Same here. I think it’s the oft-cited Alien: Resurrection effect. With all these beasties, the more clearly you see them, and the more you know about them, the less-bothersome they become. The xenomorph in Alien/Aliens was terrifying. By the fourth instalment it was merely an obstacle for the heroes.

I wouldn’t say the original Predator was scary, but he was certainly menacing – particularly when stalking Arnie through the mud. We didn’t know what it was, why it was here, what it wanted, or even what was under its mask. And when it did take the mask off, the face was pleasingly weird and alien (although it looks a lot like a crab).

But that’s always the way with these creature-features: the fans come back for the sequels hoping to see more and learn more about the gribbly that scared them… until it’s not scary anymore.