Monster House (2006)
"Three teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster."
Whenever there was a road trip, I had the same 3 DVDs to choose from to watch on the portable DVD player. Monster house was one of them, so the nostalgia factor is pretty significant for me. Since then, I've made it a tradition to watch it every Halloween. After all this time, I still see it as a classic to watch every spooky season.
What stands out to me the most are the characters & the comedy. Hate to admit I see a lot of myself in Chowder, but I do. The main & side characters work really well together to bring the hilarious bickering that is the dialogue. It's my kind of humor, & I unapologetically quote the movie time to time.
The animation is very unique. The art style goes a long way, but the motion capture solidifies the original look to the overall animation. When Monster House was made, mo-cap was still on the rise, just being implemented in video games & what would be a hit film, Polar Express. The voice acting was great, & I'm sure all the actors had a blast making the movie.
The fun musical score pairs with the overall story nicely. The great tale of the monster house seems like an exaggerated version of a folk tale you'd tell at a campfire. The design of the actual monster house is very cool, the concept is equally interesting. And I believe this story takes place in the 80s, & for some reason, horror & 80s just works well together (as we've seen a million times).
Overall, Monster House is a solid movie choice for any Halloween movie party.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★