Monster House (2006)
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Monster House Movie Review
Monster House is a 2006 animated horror film directed by Gil Kenan and produced by Amblin Entertainment. It’s a pretty solid horror flick.
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“My dad is at the pharmacy
and my mom is at the movies
with her personal trainer“
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Three teenagers discover that their neighbor’s house is actually a monster that hates children. They then decide to destroy the heart of the house and kill it. What I liked about this story is its originality. It not only has an authentic premise in the house being alive, but it also fits perfectly the medium of animation as this type of storyline could never be adapted into live-action.
So it is unique for sure, but it’s also very moving. The story features a flashback for the old man and his lost love, and how that happened explains perfectly his every action toward the kids. It’s the type of flashback that is revelatory and necessary without ever feeling forced or typical. And simply the film’s heart was always in the right place with the third act being so touching.
But unfortunately, one problem prevented the movie from being great. That is the film’s willingness to all too often go into explosive action mode and stay there for quite a while. I really disliked that. It is so fast paced and so many scenes never end in terms of the action that they bored me.
They should have focused more on the slower build-up and better, more developed and nuanced scares. Some horror scenes here are effective, but most are only good for children without ever being suitable for adults in the way that ‘Coraline’ so clearly was.
I also did not care for any one of these kids. I am sorry, but none of them got proper development as they are all so bland and boring. They are solid as a group, but individually not at all. Of course Horace Nebbercracker is the only strong character who is so well developed and so well acted by Steve Buscemi.
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Monster House also features very dated animation. Maybe for its time it was nice, but I would say not because compared to ‘Cars’ from the same year, it really suffers. The characters in particular look unpolished, and only the house and its details are strong. The direction and dialogue are solid as is the score, but the pacing is too fast.
Monster House has such a strong premise perfectly suited for the medium of animation. Its story is very well crafted, moving and particularly strong in its flashback scene and third act. However, the animation is weak and dated whereas the action is overwhelming as is the fast pace. It’s a solid flick, but it could have been much better.
