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Monster House [2006]
from Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK
directed by Gil Kenan

Features:

• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

The spooky shadows and eerie creaking of a rickety old house are brought to life via lush CGI in Monster House. A young boy named DJ has suspicions about the house across the street and the cranky old man (voiced by Steve Buscemi, Fargo) who lives there. When the old man has a heart attack and is carried away by an ambulance, DJ thinks the danger is over. Unfortunately, as he, his friend Chowder, and a candy-selling prep-school girl named Jenny discover, the house itself has plans--plans that include eating all the kids who'll be trick-or-treating that Halloween night. Monster House begins with some deliciously creepy scenes that will send chills down children's spines (and may be too intense for younger viewers); animated movies rarely make such effective use of what isn't being shown. The animation is vivid and detailed (though CGI still has a ways to go in capturing the full range of human facial expressions). But like most horror movies, the anticipation of horror is much more exciting than the horror itself; as the secrets of Monster House are revealed, the movie's thrills unravel. The noisy explosions at the end aren't half as much fun as the slow twitches of a few blades of grass in the movie's elegant beginning. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

• funny but not for everyone
  I do agree with some of the other reviewers who say that this may not be suitable for little children and it is supposed to be centred at kiddies! I mean some of it actually scared me and I'm 22! There's something a bit odd about it that I feel only adults would understand, however a good cast also adds to the overall fun of the film and it has its funny moments!

• Enjoyable
  I found this rather enjoyable right from the start. It's not everyone's type of movie though.
  You're tempted to watch the whole film though because the house the movie is based around just gets you into wanting to know what will happen in it.
  It's not to creepy, may be enjoyable for younger ones, but may happen to give a scare here and there.

• State of the art animation
  Yes, it's a terrific story, with excellent voice talent and the twist of horror works really well. But what really impresses about this film is the human facial animation. In the first few minutes, we get long close-ups on all the main characters while they talk. This is unusual in such a film, and a very bold move, since it threatens the suspension of disbelief if the animation is in any way wanting. It isn't, and consequently this creates an extraordinary level of identification with the characters early... more info

• Just a little too scary for kids.
  An interesting film this one- a haunted house that trys to eat children is not your average annimated tale. However, it's done rather well and there are a few genuinely scary moments. The jokes are also thick and fast, although some will go over the heads of smaller children.
  I can't fault this film overall, as my children loved it and I found myself watching and enjoying it although I got it for them. My only negative thought is that I think this might have been slightly better as a live action film.... more info

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