Monsters are blurry beings—out-of-focus, liminal creatures between two categories. Bigfoot is man and ape, a category-­breaking bipedal primate. Werewolves are shape-shifters between humans and wolves ...

In novels like “Moby Dick” or “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” monsters exist to aggravate and impinge on human life. Science, folklore, and fiction have villainized deep sea creatures for centuries, ...

Something’s going on with our monsters. They used to feast on humans with abandon, burn our villages, prowl the margins of the map; now they’re seeking therapy. The fangs are still there, but they’re ...

Notable exceptions like the original Jurassic Park and Kong: Skull Island aside, films featuring giant monsters are notorious for having a human problem. Human characters are necessary for helping ...