50 reasons Star Wars is better than Lord of The Rings
By Ryan Wrenn
28. Sarlacc vs. Balrog
What was the Rancor? Monstrous pet of Jabba, almost killed Luke
Who was the Balrog? Demon residing in the Mines of Moria, killed Gandalf
Verdict: These are two monstrous beasts that need to be judged on almost completely different metrics.
The Sarlacc is basically a gaping maw of a mouth in the middle of the desert, complete with teeth and prehensile tentacles. That is some straight up horror movie stuff. We’re even told that, should you be thrown into the Sarlacc’s mouth or happen to fall in otherwise, you’re due to be digested alive in the great subterranean beast’s stomach.
By comparison, the Balrog is a much more basic monster. He’s a gigantic, flaming demon, and while certainly not something to consider lightly, doesn’t exactly inspire the same amount of dread as the Sarlacc. At worst with the Balrog, you’re going to be cut in half or burnt alive. Maybe you’ll fall down a near-bottomless pit as Gandalf did. Those are all terrible fates, but still not quite on the level of being digested alive.
If you’re going to have a nightmare about one of these creatures, it’s going to be the Sarlacc. It is straight out of H.R. Giger’s private, especially grotesque notebook. For skin-crawling reasons alone, Sarlacc gets the nod here.
Star Wars wins
Next: 27. Tatooine vs. Shire