Review of Monster House (2006) by Valerie P — 03 Nov 2014

Usually when an animated film is rated PG I struggle to see what the big deal is, and so we sat down to watch this as a family in preparation for Halloween. It wasn't long before I began to question my judgement. This film definitely crossed the boundary from "spooky fun" into plain old "a little bit scary". The children wouldn't think of me shutting it off, however, and so we had to ride it out with plenty of interjected comments of clarification, short breaks, and a cheerful attitude to illustrate that we were completely unfazed.

The main issue, I suppose, was not in the spookiness or the thrills. It was the fact that there was no big reveal at the end, Scooby-Doo style, to show that it had all been a bit of harmless fun. The plotline is actually about a tormented spirit who inhabits a house and seeks revenge upon little children and trespassers. I don't believe that older children would have a problem with it, and if I had watched it as a teen I may have thought it was a pretty cool movie. I think three and six was a bit too young, however; though there have been no outward signs that this film has troubled them at all. The youngest seems a bit unsure about Halloween in general; happy to decorate at home, but fearful of any shop display we come across. I think the local garden centre's "Halloween Room" did more to frighten her than this movie, which she accepts from us as completely pretend and contained on the screen.

Having said all of that, my husband and I found it entertaining to watch, though I don't think I'd ever make it an annual tradition. I have the "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on DVD for that purpose.