A
monster movie (
creature feature or
giant monster film) is a film which revolves around innocent
civilians and
emergency services struggling to stay alive in
assaults against
giant monsters. The film may also belong to the
horror,
fantasy or
science fiction genre. In most cases, it is applied to films that feature oversized monsters. Monster movies originated with adaptations of horror folklore and literature. In
Japanese cinema, such monsters are referred to as
Kaiju. Typically, movie monsters differ from more traditional antagonists in that many exist due to circumstances beyond their control; their actions are not entirely based on choice, potentially making them objects of empathy to film viewers.