Review of Monster House (2006) by Brodie A — 12 Sep 2013

As I'm sure others are feeling I've really been in the mood for a Halloween movie. I have a lot of Halloween movies that I watch every year. This week I was craving a Halloween kids movie that I had never seen before. In my pursuit I discovered Monster House which came out in 2006. I'm still wondering why it took me so long to watch it.

Monster House throws you right into the action. The first few minutes features a little girl that gets their tricycle stuck in someones lawn. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but this isn't your average lawn. An old man comes running out of the house violently shouting for her to get off his lawn. The little girl is so scared she leaves her tricycle and runs away. The resident, Nebbercracker, is an old, widowed man that everyone is afraid of.

Across the street, DJ Walters, spies on Nebbercracker through his telescope. His parents leave for a trip and he is stuck with a babysitter. Chowder, DJ'S best friend, hangs out while the parents are away. They are introduced to Jenny who is a very intelligent girl. The adventurous kids decide to investigate the haunted house after a series of strange events. This is as haunted as it gets. The house is animated through a vengeful human soul and feeds on the energy of the living. It also enjoys hoarding items from its living victims.

I really enjoyed Monster House far more than I expected. It's full of action and adventure and animation and fun. All three kids are entertaining and add their own element to the movie. I loved how the house wasn't haunted by ghosts or monsters and was an actual monster itself. I liked the development of Nebbercracker and all of the side characters. There are a lot of great voices to listen for: Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Kevin James, Jason Lee, and Catherine O'Hara to name a few. If you are in the moiod for Halloween, good animation, and/or an all around enjoyable family movie... watch Monster House.