Monster House
By Jane Louise BoursawAverage User Rating:
MPAA Rating: PG for scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language.
You know that scary old house down the street? Turns out, it's a real live monster! This animated family horror movie – yup, that's what I'm calling it - centers around three kids who discover that a neighbor's house is actually a living, breathing monster.
It all begins when DJ (voiced by Mitchel Musso) looks out his window at the creepy house across the street. It's old. It's run-down. And it's owned by "Old Man Nebbercracker" (Steve Buscemi), the meanest guy in town who loves terrorizing the neighborhood kids. And heaven forbid that any toys should land on his lawn or he'll snatch 'em away forever.
DJ starts keeping track of all the lost items, so much so that he becomes a bit of an outcast. But his parents (Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard) have other things on their mind and pay no attention to his crazy ideas. Right before Halloween, they head off to a dental convention and leave him home with a Goth babysitter, Elizabeth (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who prefers the nickname "Zee". His parents think she's an angel, but DJ knows better. Her slacker boyfriend, Bones (Jason Lee), grew up in the neighborhood and knows all about the house. And oh yeah, he's in a band.
DJ's friend, Chowder (Sam Lerner), comes by and joins in the house observations. In the nick of time, they stop a neighbor-girl, Jenny (Spencer Locke), from trying to sell Halloween candy at the house. A Westbrook prep girl, she doesn't normally hang out with boys, but reluctantly joins them in the house mystery. Before long, the three kids discover that Nebbercracker isn't the only thing that's creepy about the house. The house, it seems, has a life of its own.
Rounding out the cast are Skull (Jon Heder), a pizza delivery guy and videogame champ; Officer Lister (Nick Cannon), a rookie cop; his partner, Officer Landers (Fred Willard), a jaded cop who's seen it all; and the house itself (Kathleen Turner, the original Jessica Rabbit herself).
This is one of those movies where all the planets align to bring everything together: a top-notch crew (director Gil Kenan; executive producers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis), memorable voices that fit the characters perfectly; and a great story, ingenious backstory, and twisty-turny ending. The motion-capture animation is the same as that used in The Polar Express, where the characters have so much personality that you feel like you're watching real people. But even more important is the story, which is approaching Pixar quality. The characters and animation revolve around the story, rather than the other way around.
NOTE: Stay through the credits for some additional bonus scenes.
PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): This movie is too scary for preschoolers, but a good alternative is The Brave Little Toaster, an animated tale about a group of household appliances who set off to find their owner after he mysteriously disappears. Featuring catchy original songs and the voices of Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz, this is a story of friendship, loyalty, and courage – and it won't have tots waking up at night worried about their house eating them! Rated G, 90 min., released in theaters in 1987; on DVD in 2003.
GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6-10): While too scary for kids younger than 10, older grade-schoolers will love this movie because it shows kids acting like real kids – getting into trouble, starting to think about girls, obsessing over a "haunted" house. They'll also love the house itself, a wonderfully alive structure that could have fallen out of the head of Tim Burton. But make no mistake -- this IS a scary movie. The kids are in constant peril and the house itself is terrifying. Most of the PG content comes from the scariness; there are very few crude jokes or language issues. Also, the kids aren't exactly role models – they break and enter, steal cough medicine, operate heavy machinery, and use sticks of dynamite. Likewise, the adults in this movie are creepy – not just Old Man Nebbercracker, but also the disinterested babysitter, detached parents, and clueless cops.
TWEEN/TEEN (ages 11+): Because of the strong storyline and fleshed-out characters, this is a fun movie for older kids and adults. It's based on a fear we can all relate to – creepiness we don't understand – which speaks to the kid in all of us. And it's one kid-movie that doesn't have a ton of pop culture references, which is actually quite refreshing.
Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries.
It all begins when DJ (voiced by Mitchel Musso) looks out his window at the creepy house across the street. It's old. It's run-down. And it's owned by "Old Man Nebbercracker" (Steve Buscemi), the meanest guy in town who loves terrorizing the neighborhood kids. And heaven forbid that any toys should land on his lawn or he'll snatch 'em away forever.
DJ starts keeping track of all the lost items, so much so that he becomes a bit of an outcast. But his parents (Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard) have other things on their mind and pay no attention to his crazy ideas. Right before Halloween, they head off to a dental convention and leave him home with a Goth babysitter, Elizabeth (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who prefers the nickname "Zee". His parents think she's an angel, but DJ knows better. Her slacker boyfriend, Bones (Jason Lee), grew up in the neighborhood and knows all about the house. And oh yeah, he's in a band.
DJ's friend, Chowder (Sam Lerner), comes by and joins in the house observations. In the nick of time, they stop a neighbor-girl, Jenny (Spencer Locke), from trying to sell Halloween candy at the house. A Westbrook prep girl, she doesn't normally hang out with boys, but reluctantly joins them in the house mystery. Before long, the three kids discover that Nebbercracker isn't the only thing that's creepy about the house. The house, it seems, has a life of its own.
Rounding out the cast are Skull (Jon Heder), a pizza delivery guy and videogame champ; Officer Lister (Nick Cannon), a rookie cop; his partner, Officer Landers (Fred Willard), a jaded cop who's seen it all; and the house itself (Kathleen Turner, the original Jessica Rabbit herself).
This is one of those movies where all the planets align to bring everything together: a top-notch crew (director Gil Kenan; executive producers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis), memorable voices that fit the characters perfectly; and a great story, ingenious backstory, and twisty-turny ending. The motion-capture animation is the same as that used in The Polar Express, where the characters have so much personality that you feel like you're watching real people. But even more important is the story, which is approaching Pixar quality. The characters and animation revolve around the story, rather than the other way around.
NOTE: Stay through the credits for some additional bonus scenes.
PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): This movie is too scary for preschoolers, but a good alternative is The Brave Little Toaster, an animated tale about a group of household appliances who set off to find their owner after he mysteriously disappears. Featuring catchy original songs and the voices of Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz, this is a story of friendship, loyalty, and courage – and it won't have tots waking up at night worried about their house eating them! Rated G, 90 min., released in theaters in 1987; on DVD in 2003.
GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6-10): While too scary for kids younger than 10, older grade-schoolers will love this movie because it shows kids acting like real kids – getting into trouble, starting to think about girls, obsessing over a "haunted" house. They'll also love the house itself, a wonderfully alive structure that could have fallen out of the head of Tim Burton. But make no mistake -- this IS a scary movie. The kids are in constant peril and the house itself is terrifying. Most of the PG content comes from the scariness; there are very few crude jokes or language issues. Also, the kids aren't exactly role models – they break and enter, steal cough medicine, operate heavy machinery, and use sticks of dynamite. Likewise, the adults in this movie are creepy – not just Old Man Nebbercracker, but also the disinterested babysitter, detached parents, and clueless cops.
TWEEN/TEEN (ages 11+): Because of the strong storyline and fleshed-out characters, this is a fun movie for older kids and adults. It's based on a fear we can all relate to – creepiness we don't understand – which speaks to the kid in all of us. And it's one kid-movie that doesn't have a ton of pop culture references, which is actually quite refreshing.
Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries.
