Three kids, on Halloween Eve and Day, must dry and destroy a misanthropic grumpy neighbor's 45 year old house or it will continue to "eat" anyone or thing (animals like a neighborhood dog don't fare well either) that intrudes upon its yard or porch! Victims include a boozy high school punk named Bones, two keystone cops who never take the kids seriously, and the aforementioned pooch that happens upon the grass. While the human characters favor claymation design, the real animated effects star of the feature is the titular monster who wooden boards favor ragged, sharp teeth, windows sinister Amityville eyes, and carpet a rolled out red tongue! Eventually by the end of the film, in the impressive climatic action sequence, giant trees are the house's arms and hands as the monster moves its way after the kids...hoping to use dynamite to blow it up, the kids will also commandeer a ground excavator to combat the menace. Perhaps the best sequence comes when the kids are trapped inside a police car as the house tries to gobble it up after tree limbs lift it off the ground, along with their peril and escape from its inside, locating the concrete grave of the owner's carnival obese wife, often a victim of egging and ridicule. Good use of Halloween as the neighborhood prepares for trick-or-treating. The two boys crushing on the visiting prep school girl and her tolerating their typical kids-being-kids antics, often embarrassing themselves and her, has its charms. Fun babysitter humor with Maggie Gyllenhaal voicing a goth who dates Bones and has a contentious relationship with star lead kid, DJ. Buschemi, voicing the misunderstood elderly neighbor who eventually tells the backstory of wife, Constance, is perfect casting. Probably the only time you'll see a house vomit kids.
Review of Monster House
