Monster House

Monster House

Monster House, as far as I can tell, is the earliest computer animated horror film which uses the haunted house premise, and may even be the first film addressed to families to feature ideas from Halloween, A nightmare on Elm street as well as The Amityville Horror. (Parents, don’t panic the imagery is pretty harmless.) Part narrative and part visual, but the two, being properly divided in shape, appeal to just about all.

The film pays enough attention to character development in order for us to sympathize with the main characters (even though the film employs a few stereotypes that are cliché), and there is a fair amount of comic relief also. Monster House is, to put it mildly, an average effort and no one will be wowed, but surely 90 minutes can be spent like this simple enough a film, and is the case for almost every other viewer.

The concept can be grasped without a hassle, however some bumps appear as the movie progresses. In a nutshell, it is about three kids trying to do something about the evil house that North meets West and the South is DJ’s house. The kids in question though are DJ (Mitchel Musso), Chowder (Sam Lerner), and Jenny (Spencer Locke). This house has an infuriating tradition it ‘consumes’ the guests.

The mouth opens up, the tongue of a wreath rolls out, the windows glare at the would-be guests with every guarantee of instant drive through dinner. As an icing on the cake, children dressed in pretty costumes will be ringing the doorbell any moment seeking for a sweet hug.

Throughout the film, there is plenty of activity, and some moments could be considered mildly scary, so restless viewers are likely to remain engaged. However, the aspect I found most important of all is the interaction of three friends in the movie. Their words are realistic and believable. Both boys, presumably in their early teens, embarrass themselves in order to gain Jenny’s attention.

She understands who is doing what and why and uses it to her benefit. Most films, animated or otherwise, are not this insightful, including most animated films. It’s to first time director Gil Kenan and his screenwriters credit that they take thevtime and make the effort to do it properly.

The filmmakers were quite intelligent with the casting of the voices. The three lead characters are voiced by relative amateurs while ‘known’ voices occupy subordinated positions. Steve Buscemi is Nebbercracker the grumpy old man who resides in the lunatic house. DJ’s mother and father are acted by Catherine O’Hara and Fred Willard respectively. Maggie Gyllenhaal is Elizabeth, the babysitter, while Jason Lee is her nasty boyfriend.

The action stars Jon Heder as the best video game player in the world a man so dedicated to his console he’ll wear an adult diaper to avoid bathroom breaks. The filmmakers, therefore, make sure that they can use well-known actors but offer new voices. Would we have the same outlook of Jenny for instance if Dakota Fanning was casted in that role?

It cannot be denied that visually, the film does not bring anything remarkable revelatory for the conventional theater viewers. What interested me in Monster House and its overall computer animation is not so much the unfashionable appearance of the characters (they are doll-like), but the fact how almost effortlessly their actions are performed. Throw-away scenes towards the beginning of the movie when DJ and Chowder are playing basketball come to mind.

The execution of their dribbling and shooting action is so smooth that one can’t comprehend its not a screening of a real live event.

Monster House will be shown in three dimensions on 200 sites. There is no doubt it will be good in 3D. But that majority bunch will certainly get to see what this print shows because there are many actions where the objects are coming towards the camera. (Like a young girl in a destructing tricycle in the first scene) In this respect, I admired Monster House which I saw in a regular theater.

I think those who see it now in the 3D version will think even higher of its merits since it is now more like a cinematic experience mixed with amusement park graphics. It is good to note that Monster House is good enough that it does not require the 3D; it’s got enough to make its waffle in any local cinema.

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