🎬Monster House – Review of the
Widescreen Edition DVD
Monster House Special Edition DVD with original artwork
My Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆ 4.8 / 5
Released in 2006 and directed by Gil Kenan, Monster House remains one of the few animated films to blend childhood adventure with genuine fright. This Widescreen Edition DVD preserves that eerie charm with clean transfer, balanced sound, and a range of extras that invite repeat viewing. The film’s motion-capture animation gives its characters a slightly uncanny realism, an intentional choice that matches the haunted theme. Watching it now feels like rediscovering a lost Amblin-era story that could easily sit beside The Goonies or Gremlins.
About Monster House
Synopsis: Three kids discover that the house across the street is a living, breathing monster. Twelve-year-old DJ Walters (Mitchel Musso) notices strange happenings surrounding old man Nebbercracker’s (Steve Buscemi) dilapidated home. When toys vanish and the lawn seems to swallow everything, DJ, his best friend Chowder (Sam Lerner), and the sharp-witted Jenny (Spencer Locke) set out to uncover the truth. What they find is something far more personal and terrifying a story of loss, obsession, and a structure fueled by a broken heart.
Main Cast: Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Jason Lee, Kevin James, Jon Heder.
DJ, Jenny, and Chowder approach the mysterious house on Halloween Eve
🎞️ Performance & Audio/Visual Presentation
While Monster House relies on digital performances, its motion-capture acting brings human presence to animated form. Mitchel Musso captures DJ’s uneasy bravery, while Sam Lerner provides comic balance as the excitable Chowder. Spencer Locke delivers Jenny with poise and curiosity, grounding the trio’s chemistry. Steve Buscemi’s Nebbercracker remains one of the most nuanced animated villains of the 2000s menacing yet oddly sympathetic once his backstory unfolds.
The Widescreen Edition DVD offers crisp 1.85:1 widescreen visuals, with strong contrast that accentuates the film’s twilight palette of browns, oranges, and electric blues. The Dolby 5.1 audio track shines during sequences where the house growls, its wooden boards creaking from all sides. Dialogue remains clear even amid chaotic sound effects, and the orchestral score by Douglas Pipes heightens tension without overwhelming the story. Fans of traditional home theaters will appreciate how well this release reproduces the film’s original theatrical balance.
💡 Cinematography, Style & Direction
Kenan’s visual style recalls the handcrafted look of stop-motion horror, yet the film uses motion capture and CG to imitate the physical world. Shadows stretch across wet pavement, lights flicker from storm clouds, and the titular house appears both real and sentient. Visually, Monster House bridges two sensibilities Spielberg’s wonder and Tim Burton’s melancholy. Each sequence builds tension through careful pacing and limited reveals rather than constant spectacle.
Meanwhile, the camera movement feels organic, often keeping the children at eye level, creating a grounded perspective in a fantastical environment. The direction respects the intelligence of its audience, offering emotional beats alongside scares. To complete the illusion, Kenan uses the camera as a child might see the world too close, slightly tilted, and alive with fear.
🔍 What Worked & What Didn’t
- ✅ Superb voice performances and realistic motion-capture acting
- ✅ Moody animation design that perfectly suits the Halloween setting
- ❌ Occasional pacing dips near the climax
- ❌ Some secondary characters verge on caricature
Monster House Official DVD Preview
✅ Includes full feature film with Dolby 5.1 audio ✅ Bonus features: Commentary, featurettes, and making-of documentary ✅ Perfect for fans of family-friendly horror
👉 If you enjoy supernatural adventures, this edition still delivers. 👈
🛒 Get Monster House Widescreen Edition Now! 🍿
The neighborhood kids face the towering haunted house in this Halloween classic
📀 Bonus Features & Edition Highlights
The Widescreen Edition DVD of Monster House includes a robust set of extras: a commentary track with Gil Kenan and producer Robert Zemeckis, a “Making of the Monster” featurette on the motion-capture process, and deleted scenes that reveal early visual concepts. The transfer quality is clean, free from compression artifacts, and colors maintain their autumnal warmth. Menus are animated with eerie background sound, echoing footsteps and whispers from the house itself. This release also features storyboard galleries that show the depth of pre-production planning a rare treat for animation fans.
🎯 Buyers’ Guide: Who Should Get It
This Monster House Widescreen Edition is ideal for collectors who value early 2000s animation that dared to push boundaries. It appeals to horror enthusiasts seeking something family-safe yet genuinely creepy, as well as those who appreciate the craftsmanship behind performance-capture storytelling. Parents introducing younger viewers to spooky cinema will find it the perfect balance of fun and fright. For those who collect Halloween-themed films, this disc stands proudly beside Coraline and ParaNorman in both mood and presentation.
🕰️ Why It Still Matters
Nearly two decades after release, Monster House still captures a rare cinematic intersection between childhood curiosity and fear. It speaks to universal memories of that one neighborhood house everyone avoided and the thrill of confronting it. The film’s message about empathy understanding the sadness behind the monster gives it emotional endurance beyond its technical innovations.
Even as streaming dominates, discs like this remind movie fans what ownership feels like bonus content, artwork, and the satisfaction of a permanent copy. It’s a connection that algorithms can’t replace.
Final Verdict: A darkly imaginative, emotionally rich animated tale that remains a Halloween favorite.
Additional Sources:
TMDb | Letterboxd
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🎬 Discover more Movie and TV Reviews Here
🎥 Behind the Scenes
Gil Kenan’s direction emerged from his student film The Lark, which caught Robert Zemeckis’s attention and led to this feature debut. Production combined performance capture with traditional animation, using over 200 cameras to record actor movement. The voice cast recorded together to maintain natural interplay rare in animation. Early drafts leaned toward darker material before balancing tone for younger audiences. The film’s distinctive design drew inspiration from Edward Hopper’s paintings and 1950s suburbia, creating a timeless setting.
💿 Collector’s Notes
Packaging for the Monster House Widescreen Edition DVD includes embossed lettering and subtle gloss accents over the central artwork. The insert features a foldout with character bios and behind-the-scenes trivia, while the disc menu mirrors the creaking house doors from the film. Collectors will appreciate the consistent use of warm orange tones throughout, echoing the Halloween aesthetic. It feels designed for display as much as for playback, and the cover art reproduces the original theatrical poster faithfully.
📦 Preservation & Collectors’ Care
Preservation Tip: Collectors who keep discs in climate-controlled shelves and handle them by the edges can expect decades of playback life. Avoid paper sleeves that scuff the surface; the original jewel case remains the safest long-term storage.
Physical media lasts far longer than most people realize when properly maintained. Store the Monster House DVD in its original case to prevent dust and scratching, and keep it away from direct sunlight or heat sources that can warp discs. Light cleaning with a microfiber cloth from the center outward helps preserve playback quality. Many collectors now use archival sleeves and catalog systems, ensuring favorite titles like this one remain pristine for years to come.
Serious movie fans know that every well-kept disc becomes part of film history, a small archive of the era that streaming can never fully replace.
📢 Critics & Customers Are Raving!
💬 “One of the best Halloween family films ever made equal parts scary and sweet.” – Verified Viewer
💬 “The animation still feels fresh and inventive nearly twenty years later.” – Classic Collector
💬 “Finally, a kids’ movie that treats its audience with intelligence.” – Longtime Fan
Further Reading & Resources
📖 Read: Into the 'Monster House' | Amblin
📰 Explore: Where is the 2006 cult classic ‘Monster House’ really set
🎬 Also Recommended
💿 Coraline
💿 ParaNorman
💿 Frankenweenie
ML Lamp is the owner of Kilroy Was Here. After his 20 years of working in Las Vegas in the entertainment promotions field, Mr. Lamp retired in 2002 from his job to pursue his passion for collectibles. Now as a guest speaker and author he’s living the dream, and sharing his warmth with You.
