I’ll be honest, I’m not really in the mood to be writing this review. I had a third Covid jab yesterday and am feeling pretty tired and rotten at this moment in time. So, finding out that I not only had to watch a film but also write about it for today’s post was pretty devastating. I’d already been planning to be tucked up early with a mug of tea and a book. To make things as easy as possible, I found the first vaguely Halloween related film that I could find with a running time of under 2 hours. Of course my best bet was picking an animation. This is a film that I had never seen before but one that my friend is always telling me to watch. She has kids though, which often means she has different opinions about what makes an animation good. But, at this point, I’ll take what recommendations I can.

Hotel Transylvania has an interesting concept at the centre of its story. It flips the script on the usual monster horror film and takes things from the monster’s point of view. In this sense, it is human beings that become the villains and the monsters who are being persecuted. It’s a fun idea that could have been a lot of fun to work with. In the end, I don’t think it’s very well utilised and the film suffers from a very thin narrative. Something that won’t matter very much to the intended younger audience but that will matter to the grown-ups being forced to watch it. Kids will no doubt enjoy the colourful characters and the loud noises but it lacks depth for older children and above.

As said, it’s a really fun idea. In an attempt to protect his daughter from humans, Count Dracula builds a hotel for monsters. It is to be a safe haven from humanity where they can relax and have fun. Unfortunately, on his daughter’s 118th birthday, a 21-year-old backpacker makes his way into the hotel. The count has to hide this interloper from his friends whilst planning his daughter’s big party. But what happens when the young vampire starts to get closer to the human man disguised as a monster?

I guess it doesn’t really help that this is a film that clearly relies on its cast too much. It brings together Adam Sandler and a lot of his friends. Also Selena Gomez and CeeLo Green. It’s as if somebody just thought this collection of actors would automatically create movie magic. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. A film that looks as impressive as this deserves a better script. One that isn’t just full of lifeless jokes and bad songs. It’s safe to say this film didn’t make me feel any better.