Monster House Previews Misleading - Page 2

dpippel · 07-26-2006, 11:20 AM

I think Lucia's point is that despite this film's content the marketing was targeted SPECIFICALLY at children, and I agree. I can't count the number of times the teasers and trailers for Monster House have been shown during the primetime programming on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network that my 10 year old son watches. While the responsibility for movie screening ultimately lies with parents, responsible marketing is the burden of the studio releasing the film. IMO there's certainly been some deceptive advertising in the case of Monster House.

Hayes Preston · 07-26-2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Anthony

Since when is scaring children a bad thing?

terrorizing children? Bad. Torturing children? Bad. Scaring children? Healthy.

I completely agree.

I took my two little ones to see this (daughter 5, son 6) and they both loved it, my daughter's exact quote at the end of the movie "Daddy, that movie was awesome scary!" (her current favorite movie is Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)

I don't think this movie has been mismarketed at all, the previews prepared me, I knew what we were getting into. We saw a preview along with Over the Hedge or The Wild (can't remember which) and both kids said that it looked really scary, but they wanted to see it anyway.

I told the younglings that if, at any time, they wanted to leave we would. They didn't even want to get up to go to the bathroom (to the point where they both had to run when the credits rolled)

I think that AICN summs up my feelings for the movie the best.

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=23698

Quote:

The film is out-right SCARY. It has that feeling of those classic 80s kids films like GOONIES, EXPLORERS and STAND BY ME.

As for taking your kids. This movie IS scary, but it's scary the way Disney's Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland or Disneyworld is. It's not a HORROR film, so much as it is a THRILLING FILM for all ages. As I said - every character in this film has a soul and is played with a very warm heart and a richness of detail that I haven't seen laid into characters in an animated film since THE IRON GIANT or THE INCREDIBLES. And I mean that with absolute seriousness. This is a fantastic film.

Adam_S · 07-26-2006, 02:32 PM

exactly, I would even say this film is A LOT less terrifying than ET, which I was completely unable to watch until I was about eleven. I simply couldn't handle it when they found ET all pasty and then Eliot got sick, said they were dying and suddenly their house it attacked by giant men in white astronaut suits trying to grab everyone and there's no way they can run away or escape. never failed to get the vcr off and me out of the room and outside to recover. The only way I ever actually got through it was that we watched it for a friday/holiday school party one afternoon in fourth grade.

DaveB · 07-26-2006, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucia Duran

DaveB: While I agree that it really is the majority of the responsibility of the parent to keep an eye out for these things, I think the studios have some responsibility as well when marketing these films.

I agree and think you raise some good points, but again, I hope a lesson has been learned. Place your trust in the studios and the MPAA at your own risk.

JediFonger · 07-26-2006, 04:12 PM

i'm going to have to second pluggedinonline.com. it's very good in weeding out the good, bad, ugly. while i don't have kidz, i have often utilized it to see if there is enough swearing, sex and violence enough for me to watch, i kid, i kid. =). talk about total misuse of technology.

the point is,

Quote:

Originally Posted by derek

I find www.screenit.com and www.pluggedinonline.com invaluable tools for in depth reviews of films with material that parent's may want to watch out for.



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