'Monster House' full of surprises

Horror film more daring than most kids fare

Robert Denerstein, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 21, 2006 at midnight

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I don't know of a kid who hasn't looked at a house in his neighborhood and wondered about it. Not only does the place look a little run-down, but it's home to the mean old guy who never returns a ball that strays onto his cherished lawn.

Such is the quasi-realistic backdrop for Monster House, an animated movie that, in its way, proves a lot more daring than you'd expect.

First-time director Gil Kenan has ventured into strange territory with an animated horror film aimed mostly at kids, and kids probably will find much with which to identify. Kenan, of course, had some guidance. The movie was produced by Robert Zemeckis (Polar Express) and Steven Spielberg.

Monster House's nicely drawn kid characters quickly wind up at odds with a house that looks as if it could drag down real estate values in even the shabbiest of blocks.

As it happens, the house is located in an otherwise buttoned-down neighborhood where DJ (Mitchel Musso) lives with his parents and plays with his pals. Bumptious and slightly overweight, Chowder (Sam Lerner) brings loads of attitude to the increasingly scary proceedings. Preppie girl Jenny (Spencer Locke) also gets caught up in attempts to see what's going on in the neighborhood's most menacing house.

The movie's best creation, by far, though, is the aging owner of the house, Mr. Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi), a snarling meanie who specializes in extreme nastiness.

The kids eventually decide that they're not going to be intimidated by Nebbercracker, but the confrontation throws the old man into seizure. DJ thinks he's killed the coot, a pretty big burden for a 12-year- old.

Nebbercracker may be gone from the scene, but there's still the matter of the house, which poses grave dangers. The front of the house becomes a kind of leering, hideous face - and worse. Far from a dream house, this is a nightmare piece of real estate. I won't give away more, but I'll warn parents that Monster House may strike fear into the hearts of young children. Perhaps to add teen appeal, the movie introduces a couple of older kids. Zoe (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is DJ's slightly indifferent baby sitter. Jason Lee gives voice to her boyfriend, Bones, who has his own troubles with the house.

It's not difficult to guess that Bones will turn into a victim. He's a slacker with a cruel streak.

Kenan has everything percolating nicely, but when the youngsters finally wind up in the house, the movie turns into a noisy, roof-rattling affair. The animated equivalent of special effects take over, and Monster House starts to burden the viewer even though it revolves around a strange and somewhat macabre plot twist.

What begins as a knowing tale winds up collecting tickets for one more over-the-top summer ride. Suffice it to say that our three little heroes want to keep the house in check because Halloween approaches and the house poses a grave danger for trick-or-treaters.

Kids probably won't mind the movie's excesses, but even as Monster House moved toward the inevitable uplifting ending, I wished Kenan and company had toned things down a bit. Oh well, the good news is this: You don't have to move into Monster House. You only have to visit.

Robert Denerstein is the film critic. Denersteinb@RockyMountainNews.com, 303-892-5424

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