Monster House

Monster House is a 2006 American computer-animated supernatural comedy horror film directed by Gil Kenan in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler, about a neighborhood being terrorized by a sentient haunted house during Halloween. The film features the voices of Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Jason Lee, Fred Willard, Jon Heder, Catherine O'Hara and Kathleen Turner, as well as human characters being animated using live-action motion-capture animation, which was previously used in The Polar Express (2004).

Produced by Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, the film was released theatrically by Columbia Pictures on July 21, 2006 to generally positive reviews from critics yet was a box office disappointment, having grossed $140 million worldwide against a production budget of $75 million.

Plot
No adults believe three youths' (Mitchel Musso, Spencer Locke, Sam Lerner) assertion that a neighboring residence is a living creature that means them harm. With Halloween approaching, the trio must find a way to destroy the structure before innocent trick-or-treaters meet ghastly ends.

Why It Won't Be Seeing You Later.

 * 1) The idea of a possessed house that turns household objects into nightmares and eats people is very original and creative.
 * 2) The animation is a rather unique blend of motion-capture and stop-motion, which adds to an overall creepy-like atmosphere.
 * 3) *It is also one of the only motion capture movies that avoids the Uncanny Valley.
 * 4) Unlike some other films that use the form of animation that this one uses like The Polar Express or mh:awfulmovies:Mars Needs Moms (albeit the former of which actually being a good film), all the cast members did the motion capture for the respective characters they played.
 * 5) Likable and charming characters.
 * 6) *Dustin James "DJ" Walters is a boy who acts, and is treated, younger than he actually is and is often thought to be crazy by the other characters.
 * 7) *Charles (Chowder) is DJ's eccentric best friend who has a habit of acting a bit silly at times, but is nonetheless a loyal friend.
 * 8) *Jenny Bennett is an intelligent girl who, at first, didn't like DJ or Chowder but she soon warmed up to them and became friends with them by the end.
 * 9) *Horace Nebbercracker is a man who, at first, appears to be little more than a typical cantankerous old hermit but later revealed as kind-hearted and selfless person who simply puts on a facade of being a grumpy cynic in order to keep people from being eaten by Constance and later aids the main trio in taking down the Monster House in the climax.
 * 10) *Constance Nebbercracker is a shockingly sympathetic villainess for the movie. As she was forced to be part of a circus as The Freakshow and was mercilessly mocked by the public and seemingly mistreated by the owner of the circus (for example, she did have to sleep in a cage). Then she found happiness when Mr. Nebbercracker rescued her and married her, only to fall to her death in the foundation of her house when she tried to chase off a group of kids that were harassing her. Her enraged spirit then became part of the house, unable to leave for the afterlife - essentially remaining trapped in her own home for several decades.
 * 11) While it doesn't get gory, there's a diverse range of creepy visuals that actually warrant the PG rating.
 * 12) The design of the house is genuinely terrifying which helps to establish the eerie tone of the movie.
 * 13) Excellent musical score by Douglas Pipes.
 * 14) Apart from the genre is "horror", plenty of funny jokes like the scene where Chowder gets hit in the face with his basketball and DJ says "You're a dork!
 * 15) Amazing directing by Gil Kenan in his directorial debut.
 * 16) Mr. Nebbercracker's backstory of how his wife turned into a monster is very touching (as previously mentioned in WIWBSYL# 4), as well as the scene where he says goodbye to her spirit at the end.
 * 17) These lines: "So it’s a girl house." and "I won't be seeing you later."

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The story itself is a bit predictable - pretty much as soon as the house became murderous you can see how it will end.
 * 2) Though unique as previously mentioned, the animation is sub-par even by 2006 standards.
 * 3) This movie isn't suitable for kids who are easily frightened, but even then a horror film is meant to be terrifying anyway.
 * 4) The film has many mean-spirited moments from the adult characters, such as Zee, Bones, and even Mr. Nebbercracker himself at certain points, which makes it come off as gaudy.
 * 5) Plot hole: How come no one else in the neighborhood heard or even questioned the obvious screaming and loud noises from the house possessed by Constance, especially when chasing DJ, Chowder, Jenny, and Nebbercracker down the streets?

Reception
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 75% approval rating, based on 160 reviews with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Monster House welcomes kids and adults alike into a household full of smart, monstrous fun.". On Metacritic the film has a score of 68 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Awards and nominations
The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for the best-animated feature but lost to Happy Feet and was nominated for a Golden Globe for the best-animated feature but lost to Cars.

Video
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Trivia

 * Steve Buscemi and Kevin James would later star in the Hotel Transylvania films as Wayne and Frankenstein.
 * Additionally, both movies have been produced by Sony Pictures (Columbia Pictures), despite this film not being a Sony Pictures Animation movie.