Shapeshifting, unsurprisingly, comes in many different shapes and guises. Marvel’s Mystique is able to mimic anyone, while the Genie from Aladdin (1992) can transform into basically anything. And then there are the more sinister shifters who inspire fear: Pennywise and his knack for horrifying creatures, the Thing with its disturbing biological mash-ups, and the absolutely ruthless liquid metal T-1000. All of these shapeshifters are rightfully pop-culture icons, but I want to spend a little time talking up a few shifters who don’t get enough time in the spotlight.
A quick note before I get started: I’m not counting people/creatures who only shift into one other form, e.g. werewolves and the Hulk. With that said, here are six shapeshifters from films and TV shows that deserve a little more love.
The Shape Shifter from Gravity Falls
Twins Dipper (Jason Ritter) and Mabel (Kristen Schaal) come across a lot of creepy creatures while spending their summer in Gravity Falls, but one of the scariest has to be the Shape Shifter (Mark Hamill). While this nightmarish creature can take on the shape of anything, it has to see the thing in order to mimic it. Having been trapped in a hidden underground bunker for many years, the Shape Shifter has a field day when it gets its hands on the monster-filled journal that Dipper found.
Although the Shape Shifter can perfectly mimic humans—which creates some excellent character drama—I’m more partial to its various supersized bug forms (as well as its natural form, which also happens to be rather insectile!). But I think its best trick is twisting its various guises together, resulting in some horrifying abominations that are rather reminiscent of the alien from The Thing. The Dipper-Mabel hybrid creature pushes the body horror further than I was ever expecting from such a kid-friendly show.
The Polymorph from Red Dwarf
The Polymorph is a fairly blatant comedic homage to the Xenomorph from the Alien films (not that I knew that when I first saw the episode as a kid!). Not only does the Polymorph go through Xenomorph-esque transformations throughout its life cycle, but its final large form even features an inner mouth appendage that shoots out. While the small worm-like version of the creature looks pretty silly (and makes hilarious little noises), the fully-grown version is a slimy nightmare that I’d prefer not to encounter.
The genetically engineered Polymorph tailors its appearance to each victim—much like Pennywise—in order to suck out whichever emotion it desires to feed upon. Lister (Craig Charles), Rimmer (Chris Barrie), Cat (Danny John-Jules), and Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) aren’t the most adept group at the best of times, but the situation gets even worse after the creature has consumed Lister’s fear, Rimmer’s anger, Cat’s vanity, and Kryten’s guilt. Thankfully though, luck is on their side!
Lucifer from Hazbin Hotel
Lucifer (Jeremy Jordan) doesn’t get much screen time in the animated musical comedy series Hazbin Hotel, but his appearances always pack a punch. As well as being the shapeshifting King of Hell, Lucifer is also the absentee, and yet overprotective, father of main character Charlie (Erika Henningsen). Although Charlie pours her heart into the Hazbin Hotel—which aims to rehabilitate demons in order to get them into Heaven—Lucifer is too much in his own head to give Charlie the support she needs. But although he’s scatter-brained and socially awkward, he’s still the King of Hell for a reason.
[Spoilers for the season one finale of Hazbin Hotel follow.] In the final episode (video above), Charlie and co. are struggling to protect the hotel, and each other, from the assault that’s being dished out by the angelic Exterminators, but then Lucifer swoops in diabolus ex machina style to save the day. While battling Adam (Alex Brightman), Lucifer makes full use of his shapeshifting abilities, transforming into a snake, goat, bird, horse, and octopus in order to beat—and, let’s be honest, taunt—the angel. Best of all, in each animal form, the fallen angel always retains a few of his stylistic flourishes, with his dapper top hat and bow tie being permanent fixtures.
The Bounty Hunters from the Critters Films
I’ve previously written fairly extensively about my love of films that are so-bad-they’re-good, and the Critters franchise definitely falls into that category. Although they’re B-movies, I stand by the practical creature effects being genuinely fantastic. However, it’s not the endlessly hungry Krites that I’m focusing on today.
We first meet the shapeshifting bounty hunters, Ug and Lee, in their default forms that sport green featureless heads. To prepare for their mission of Krite elimination on Earth, they watch a primer on human culture, during which Ug sees a video of rock star Johnny Steele (Terrence Mann) and takes on his form. Lee, however, remains undecided and in Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) we get a little more information about why that is. Ug is asked why he chose the singer, while Lee is “still a nothing-face,” to which he replies, “Because this body fit. Lee stays a nothing-face until he finds the right self. Can’t live in the wrong self.”
Lee’s shapeshifting is often played for laughs, and the form he spends the most time in—and seems to be the most comfortable in—is that of a Playboy centerfold model (played by Roxanne Kernohan). But paired with Ug’s comments about needing to find “the right self,” Lee’s choice is actually pretty poignant in terms of gender identity and expression.
Morph from Treasure Planet
Disney animation has a fairly extensive roster of shapeshifters—along with Aladdin’s previously mentioned Genie, there’s Maui from Moana (2016), Pain and Panic from Hercules (1997), Camilo from Encanto (2021) and Merlin and Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone (1963). But this impressive line-up has led to Morph, from box-office flop Treasure Planet (2002), becoming a little lost in the mix.
While Treasure Planet is no masterpiece, there are elements of the film that really work, and have managed to grab hold of my heart, and one of those elements is Morph. Long John Silver is known for having a pet parrot perched on his shoulder, but in this sci-fi take on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson book, the iconic pirate of course needed a suitably sci-fi pet. Enter Morph—a tiny floating pink blob that can, well, morph into any shape. Morph’s default form is adorable all on his own, but his tiny versions of other characters in the film really steal the show for me.
Aside from looking cute, Morph also has the personality of a cheeky puppy and, like many a canine companion, he’s also a fantastic judge of character. Although Jim (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Silver (Brian Murray) are initially at odds with each other, Morph takes a shine to both of them and his instincts are proven to be right as the pair eventually develop a genuinely tender father-son relationship (which is another strong suit of the film!).
Doric from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) is a film that knows how to have fun and one scene that really sticks out in my mind is the one-take chase sequence through Neverwinter. Shapeshifting druid Doric (Sophia Lillis) infiltrates Forge’s (Hugh Grant) castle on a reconnaissance mission, but while eavesdropping as a fly, her presence is detected. To escape, Doric shifts into whichever animal—be that rat, cat, or bird—can best maneuver through the current environment.
Although the scene wasn’t actually shot in one continuous take, it’s stitched together so seamlessly that it still generates that breathlessly propulsive feeling. And not only is it fun to see Doric constantly adapting her form to suit the situation, but the scene is also packed with comedy—from the armored guards clumsily scurrying after her rat form to the family who are shocked by a cat falling down their chimney and then suddenly transforming into a human (or, well, a tiefling to be exact).
I’m sure there are plenty of other shapeshifters out there who deserve their moment in the sun, so feel free to leave your own favorite underrated examples in the comments below!
