Do you need to watch something that explores the complexities of female adolescence, highlights the nuances of radical acceptance, and examines themes of prejudice?
Why not delve into the “fangtastic” world of Monster High? The Monster High movies leave you with the comforting feeling of nostalgia, fashion inspo, hilarious bits, and most importantly, a lesson in how to treat others with kindness.
Mainly, it’s the nostalgia: celebrating my scaritage.
Over my school’s fall break, I was not able to go home. Seeing everyone with their families back in their hometowns, cozied up in their childhood bedrooms, while I was still on campus, left me with the desire to reconnect with my younger self. With Halloween coming up, I decided to revisit the Monster High movies. And let me just say, it was clawsome!
The Barbie movies and Monster High were the only things my sister and I could agree to watch together. Since the Monster High girls were a little edgier, more mature, and dressed in a way that my roommate’s mom refers to as “fancy”, we felt way cooler watching Monster High. Mattel would release a new movie every year in the early 2010s, and I just remember how excited my sister and I would get. We’d run around our local Hastings movie store, making sure we would be the first ones in elementary school to watch it — and for the girls who were still only allowed to watch Barbie, we would give them the plot summary.
Rewatching the movies brought me back to all the times when I would get into intense arguments with my sister about which character we got to be. Every movie focuses on a different monster, so who we were changed every time. Obviously, my little sister just had to be the main character each time. Like, are you fur-real?
KittiesMamma’s Monster High makeup tutorials were a must-watch following every movie as well.
Moral of the story, the movies gave me the comfort I needed as we enter spooky season, and put me in a “freaky fabulous” mood.
Clawsome fashion ideas.
Is it really Monster High without the fashion? These movies set me up with the expectation that I would dress like the dolls in high school; unfortunately, due to Catholic school uniforms, that was not the reality.
Each character has their main outfit inspired by their monster with a modern teenage twist. My ideal capsule wardrobe would be Clawdeen Wolf’s purple fur jacket, Frankie Stein’s plaid dress (tie included), obviously Cleo De Nile’s entire outfit with Deuce as my boyfriend accessory, and Lagooa Blue’s hoodie when I am in my athletic mood.
Every character has their own fashion genre, taking inspiration from their culture and the time period they are from. My favorite outfit and aesthetic by far is Robecca Steam’s, a character that gets such short airtime, but has captured my heart and inspired me to admire the aesthetic of Victorian gizmo and gadgets. This has got me wondering how can I have a steampunk fall?
What really had me hyped for the release of the new Monster High films was the outfit reveals. While the characters are usually in their typical outfits, many of the Monster High plot lines revolve around the girls turning into different monsters. This means new monster outfits, new hairstyles, and color changes! In Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef, the girls turn into mermaids and their tails get to show off their personalities. Monster High: 13 Wishes follows the girls as they enter a lamp and need new outfits to accompany them in the genie world. Don’t even get me started with Monster High: Freaky Fusion, where the girls accidentally get fused together so there are two monsters in one body.
Usually, in kids’ shows, the fashion is horrendous. Disney Channel, name one teenage girl who layers five tank tops with somehow ten different patterns in real life. Yet, Monster High really got me into fashion, encouraged me to explore my own personal style, and made it okay for me to be unique and true to myself!
Humor that is absolutely spooktacular
One of the best parts about my re-watch was the humor. I found myself laughing out loud at my TV and have not been able to stop quoting the show.
Minor character, Abbey Bominable, her role may be small, she is still one of the funniest characters of all time. Abbey is based on the abominable snowman who prior to attending Monster High, lived in seclusion from the other girls — so there is a lot she does not understand about the typical high school world. This and her bluntness always make me giggle.
More of an ongoing bit that the movies have is Draculara’s relationship with her werewolf boyfriend, Clawd. At times, Clawd acts more dog-like than human, so whenever Draculara is
annoyed with him or just needs to spend time with the girls, she throws a ball for him to fetch. Not only is treating your boyfriend like a dog funny, but it shows just how female-centric the movies are and highlights the importance of friendship.
The monster-fied language is a highlight for me. Phrases that I’ve used throughout this article and more are used in the characters’ slang. Some of the lines just have me cackling. For example, “stitch-uation”, used by Frankie Stein or “ghoulbossing” instead of girlbossing. Locations have been spooky-fied like “Boo York City” or “Scaris”. Lately, the names of the monsters are spelled like the monster instead of the traditional spelling, for example, a unicorn-zombie named Neighthan.
Skulltastic endings
All the Monster High movie endings don’t make you confused like some overly complex thesis film, but leave you with the feeling of a warm hug and a smile on your face. Each character experiences growth and learns a lesson about how to accept those who are different, or in their terms, “we accept everyone: freaky flaws and all.” It really is a true testament to friendship and girlhood… or ghoulhood.