Monster House (2006)

Movie Info

A house has to eat!

Every neighborhood has the house that the kids are afraid of.  For DJ Walters, that house is the house of Nebbercracker.  When DJ’s friend Chowder loses his ball in Nebbercracker’s yard, a confrontation leads to Nebbercracker’s collapse.  Now with fears that Nebbercracker’s death have turned the house haunted…and Nebbercracker’s house is craving flesh.  With Halloween night coming, DJ, Chowder, and a girl named Jenny Bennett must stop the house before Halloween ends up being more tricks and terror than treats.

This story is far more interesting than the real story

Directed by Gil Kenan, Monster House had Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg as executive producers.  The 3D movie was received mostly positive reviews and was nominated for Best Animated Feature.

Monster House seemed like one of those generic and forgettable animated movies when it was released.  It was rather surprising that it received an Academy Award nomination.  Watching it now, it is rather forgettable.

A neighborhood where a man runs out and grabs children…no, we’re cool with it.

The story goes about the way you’d expect it to go.  The misunderstood old man really is a victim, there is a girl they are both interested in, and the kids both decide to go trick or treating a last time…there is little surprising.  It is nice to have a horror film for kids.  I do find it a bit odd that neighborhood has a guy that not only takes their toys but physically assaults them and parents don’t seem to care.

The young cast holds the movie, but the older cast is fun and more recognizable.  Steve Buscemi plays the crazed Horace Nebbercracker and his wife in flashbacks is played by Kathleen Turner.  Maggie Gyllenhaal plays DJ’s neglectful babysitter Zee and Jason Lee plays her boyfriend Bones.  A “supernatural expert” and video addict named Skull Skulinski is voiced by Jon Heder and Kevin James and Nick Cannon play the cops.  DJ’s parents are played by constant partners Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara.

It just needs a new coat of paint

The visuals for the movie were created mostly through motion capture like Zemeckis’ Polar Express (but not as creepy looking).  I particularly like the style of the flashback sequence which tells of Nebbercracker and his wife’s carnival days…and this by far was a more interesting story than the real story.

Monster House isn’t a bad film, but it also isn’t a very interesting film.  Kids will probably like it, but with the mass amounts of animated kids’ films out there, there is probably better choices.  Still, if you’ve watched Toy Story and all the Pixar films one too many times, you might want to check out Monster House.

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