Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5580 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-12-11
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Hindi
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 88 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Reviews
The spooky shadows and eerie creaking of a rickety old house are brought to life via lush CGI in Monster House. A young boy named DJ has suspicions about the house across the street and the cranky old man (voiced by Steve Buscemi, Fargo) who lives there. When the old man has a heart attack and is carried away by an ambulance, DJ thinks the danger is over. Unfortunately, as he, his friend Chowder, and a candy-selling prep-school girl named Jenny discover, the house itself has plans--plans that include eating all the kids who'll be trick-or-treating that Halloween night. Monster House begins with some deliciously creepy scenes that will send chills down children's spines (and may be too intense for younger viewers); animated movies rarely make such effective use of what isn't being shown. The animation is vivid and detailed (though CGI still has a ways to go in capturing the full range of human facial expressions). But like most horror movies, the anticipation of horror is much more exciting than the horror itself; as the secrets of Monster House are revealed, the movie's thrills unravel. The noisy explosions at the end aren't half as much fun as the slow twitches of a few blades of grass in the movie's elegant beginning. --Bret Fetzer

Synopsis
MONSTER HOUSE focuses on an anthropomorphic mansion, a haunted house with human characteristics that actively frightens neighbourhood folks as it attempts to reign over its inhabitants. One day, a trio of intrepid youngsters, sick of being terrorised, decide to fight back. They are cutely pubescent DJ (Mitchel Musso); his fumbling, chubby friend Chowder (Sam Lerner); and smart-as-a-whip tomboy Jenny (Spencer Locke), who immediately enchants the awkward boys. The local police are no help, so DJ, Chowder, and Jenny are left to their own clever devices, which result in a series of rollicking, hilarious, and sometimes scary adventures. A cast of colourful personalities surrounds the central characters, and they are voiced by luminaries who include Catherine O'Hara, Kevin James, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kathleen Turner, Steve Buscemi, and the brilliant Fred Willard. And teen hipsters will delight in hearing the droll voice of Jon Heder (the title character of cult hit NAPOLEON DYNAMITE) as a deadbeat pizza maker nicknamed Skull. First-time director Gil Kenan proves spirited and highly adept at mastering such a high-tech production, and followers of animation will want to pay attention to the use of new digital techniques that stray away from straightforward computer drawing. MONSTER HOUSE is executive produced by Robert Zemeckis, who helmed the innovative and sophisticated animated feature WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? in 1988. He once again proves that family fare need not be alienating to older viewers, but can appeal to on every level from childhood and upward. MONSTER HOUSE is a feat of blockbusting filmmaking--a visually stunning, witty tale that is sure to stimulate children and their parents.

Customer Reviews

Pretty much The enjoyable movie!
I didn't know what to expect, but I must say I found it quite enjoyable. There was a lot of talk before the movie. People were saying that it will be too scary for the little kids, but not adult enough to capture older kids attention.

I can see it being quite frightening at times for the little ones, but of the kids in the theater its not like I heard any of them screaming mommy. I don't know how well the movie will do with kids, but from an adult's perspective, its definitely worth a viewing.

The best part of the movie definitely has to be the characters. Each were extremely well thought out and put together. They did a fantastic job of matching right voices with the right characters. Characters facial expressions were amazing. You'll find yourself laughing at things they say and do quite a lot.

The animation looks great. They certainly aren't ground breaking. But they fit the movie well. However, I will say that some scenes looked quite amazing.

If you are looking for a fun, clean movie with plenty of laughs and chuckles, this is definitely one you don't want to miss!

Very good film
What a pleasure it was to watch this. The animation was top class and the voice overs done superbly. Spielberg has really put his touch on this. The story is about a boy who watches a house owned and guarded by a mean old man who everyone hates.
I would recommend this to anyone however for those with very young children beware as I can guarentee it will keep the kids up with renditions of " MUM the house is gonna come and eat me " allnight long. Trust me on this one I KNOW !!!

Just a little too scary for kids.
An interesting film this one- a haunted house that trys to eat children is not your average annimated tale. However, it's done rather well and there are a few genuinely scary moments. The jokes are also thick and fast, although some will go over the heads of smaller children.

I can't fault this film overall, as my children loved it and I found myself watching and enjoying it although I got it for them. My only negative thought is that I think this might have been slightly better as a live action film. It might have been a little more magical and the characters easier to like. Aside from that though- four out of five.

Enjoy...