It’s October and the season of ghouls, ghosts and goblins is upon us. For now the list of movies that fit the bill is short, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. The animated picture “Hotel Transylvania” offers all the cute creepiness needed to keep the kids’ attention, and plenty of under-the-breath adult humor and innuendos.
The story of a young girl whose over-protective father, Dracula (Adam Sandler), keeps her isolated in his hotel for monsters because after the passing of his late wife he believes all humans hate monsters and would like to see them dead at the end of a pitchfork. His sense of security is destroyed when his hotel’s first human guest walks through the door.
The movie is perfect for kids. It’s cute and full of lighthearted jokes, potty humor and the creepiness that’s expected from a Halloween movie. The mindless zombies that compile the staff of the hotel are a main source of ridiculous physical humor, and the shrunken heads that hang off every room door as a substitute for “Do Not Disturb” signs are a main source of sarcastic, chop-busting dialogue.
Teens dragged along with the family will most likely find themselves trying not to smile, and enjoy the scenes in which the love interest of Dracula’s daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) and the human, Jonathan (Andy Samberg) is in full effect. There is a rave scene when the hotel celebrates Mavis’ birthday, and their teenage feelings as well as the perfect portrayal of rave goers made me chuckle more than once. The scene culminates with a rap performed by Samberg’s character that is unmistakably his music group “The Lonely Island” making an appearance.
Most of the comedy that I identified with came from Dracula and his friends. In true Sandler fashion, he had all of his buddies from other movies play his character’s friends.
Kevin James plays Frankenstein, Steve Buscemi is the Werewolf, David Spade plays the Invisible Man, Jon Lovitz plays the cook Quasimodo and Ceelo Green is the Mummy. Together the ensemble is the main source for adult humor and ridiculousness.
As for the overall quality of the film, I haven’t seen a family movie that I enjoyed this much in a long time. The surreal creepiness and the off-the-wall humor made it feel like “A Nightmare Before Christmas” meets “Big Daddy.” The only knock on it is that the opening is a little weak. They set the plot and setting in less than five minutes, which felt a bit rushed. But soon I forgot my criticisms and started to really enjoy the movie. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking for a laugh or to get into the Halloween spirit.
