'Monster House' - A Movie Review

Is that an earthquake? Oh, no, that's just Nebbercracker’s house on the rampage again. Nothing to worry about.

Monster House crawled into theaters in 2006. Directed by Gil Kenan, three kids realize that something is not right with the house across the street. Discovering that the house is in fact alive, they must find out how to destroy it before havoc wreaks on Halloween night.

I saw Monster House twice in the theaters! For an animated kids movie, it has some pretty dark themes and scary images. Otherwise, it’s a fantastic film that still makes me laugh even thirteen years later. Monster House is an epic Halloween film with a terrific cast of characters.

D.J, Chowder, and Jenny were so fun to watch bickering, figuring out a plan to defeat the house, or just rolling their eyes at one another’s immature antics. Monster House is a coming-of-age story. I like all the subtle messages, especially about friendship.

While D.J and Chowder have been best friends for a while, girls of Jenny’s age learn that its okay to be friends with boys. While the movie has a small subplot about which boy is trying to impress Jenny, the writers concluded that girls and boys should be friends no matter how different they are.

Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, and Spencer Locke established the best chemistry as their characters. Every time I watch this film I always have fun!

Steve Buscemi as Old Man Nebbercracker was the best! I always loved hearing him shout "Get off my lawn!" His character has a dark background along with a secret that he has been hiding for decades. His character surprised me the first time I watched the movie.

Over time, Zee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has become one of my favorite characters to analyze. Many viewers are turned off by her exotic behavior and the negative way she treats D.J. However, Zee is protective. She does her job as a babysitter, looks out for D.J, and calls her boyfriend off when he is taunting him. Honestly, I wish she could have been in the film more after she disappears.

An ensemble of terrific actors was a part of this film. Kevin James and Nick Cannon as the bungling cops are a riot. Catherine O’Hara and Fred Willard as D.J’s overprotective parents are relatable. And this movie would not be what it is without Jason Lee as the rebel Bones or Jon Heder as the video game lover Skull. And Ryan Whitney Newman is lovable as the singing little girl on her bike.

Monster House is a character movie. Certain elements and backstories are not explained. And that works. Sometimes we don’t need exposition. It’s better to imagine.

Monster House is a computer-animated film. Instead of just voicing their characters, actors had a much different duty. Actors performed scenes and then were created into their animated caricatures. You should watch the behind-the-scenes for this film. Creating the movie was a fun process.

The animation on the house, especially when it comes alive, roaring, animators created so many incredible and subtle details. I have spent a good chunk of time analyzing every aspect of the house whenever it makes a face whether smiling, is very angry, or sad.

From beginning to end, even during the credits, Monster House is a blast to watch! The only aspect that annoys me is that nobody else in the neighborhood is on the street when these events are happening especially during the epic finale! It’s on Halloween night!!

Monster House will always be one of my favorite films to watch around Halloween. It’s a film that instantly grabs your attention. Be cautious that it may be scary for younger children. Otherwise, eat some candy and enjoy the film!