MONSTER HOUSE

In a quiet and sleepy residential neighborhood of an unspecified American city, life goes on peacefully and Halloween is now just around the corner; children are preparing to go "trick-or-treating" on All Saints' Day. But a threat has loomed over that neighborhood for years: it is Mr. Nebbercracker, a grumpy old man who spends his time on the lookout, ready to chase away anyone who steps on his property and to seize the toys that, unintentionally, the children send into his garden. One day, DJ and his friend Timballo send the ball into Nebbercracker's garden; DJ, in his attempt to retrieve it, confronts the owner of the land, who suddenly has a seizure and is rushed to the hospital. From that moment on, Nebbercracker's house seems to come alive on its own and begins to devour anyone who approaches the property. It will be up to DJ, Timballo, and their new friend Jenny to uncover the mystery and face the House! And who said cartoons are just for kids? With "Monster House", a 3D cartoon produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, we are presented with a singular case of animated horror that is difficult to classify with a well-defined genre label. Although the starting point is the classic animated adventure for kids, with the consequent inclusion of comedic tones, the theme addressed and the dramatic nature of some scenes make "Monster House" a true fantasy-horror, easily enjoyable by adults and horror fans. In fact, the tricky issue lies precisely in having wanted to wink at horror lovers to the point of creating a product that is too "scary" for a child audience... and there were controversies about this when it was released in the USA! Starting from situations that may recall "Ballata Macabra" by Curtis and "Ammazzavampiri" by Holland, young director Gil Kenan carries forward a fascinating and engaging story that puts us in the shoes of three kids who seem to have stepped right out of "I Goonies", three kids in full puberty perpetually torn between their "adult" behavior, too immature, or giving free rein to the bursts of genuine childhood that still predominate. The three protagonists seem trapped in an artificial world that exists only within their neighborhood, a world made up of distracted adults eager only to prove to themselves that they are good parents with a simple and insistent "I love you" said before leaving for the weekend. The screenplay by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab brilliantly plays with the stereotypes that have been provided by years and years of pop culture, ranging from the incorrect babysitter who invites her boyfriend to the "workplace" and monopolizes the phone and TV, not caring about the child she is supposed to look after; to the fast-food boy, a science fiction convention attendee and video game champion, hence a nerd to the core, dispenser of good advice on how to "defeat evil". Absolutely flawless is then Kenan's direction, capable of tracking shots and long takes of unique effectiveness and elegance, admirable already from the long opening sequence in which the shot follows a leaf in its light fluttering until the monster house, in a mix of mastery and citationism (one cannot help but think of "Forrest Gump"). Naturally, from a technical standpoint, "Monster House" is practically perfect, further testament that digital animation has now reached really very high levels; in this case, an innovative motion capture technique was used, useful for making the movements and expressions of the characters more fluid and realistic. The action scenes are also well choreographed and sufficiently spectacular, not to mention the monster house, perfectly realized and at times truly unsettling. In short, "Monster House" is a cartoon, probably more appreciated by an adult audience than by children, capable of skillfully blending fear and entertainment, horror and comedy, managing to leave a mark in the already inflated scenario of 3D animation. A small cult to watch and rewatch!