The world is already speculating and crack-theorizing about J.K. Rowling’s new Harry Potter spin off project, and we had to join the club and tell you which six monsters we’d love to see in the first film.
There are so, so many beasts in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that it’d be hard to focus on just five, but we decided to select only five for now so we can save some for the next film!
Take a look at our reasons why these five beasts should make an appearance in the first Fantastic Beasts film and tell us what you think in the comments below!
By the way: We’re well aware that some of these beasts aren’t found in North America, but that won’t stop us from wanting to see them!
Re’em
What it is: Resembling the Ox, a Re’Em has a golden hide. Its blood, much like the unicorn (who some liken this beast to), has special magical properties – once you drink the blood of a Re’Em, you gain immense strength for a limited amount of time. Unlike the unicorn, Re’Em blood is not cursed and does not give the drinker any after-effects other than strength. Because of this, the demand is high and it’s extremely hard to find on the magical black market.
For the movie: It might just be us, but Newt Scamander doesn’t seem like he’s the biggest or strongest of explorers, as he’s described to occasionally beat some beasts with his traveling kettle if they get too dangerous. We can imagine him coming across this beast or some of its blood and gaining the strength he needs to fight off one of the bigger beasts later in the movie.
Erkling
What it is: An Erkling is just a little bit taller than a gnome, standing at about three feet tall, and has a particular taste for children. Creepy! Their high pitched cackles are known to lure the children away from their guardians, and the Erkling likes to throw darts at unsuspecting victims.
For the movie: This is a creature who is categorized as XXXX, meaning Erklings are dangerous but skilled wizards can handle them alright. We’d love to see Newt come across a town or population that’s suffering from attacks of Erklings and save them all. Plus, we’d get to see him possibly attack it with his traveling kettle!
Niffler
What it is: A Niffler is a treasure hunting animal that is attracted to shiny things, and are really good at detecting them, so we can think of them as a kind of magical metal detector. But be careful when you’re wearing jewelry because they’re known to bite if you are!
For the movie: Not all the beasts we see in this film have to be bad, or dangerous. We’d love a glimpse into the more friendly creatures that Newt comes across and see him learn how they track and how Goblins use them for help in their treasure finding. We can totally imagine Newt getting bitten by one of these adorable things just because he’s wearing a ring or necklace.
Grindylow
What it is: We’ve seen the Grindylows before in Goblet of Fire, so most Harry Potter fans will know these creatures. They’re small, horned water demon-type creatures that are particularly aggressive to humans, and have only ever been tamed by Merpeople. Even though they survive on fish and algae, they’re also known to eat the occasional human, which is why they’re classified as dark creatures.
For the movie: We’d absolutely love to see these creatures in a more in-depth way than the few minutes we saw them in for Goblet of Fire. Being able to see these in conjuncture with the view of Merpeople would be amazing! Imagine Newt casting an underwater spell to visit a community of Merpeople and discovering these creepy things.
Golden Snidget
What it is: The Golden Snidget is the bird that inspired the use of the Snitch in Quidditch. It’s small and gold and has fully rotating wings that make it incredibly fast, and was actually used in Quidditch games before the introduction of the Snitch. It’s because of their earlier use in Quidditch that their species was almost entirely depleted to extinction, which is why extremely severe consequences occur to those who capture them.
For the movie: Although the Snidget was replaced by the Snitch around 1369, it’d be interesting to see Newt come upon the original inspiration for the Quidditch ball. It would be so adorable to see Newt trying to keep up with this fast-paced bird!
Lethifold
What it is: A Lethifold is one of the most dangerous beasts in the world and has an appetite for sleeping humans. It looks like a black coat, and it’s thickness varies depending on if it’s recently digested its victim or not. The Lethifold preys on humans while they sleep and suffocates them before devouring them completely, removing every trace that the victim was even there.
For the movie: We can absolutely imagine Newt coming across one of these beasts or having to solve a case or two where the beast devoured its victims. We want to be able to see a black coat in the film and say “No! Don’t try it on! It’ll EAT YOU!” Plus, movies need more unique creative monsters and what’s more unique than a man-eating coat?!