... the question of whether IT CAME FROM OS would be better with or without on-screen monsters?

The script called for a Xenomorph to be seen just once, for a split-second perhaps, as it's coming out of the mine and into the light, at Putnam's insistence. Other than that, the movie was made start-to-finish without monsters. Then, after it had wrapped, Universal realized, "WTF did we just do? We made a monster movie without monsters! It's gotta have monsters!" and the Glob was created, and photographed. And its arms were made, and actors re-hired so that the monster-less attack scenes could be junked and new ones (with characters grabbed by the arms) were shot.

We geeks have bickered for umpty-ump years whether CURSE OF THE DEMON would be better or worse without the Demon. Would IT CAME FROM OS be better or worse without the Globs?

"I've got no problem with going after Tom Weaver ... "