| Monster House [UMD for PSP] | ![Monster House [UMD for PSP]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZSD6H6NEL._SL160_.jpg) | Director: Gil Kenan
Actors: Ryan Newman (III), Steve Buscemi, Mitchel Musso, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard
Studio: Sony Pictures
List Price: $14.94
Buy New: $8.31
as of 9/9/2010 17:40 CDT details
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New (16) Used (5) from $7.00
Rating:  156 reviews
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: UMD for PSP
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 043396155961
UPC: 043396155961
EAN: 0043396155961
Theatrical Release Date: July 21, 2006
Release Date: October 24, 2006
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 156
 A Modern Day Classic in Every Sense of the Term September 7, 2010
ONENEO (Buffalo, NY)
When it comes to the current crop of computer animated feature films, some of the biggest surprises in the industry come from pretty unlikely sources. Nope, you won't find the words Disney or Pixar anywhere on this one nor will you find DreamWorks famous kid fishing off the half-moon. You may discover that Sony Imageworks was involved in the production, Columbia Pictures handles the distribution oh and perhaps you're familiar with the two executive producers: Steven Spielberg & Robert Zemeckis?
Rest assured, this is a title that actually manages to live up to the president these two gentleman established back in the 1980s whit a whole class of films that captured the simple joys of youth, the sense of adventure within our own imaginations and the fear and terror of those things all kids worry about but don't talk about at the school lunch table for fear of ridicule.
Monster House follows the exploits of early-teen DJ who finds himself smack dab in the ugly transitional phase from boy to man when the responsibilities of being adult blend annoyingly with the rules of being a kid.
DJ has developed a slight obsession with observing the goings-on across the street with old man Nebbercracker (who flips out when children trespass on his lawn) and the creaky old house in which he resides.
When DJ's parents travel to a dental seminar on Halloween eve and leave DJ with a babysitter not much older than he is, he calls upon his clumsy best friend Chowder to begin investigating the phenomenon taking place a few feet away from his house. When the house nearly swallows the cute door-to-door candy salesgirl Jenny, the trio of paranormal investigators is born on the spot.
Adults don't want to hear it, the police think the kids are being pranksters; the babysitter is more concerned with her boyfriend and with Halloween approaching rapidly and with it hordes of innocent trick-or-treaters, the mystery of the Monster House has to be solved before it can claim countless costumed victims just looking for some candy.
I knew this one was something special right in the first lines of dialog. The humor is spot-on! And rather than simple animate the whole film using figments of a team of animators' imaginations, Monster House uses the motion capture method of animation made famous by films like the Polar Express and Robert Zemeckis' version of the ancient legend Beowulf.
The technique works here and establishes a very atypical suburbia with just enough hints of fall in the air to add to the magical feel that time of year naturally inspires.
It's the acting however that elevates this film to the top tier of the modern CG animation film. The young actors are just brilliant in their deliveries from beginning to end and couple this to a script that had a room full of adults laughing out loud nearly continually and you realize that this is no ordinary "kid's movie".
About my only complaint about this entire film is that, as many others have noted, this really isn't ideal for younger viewers or even overly jumpy adults. A few moments are a bit intense although never is the film graphic, overly violent, nor does it contain a single cuss. It's simply guilty of classic-filmmaking suspense whereby what you hear and don't see on screen can be far more terrifying than even the most graphic costume, prop or computer-generated monster.
And like the empire on which Steven Spielberg's empire has been built, the ending actually reveals what turns out to be a story of love and compassion at its core.
In all, I came away from Monster House absolutely enamored with the plot, pacing, flow, visuals, and perhaps most of all, genuine humor. Truly this film harkens back to a more innocent time of visual story telling and is an absolute delight to behold as a result.
 Where is the Monster? August 26, 2010
Little ol me
I wont even begin to tell you all about this movie. It has been done before just read a few of the other posts and you will get an idea of whether or not you want to watch this with your kids or by yourself. For adults it wasn't scary at all. I was looking forward to the "big old scary movie" that I had been warned about, however, all I watched was a boring dumb movie about a possessed unhappy house. The house taking on its own personality is far from scary and I doubt any child would be sent to bed scared out of their minds enough to have nightmares. Of course I am sure there are those of you who will tell me I am wrong. The house is more comical and over-the-top than anything. The scary scenes are taken too far, to where they are just completely unbelievable for even a child. So I give this movie 1 STAR because it just wasn't a great movie. It wasn't interesting, it wasn't scary, it wasn't entertaining, it was long and drawn out. Overall I felt it was a waste of time for a story that could be told in 15 minutes. Yes, the things mentioned by other 1 STAR reviewers about "Bonz" and "Z" are true and I wouldn't want to have to explain their behavior to any young child much less my own.
Cool movie for kids and adults. August 24, 2010
infiniteSTYLES
Being 31 years old, I bought this movie for myself and it was quite entertaining. It was funny, and some parts were even scary considering its an animated feature. But not too scary that kids would not be able to sleep. A warm hearted story. All in all a good movie to own, whether you have children or not.
A kid's review August 16, 2010
I like it. Great movie for children who like spooky movies, it's a serious story and fun kid-horror movie. Not for sensitive children or little ones, just for kids who watch stuff like Godzilla and stuff.
Review July 21, 2010
Toby J Martin (Pennsylvania)
Usually, I try to preface my reviews with a little introduction paragraph that ties into the movie, but there's only one really easy way to start this one.
Monster House is the first (and only) "horror" kids animated film.
There's a lot of subtle versions of horror cliche's in this film, toned down for the age group this film is for, and because of this, it makes for one entertaining CG movie.
The film starts off with friends DJ (Mitchel Musso) and Chowder (Sam Lerner) playing a friendly game of street hoops while DJ's parents are getting ready to go away for Halloween weekend. After the parents leave, the boys take a bad shot at the hoop, and the basketball rolls across the street into the crazy neighbors yard (Nebbercracker, voiced by Steve Buscemi). Nebbercracker comes running out of the house, and starts screaming at the boys to get away, grabbing DJ and getting in his face to tell him how to behave properly. While yelling, Nebbercracker has a heart attack, and falls on top of DJ dead. The kids freak, the ambulance comes, and as the ambulance leaves, the house comes to life and starts terrorizing any kid who comes within the stretches of the property.
The artistic quality of this movie is fantastic, especially when compared to the rest of the films like this that came out in 2006 along side it. Columbia Pictures did a great job in finding an animation team that kept up with Pixar and Dreamworks in that time, and even today the movie looks amazing. There's tons of little details in the scenery that catches your eyes, whether it's little details in the construction of the house, or of the characters themselves. The voice-work is all spot on as well, with Columbia once again doing an amazing job in casting the proper voice talent for the characters. Steve Buscemi's showing is perhaps the strongest (as he's a little creepy in real life), so playing a voice for a crazy old man probably wasn't a huge stretch.
One of the best parts about this film, along with the amazing quality of the CG, is the fact that it's actually a creepy/horror-esque animated film. While it's definitely a children's film, there's also a lot of things that adults would laugh at, as well as some adult jokes. The scenes where they show why the house is a "monster house" are pretty screwed up in relation to what movies like these are usually about, so it's a nice change of pace. Just so everyone can get an idea of what kind of jokes are in this film, I present the following:
(While the kids are in the house)
Jenny: There!
[waves flashlight at chandelier]
Jenny: Well, if those are the teeth, and that's the tongue, then that must be the uvula!
Chowder: Oh, so it's a *girl* house...
(After Nebbercracker falling on DJ)
DJ: I've just... murdered a guy!
Chowder: Naw... when it's an accident, it's called manslaughter.
Overall this movie is a great watch for any age. There's a lot of really funny moments for any age bracket, and there's a story in it that's pretty entertaining and engrossing. I realize it sounds silly to think of a kids movie as engrossing, but the story flows nicely throughout the film, and I think due to the pacing being what it is, it really helped make this a solid showing.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 156
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