I find myself in the rare situation of being presented with an animated family film that not only feels perfectly targeted at the youngest viewers, but also fulfills a lack of Halloween kid movies. While there isn’t a drought of classics to fall back on, there haven’t been many notable recent films that can fulfill the same spooky sensations of The Nightmare Before Christmas or Hocus Pocus. Stitch Head is the type of film that’d be easy to champion for fitting into that camp, but it’s a little easier to appreciate for its earnest nature and solid CGI animation, clearly made with a love of monsters and the medium that can represent them best.

The plucky underdog Stitch Head (Asa Butterfield) resides in a castle with his mad scientist creator. Presented more as an absent father, the scientist is more preoccupied with building his latest monster than caring for the others he has created. The stitch-faced boy becomes so used to monsters being introduced and tucked away that he’s formed his own standard introductory course for the latest creature (Joel Fry). The routine exposition of locked-away monsters is delivered cleverly this way while still bringing the youngest viewers up to speed on the spooky castle of ostracized monsters.

Longing for more attention and affection, Stitch Head is interested in a traveling freakshow coordinator who needs better acts. With the castle being spoken of for harboring unknown terror, Stitch Head’s headlining makes him a local village celebrity known as Grubber Nubbin. The townfolk are spooked yet intrigued to witness this monstrosity, and Stitch Head is pleased that he can so easily evoke a reaction. While the entertainment ringleader rings his hands with greed over this popularity, this chipper child, Arabella (Tia Bannon), isn’t as scared by this boy, seeing him more as a friend than an attraction that requires tickets.

It’s no surprise that a film like this leans into aspects of bigotry and misconceptions, as the monsters of the castle are equally as terrified of the townsfolk who could burn them. With the messaging obvious and not requiring a heaping spoonful of darkness to convey, the film can delight in its many musical numbers and comedic moments of slapstick, ranging from the freakshow leader’s absurd acrobatic defying of gravity and Stitch Head’s pull-apart limbs that seem to horrify everybody but himself. It’s not always as effective at garnering laughs, as a little of the slo-mo with juxtaposed music goes a long way, but the gags never linger long enough to grow too stale. There is always an energy present to make sure this film bolts like a werewolf rather than lumber like a zombie.

There’s a charm present in how writer/director Steve Hudson approaches this Frankenstein tale in a way that finds a comfortable level of the cute and compelling. Rarely does the film contain any frightening sequences or earworm music, but it also never feels like a tired exercise in monster movie narratives watered down for the younger audience, likely due to the source material being a book series for kids. I have to admire the design of the film, which features the varied monsters of numerous limbs and eyeballs, and the castle they occupy, which establishes a routine of bursting through walls, automated bathing machines, and a video presentation of monster-human dynamics.

Stitch Head patches together enough amusing monster-related hijinks to be a charming Halloween film for the family. It’s best suited as a starter film for the youngest viewers just starting to dip their little toes into Halloween media and want more spooky silliness than sobering scares. If your kids are too young for the likes of Frankenstein or Edward Scissorhands, Stitch Head should hit all the same sweet emotional beats while shirking the darker aspects and maintaining a brain in its patched-together assembly of youthful horror.

Not available on any streaming platforms.

Source: