10/29/06 Monster House

Monster House (2006), directed by Gil Kenan

watched w/ Leslie, Rebecca; DVD rental (Blockbuster) @ home

It's the classic tale of horror and spookiness that thrills in scaring tykes at bedtime or around the campfire, and always intrigues us as adults (who like to believe we're too old for that sort of shenanigans, but are usually the ones who walk unsuspectingly into the sinister trap of said "imagined" fear, and in reality would be scared out of our wits in a situation even remotely close to some of the scenarios put forward in such lavish scary stories). That being said, this is still just a new spin on old favorite in that spooky spectacular. What is refreshing here is the new style of animation put forth, which captures very realistic facial and body language expressions in the characters on screen...and on top of that is the breadth of voice talents they pulled in for this feature, for such a new-comer in filmmakers. Some of the talents heard here include Catherina O'Hara (the mom), Fred Willard (the dad), Kevin James & Nick Cannon (the bumbling officers), Jon Heder (as burnout Skull), Kathleen Turner (where has she been? as creepy Constance), Maggie Gyllenhaal (older sis Zee), Jason Lee (Zee's punk boyfriend Bones), and Steve Buscemi (as the crotchety bad-guy Nebbercracker). And that's not including the "stars" of the film in the youngsters who stumble across the macabre adventure with the monster house (D.J., Chowder & Jenny)...all voiced by snot-nosed punks from some Nickelodeon shows that I've never heard of, but I'm sure are famous enough in the pre-pubescent age bracket. Anyway, the three troublemakers start trouble when they decide to retrieve some lost objects of the neighborhood children to the crotchety old man Nebbercracker's front yard across the street. His house has always been infamous for being spooky-looking and never too friendly to the kids in town. No one dare enter the grounds, or talk to the old man for fear of being taken prisoner...but little do they know that it is not the man, but the house they should fear the most! With state-of-the-art special effects and humorous dialogue for both child and adult to enjoy, this tale begs to jump out at you on screen in 3-D! I usually don't win by letting my little sisters pick out a movie to watch, but I really enjoyed this one, as it was fresh and entertaining. Every kid wants to have an adventure like this one, magical, dangerous and something to brag about later (if you don't get yourself killed in the process)! I won't reveal the true secrets of the deep dark monsters within the house across the street...but it will definitely have you second guessing your neighbors, yards that eat small babies and tricycles, and houses built before 1950. Ooooooh.....aaaahhhhh!

3 out of 5 stars