'Monster House' Returning to Netflix Ahead of Halloween Season
The beloved 2006 animated film 'Monster House' streams on Netflix beginning Thursday, Aug. 1.
We may be locked in the dog days of summer, but spooky seasons is coming early to Netflix. When the streamer on Wednesday released its full list of TV shows and movies arriving next month, it revealed a wave of spooky titles to come, including Monster House. Gil Kenan's 2006 directorial debut is set to be available for streaming on Netflix beginning Aug. 1.
Cor-written by Dan Harmon, creator of Community and co-creator of Rick and Morty, along with his frequent writing partner Rob Schrab, Monster House centers around a sentient haunted house. When three neighborhood kids discover that the home is more alive than it may seem just before Halloween, they must find a way to destroy the structure before innocent trick-or-treaters meet ghastly ends.
The supernatural comedy-horror film's A-list voice cast features Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Jason Lee, Fred Willard, Jon Heder, Catherine O'Hara and Kathleen Turner. Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, and Spencer Locke voice the 12-year-old protagonists Dustin James "D.J." Walters, Charles "Chowder" Peterson, and Jenny Bennett.
Hitting theaters on July 21, 2006, Monster House was not only a box office win, bringing in a box office haul of $142 worldwide against a $75 million budget, but also quickly rose to become a cult classic. The film holds a 75% critics score and 64% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes – where a critics consensus reads, "Monster House welcomes kids and adults alike into a household full of smart, monstrous fun." – and is regarded as having paved the way for other beloved animated horror films for kids, such as 2009's Coraline and 2012's ParaNorman. Monster House also received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Despite the film's massive success and popularity, nearly two decades since its release, there has not been a Monster House sequel. Speaking to ComicBook.com in March 2024, Kenan said "never say never" to a possible sequel, adding, "there might be another Monster House story, I haven't had the idea in the years since. Also, it feels like that movie had such a complete story."
The film will be available to stream on Netflix beginning Aug. 1 alongside other family-friendly upcoming titles like Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Netflix's August spooky lineup, meanwhile, includes horror films like 2022's Pearl, the second installment in Ti West's X trilogy, as well as six Child's Play films. Other titles, including Everything Everywhere All At Once and Miami Vice, will exit Netflix next month. For the complete list of TV shows and movies leaving Netflix in August, click here.