When I was about seven or eight I can remember being afraid of a house around the corner. The couple who lived there was a little rough around the edges, and for some reason had caught the attention of myself and the other children in the neighborhood. When I would ride my bike to my best friends house I would have to bike by the couples house and would always peddle a little bit faster.
One day I hit a bump in the sidewalk and fell in front of their home, I can remember quickly picking up my bike and running, with bloody knees hoping not to catch the attention of the couple inside.
Was the couple really going to hurt me? Probably not. I honestly can not remember a single thing they ever did that would warrant them as scary, they had just for some reason been labeled as such by the neighborhood children and the rumors took care of themselves.
The idea of a scary house in the neighborhood is the premise for the movie “Monster House”. Monster House centers on a boy named D.J who lives across the street from the offending house of Mr. Nebbercracker. Unlike my childhood neighbors, Mr. Nebbercracker gives the children a reason to fear his home by yelling at them every time the come near it.
D.J is left at home with a horrible babysitter, and Mr. Nebbercracker is taken to the hospital at the same time leaving both D.J and the scary house unattended. The movie follows D.J and his friend Chowders adventures with the “Monster House”.
The movie has some violence and peril and can be scary at times. I wouldn’t recommend taking your elementary school child unless they have already shown some interest in scary movies, otherwise you may end up with some nightmares later on. There is also a little potty humor and a small amount of language.
The movie has a “Nightmare Before Christmas” like flair to it however, and can be a fun movie to go see, especially some what out of season. I would have picked this one for an October release around Halloween.
This can be a fun one for adults as well. If you are hesitant about letting your younger child see the film you may want to wait until it is released on DVD and preview it before you let them watch. The DVD should be out around Halloween and it will be a perfect October evening family movie.