Every neighborhood has that one house which is a little…off. You
know what I’m talking about? The run-down, ramshackle place with the boarded up
windows, and which hasn’t had a tenant since before the Dark Ages (which, for
most kids these days, would be pre-2000). During the summer, the grass
surrounding the place would be tall enough to engulf preschoolers, and in the
autumn, the fallen leaves would swirl around in a large, kid-hungry mass of
evil.
Of course we had such a place in our neighborhood when I was a kid--it was a
satanic slum from hell with the second story windows having been left un-boarded,
and I would often stop and stare at it in horror, imagining all kinds of ghastly
fiends glaring back at me within the darkness of that second floor. Eventually,
somebody moved into the place, and I was amazed that the new tenants were able
to live there without having been turned into zombies, or something. Monster
House, a CGI-animated movie directed by Gil Kenan, takes this popular childhood
premise and runs with it.
DJ (voiced by Mitchell Musso) and Chowder (voiced by Sam Lerner) are a pair of
best friends who live in a neighborhood with its own creepy old place. The
Nebbercracker house is a run-down mansion that is zealously guarded by Mr.
Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi), a cranky old man who chases away any
child who dares to step foot on his property. Yet when Mr. Nebbercracker is
struck down after an unwanted confrontation with DJ (who meant no harm), the
boys notice that the house appears to grow in power and malevolence in the old
man’s absence.
After DJ and Chowder just barely rescue Jenny (voiced by Spenser Locke) from the
hungry maws of the house, they realize that the beast is now on an all-out
rampage, and with Halloween night arriving in just a few hours, they had better
do something before the house devours the trick or treating neighborhood kids as
they unknowingly walk right up to its ravenous doors. Monster House is a fun,
imaginative film that’s filled with the Halloween spirit, as well as a great
sense of humor. Adults and children should be able to enjoy it. But it’s scary
scenes might be a bit too intense for smaller kids. The DVD has seven
featurettes, along with a commentary, a photo gallery, and DVD-ROM content.
It’s available in both widescreen and full screen versions. If you’re looking
for a good dose of Halloween at any time of the year, then pay a visit to
Monster House.
--SF
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