It has been a long time since I have written a review here at Epinions but I have been wanting to come back. Tonight we went to see Monster House and I thought writing a review on that would get me going again.

My husband and I took our eleven year old son to see this movie. He LOVED it. He laughed, he jumped, he chewed his fingers. The younger children around us, ages four, five, six, seven, were not feeling the same way. They all seemed very frightened. I heard many children ask quite loudly "Is he really dead?", "What's happening mom?", "I'm scared", etc. I would not recommend this movie for children under eight or nine to be honest with you. Unless, of course, you don't mind spending the next several weeks being woken in the middle of the night by a screaming child.

First of all, the good points. It has very good, even awesome graphics. I can not believe how far "cartoons" have come. Very real, very detailed. I got right into the movie and just about forgot the characters were not real actors. The story line was amazing. It never lost my interest. It was intense even to me. It was also unique. I hadn't seen a story quite like it before. If this movie were in the catagory of adult horror, it would be perfect! And then, there were even funny parts. My son and I burst out laughing several times. I will have to say that dad did not but he did smile.

Okay, the bad points, from the perspective of having a very young child there because other wise I didn't see anything bad about it. It was very scary, very intense. In the beginning an old man falls down "dead" onto the main character (12 year old DJ). You see him laying on top of the child, ridgid and eyes wide open. This is when I heard a lot of the children asking questions. Straight out of CSI if you ask me.

Also, the house is very scary, eating pets and people alike with a large gaping mouth, sharp "teeth" and so much more. Very vivid. The one thing I noticed was at the end of the movie, the people and pets (save one person) did not come back to life like what might happen in most kids' movies. They were never mentioned again. This surprised me. I had thought when the house was "killed" that those people would come walking out of the rubble. No such luck except for one guy.

Early in the movie, the house even calls the boy, DJ, and breaths heavy into the phone in the middle of the night. Freaky. Then after the child is asleep, the shadow of the house (which is across the street from DJ's house) creeps through his window in hand form and goes to grab the boy. This was another time I heard a lot of fearful children in the audience.

So, if your children are old enough, they will LOVE this movie. It is awesome. Beware though for the littler guys. It is very real, scary, and intense.

God Bless!

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12