Saturday, October 28, 2006

31 Days of Halloween - Day 28 Movie 1



"Monster House" (2006) was one of my favorite movies of the year, and it holds up well on a second viewing. The movie pits three kids against a scary neighborhood house that is actually alive, and aware of their interest. Of course, there are no adults around when you need them, and the ones that do show up aren't much help.

It was refreshing to see a horror movie aimed at kids that was actually frightening to them (though, my kids were more afraid of the horrible babysitter than the house of the title, and the son of friends was so afraid of Mr. Nebbercracker, that they had to leave the theater). The vocal performances, and motion capture (or whatever they are calling it these days in order to make it seem new) are all really well done, but the design of the characters took some getting used to on my part; not too stylized, not too realistic, as if someone couldn't make up their mind on how to handle them.

I also hear the "Art of..." book is really good, but have not looked at it yet.

This is a highly entertaining movie, and a good one to share with your kids, if they are the type who don't mind being scared, and see it more as a thrill than a punishment. Parents should definitely watch it first to determine its appropriateness.

1 comment:

Trevour said...

I wanted to rent this over the weekend but didn't get the chance to pick it up. It looks like a fun one! Plus I like Zemeckis. :-)