terminator}} Terminator 2: Judgement Day]], the monster is visible (as Robert Patrick in police blues) from the beginning, but its superpowers (and stunning visual effects) are trickled in as per MonsterDelay. The powers are hinted at with first encounter, their lethality is realized with the death of the foster parents, and then they're played with and pushed to the envelope in the double-finale.

*''{{Jaws}}''
*''{{Alien}}''

*''{{Predator}}'': Only the view of the soldiers from the predator's eye-view, then a view of the cloaked predator, then close-ups of him patching up his wound, a full-body view, and finally the unmasking.