There’s a bunch of movies out there that used to be scary when we were kids, but now they wouldn’t have the same impact. I used to be scared of Fantasia as a child, especially the nightmarish section near the end, but now I just find it a marvel of animation. On the other hand, Monster House breaks ALL rules of this theory, it’s a film that you watch now, and feel worried that children might actually get too scared watching it.
How to Download Monster House
You can download the film from a digital store. You can also stream it. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like children’s horror films, check out also our reviews of Coraline, Frankenweenie, Hocus Pocus, and Goosebumps.
The Movie Review
When DJ looks out his window, he notices a strange-looking house. Mr. Nebbercracker, the owner, really doesn’t want anyone on his lawn. Nebbercracker removes any toys that wind up there to deter trespassing. DJ makes a list of the lost goods, but his parents don’t care about what he has noticed about the house. Just before Halloween, his parents leave him at home with a babysitter. When his friend Chowder comes over, he joins him in watching the house.
They rush to dissuade Jenny from entering the residence after spotting her preparing to sell Halloween sweets to Nebbercracker. They soon find out that Nebbercracker isn’t the only terrifying thing in the house. It appears that the house has a mind of its own, and it’s a terrifying, evil creature of despair.
There is usually that one home or apartment that has an ominous sense of spirituality tied to it in practically every neighborhood. Monster House takes advantage of this well-known urban legend and emphasizes the unsavory aspects of such a location. The setting of the story right before Halloween helps to keep it tight, bringing intensity to the pacing. This helps in keeping the film’s tone consistent throughout its entire runtime.
. This also lets the filmmakers experiment with art styles since they didn’t have to develop the characters for too long with boring moments. They set up an arc at the start of the film and concluded at the very end, that’s good enough for a children’s film.
Speaking of the animation and graphics here, there’s something incredibly unique, to say the least. Since the animation and character design are purposefully not done in a cutesy way, it can occasionally come across as fairly rigid, they take some getting used to. Actually, the movie translates “actual life” as best it can in animated form while taking a lot of creative liberty.
It takes inspiration from classic Tim Burton movies, and there isn’t a synthetically manufactured “cute” character in it. For a horror film, it was better than its real-life equivalents, especially in terms of the tension and atmosphere it manages to create.
I liked the way these characters were developed in the very first 10-20 minutes of the story. They made the characters super easy to like and very fun to have around. Despite the children’s stereotypes, Chowder actually stole the show from DJ with his occasionally innocent, occasionally cunning, and occasionally sneaky antics. There’s also a nice tango between the two boys for Jenny’s attention.
Shot in under 34 days, practically all of the voice and motion capture performances are great. The main cast was phenomenal in its own right. However, even the side characters have managed to pull out really great performances. Maggie Gyllenhaal was excellent in her supporting role as the babysitter Z. Even Kathleen Turner, playing the role of the home, moved around in a foam neighborhood during the motion capture performance, and it was pretty darn glorious.
Verdict
Monster House, in my opinion, is perhaps one of the best-animated films of 2006, being much superior to films like Happy Feet and Cars. Monster House is beautifully animated, it has a vibrant color palette, intriguing character designs, a soundtrack that adds to the tension of it all, and a phenomenal story at its core. Overall, if there’s any animated film that deserves a whole lot more recognition than it gets, it has to be Monster House.
