Monster House

It seems that everyone’s had a neighbor like Old Man Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi): That crotchety old dude who yells at all the kids in the neighborhood for stepping on his lawn, playing ball too close to his windows, or making noise skateboarding along the sidewalk. I remember mine – the S.O.B. actually shot my cat (don’t worry, she lived! Must be something to that whole nine lives thing). While I may have thought about it, I didn’t kill the guy… Unlike DJ (Mitchel Musso), the kid in Steven Spielberg protégé  Gil Kenan’s first feature, Monster House.

Of course Nebbercracker’s demise is all a terrible accident, but DJ is traumatized nonetheless. To make matters worse, his parents (Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard) are going away for the weekend, it’s Halloween, and his babysitter’s (Maggie Gyllenhaal) boyfriend (Jason Lee) is a kid-hating sadist named Bones. If that wasn’t bad enough, it seems that Nebbercracker’s house has come to life to avenge its owner’s unfortunate end.

Along the way we meet DJ’s best friend ever, the affable chub Chowder (Sam Lerner), and the girl they both have a crush on, the smart and sensible Jenny (Spencer Locke). Together, the three kids set out to tame the monster house and in the process they learn a shocking secret that will change their lives forever.

Thankfully, Monster House has no sappy songs, no cheesy revelations, and no heavy-handed moral. While the idea of the roaring, seething, hungry “monster house” is the hook (and it is extremely well-thought out and delightfully executed), it’s the natural, funny, good-spirited dialogue and camaraderie between the kids that really wins the viewer’s heart. Kenan’s direction of the script is smart without being too hip for the room, and it’s got emotion without getting overly sentimental about it.

Monster House has some truly twisted themes and it is often quite scary and suspenseful, but the PG rating is perfect – kids of all ages will be able to connect on some level. Most children love to be scared, and in the self-contained, wholly impossible world of Monster House, it's a safe way to get the rush. Since it is such a fanciful fable, it’s safe to say that your young ones won't have nightmares (probably won’t; send your letters to the MPAA).

This fright flick has the foundation of a classic along the lines of E.T., Escape to Witch Mountain, or The Goonies, but I am unsure whether the CG kids will be as relatable as the real deal would have been. It seems to me that much the same story could have been told just as effectively via live action, but maybe that’s why I’m sitting here writing this review and not working with Steven Spielberg.

Roll out the welcome mat for Monster House – you’ll be glad you did. (And you'll like it even better in authentic 3-D… no cheapie blue and red paper glasses; this 3-D is top of the line.)

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson