Halloween season sees horror movies on the rise, with popcorn being made in preparation to watch Halloween (1978/2018) or Scream (1996), but who can forget the animated classics?
Picture Credit: Amblin Entertainment
Monster House is a fantastic film from 2006 that sees the concept of a haunted house come to life. Animated movies may not scream ‘Halloween’, but this is the perfect film to put your feet up with and turn out the lights, whether it be with your little ones, your partner, or just you!
Monster House follows DJ (Mitchel Musso) and his best friend Chowder (Sam Lerner) as they try to navigate the complexities of teenage life, with some pretty big obstacles.
When DJ’s parents go away for Halloween, he is left with his less than kind babysitter, Zee (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who crudely teases him about everything and anything; including his fears about the house across the street that belongs to Mr. Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi), an old man who steals anything that lands on his lawn.
When Jenny (Spencer Locke) shows up to try and sell some candy, DJ and Chowder try to warn her away from the cruel, scary old man’s house; however, the teens then begin to realise that this house has some genuinely terrifying secrets...
Monster House then follows the trio of teenagers as their curiosity gets the better of them as they try to figure out why DJ has been receiving phone calls from the house, and why the building seems to resemble a living soul.
The charm of this movie comes from not only the brilliant animation style, but from the excellent comedy, mainly between DJ and Chowder. Chowder is a rather ridiculous character who doesn’t catch on quickly; this provides some hilarious scenes as DJ and Jenny often look to each other in confusion and sympathy.
The characters’ rapport may not seem like something impressive when looking at an aminated movie, but the group of DJ and Chowder, joined by Jenny, is brilliant. Jenny is rather mature and seems to have all the answers, the boys begin to fight over her and throw some rather hilarious insults at one another to prove they’re the lesser of two evils.
As for the plot, Monster House does so well to have a narrative that is both comedic and intensely interesting. The house owned by Mr. Nebbercracker has a personality, as the trio soon discover, and once they make their way inside (by unorthodox means) they realise that the house is... alive.
There are some minor spooks within the movie, which makes it perfect for Halloween, as does the fact it is set over the Halloween holiday. The house itself is eerie and dark in comparison with the others on the street, and the inside resembles a human being in the sense that it has eyes (the windows), a tongue (the carpet), and it moves and creaks every time one of the characters moves.
It is a brilliantly well-designed place that really puts new meaning into haunted house; the comedy still persists as Chowder continues to reel off some hilarious quotes that lightens the mood every single time.
The film also showcases bravery and courage, as the three young teenagers realise that to stop the haunted home from terrorizing their street, they must find the heart of the building, and kill it.
Monster House has a great animation style, some wonderful main characters with a charming connection, and some genuinely funny jokes and quips. It makes the perfect movie for a night in as it has perfect, creepy Halloween vibes.
Monster House boasts a brilliant set of characters, an animation style that fits in with both the narrative and characters, and an easy to follow yet intriguing plot that holds your attention until the end; it is the perfect film for a Halloween night in.
Watch the trailer for Monster House below:
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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Tagged in Steve Buscemi Comedy films