If you look at almost any still-frame of 'Monster House (2006)', it would be easy to mistake for it a stop-motion affair. This is both a blessing and a curse, granting a unique and uniquely unsettling aesthetic to a picture that is, for all intents and purposes, kind of awkwardly animated and designed, as it falls victim to (relatively) early CGI capabilities - of both technology and artist - and a mixed-message approach to its overall look and feel. Though this causes some head-scratching contrast when it comes to its realist versus absurdist presentation, thankfully it usually tends to add to the movie's overall off-killer vibe. The balance between its comedy and kid-friendly horror is struck fairly well, while the more 'adult' themes and motifs play nicely into its scrappy '80s adventure' style plot to create something that feels suitably old-school and even sort of emotionally resonant. By mixing stylish 'architecture-horror' and occasionally more fantastical stuff with slightly more 'realistic' ghostly elements that tie directly into a fairly nuanced backstory, the picture manages to pull all the right, if predictable, strings. 7/10