Chowder (Monster House)

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“	I'm going home to make a pretzel sandwich!	„
	~ Chowder

Charles (also known as Chowder) is the deuteragonist of the 2006 film Monster House. He is a 12 year old boy, who is DJ's best friend. He has a habit of acting slightly strange and immature.

Role

Chowder is first seen wearing a rubber monster mask and almost getting hit by DJ's parents' car when they leave town for the weekend for a dentists convention. Chowder paid $28 on a basketball and loses his basketball on Nebbercracker's lawn. Chowder wants DJ to recover it but DJ told him that it doesn't exist anymore. DJ tries to recover it but is caught by Nebbercracker, who rages at him before apparently suffering a heart attack and being taken away in an ambulance and Chowder heads back home. That night, DJ enlists Chowder's help to investigate the house. Later, DJ and Chowder spy on the house but Chowder refuses to believe the house is possesed. He crawls up to the house, and on his way he finds a beer bottle (left by the drunk Bones). Chowder emerges from the ground and immitates Nebbercracker on the porch, then rings the doorbell. The house wakes up and is disturbed when it finds Chowder and DJ on its property. The windows (the eyes) light up, the door (the mouth) opens and sharp boards break out of the top and bottom (the teeth) and inside the house the floorboards break open (the throat) leading to the basement (the stomach) the carpet rises from the stairs(the tongue is the carpet) and the stairs appear to lead to the brain (unknown object). The carpet comes out to get Chowder, and later DJ, but they escape.

The next morning, Jenny Bennett is on the street selling Halloween chocolates. DJ and Chowder see her going to Nebbercracker's house, and they rush out to warn her, managing to catch her before she is eaten by the house. Jenny decides to call for the police, but when police officers Landers and Lester arrive, they do not believe their story, as the house does not react to the kids' teasing while the cops are there.

The trio seek advice from Reginald "Skull" Skulinski, a strange video game addict working in a pizza parlor who is claimed to be an expert on the supernatural. They learn that the house is a "domus mactabilis" (Latin for "deadly home"); a monstrous being created when a human soul merges with a structure. They assume the house is inhabited by Nebbercracker's soul. The only way to kill the house is to destroy its heart; its source of life. They conclude that the heart must be the fireplace, as DJ realizes that the chimney has been smoking since Nebbercracker died. Chowder provides a dummy filled with medicine that should cause the house to sleep long enough for them to douse the furnace. The plan almost succeeds, but Officers Landers and Lester arrive and thwart it. Landers discovers the cold medicine inside the dummy, which Chowder took from his father's pharmacy, and arrests them. The cops place the trio in the police car while they examine the house. The house eats Landers, Lester, and the car. DJ, Chowder, and Jenny escape the car but are trapped in the house.

The house falls asleep and they begin exploring. They fall into the basement and find an enormous collection of toys accumulated from Nebbercracker's lawn, as well as a locked cage that DJ opens with a key he found on the lawn. They find the body of Constance the Giantess (Kathleen Turner), Nebbercracker's wife, encased in cement. The house realizes they are inside and begins attacking them. DJ, Chowder, and Jenny force the house to vomit them outside by grabbing onto its uvula. The trio are surprised when Nebbercracker arrives home alive, but with his arm in a sling, revealing that the house is possessed by Constance.

The house breaks free from the house's foundation, with trees to support it (the arms), and chases the group to a nearby construction site. As Constance tries to eat Nebbercrackeer, Chowder fights the house off with a back hoe, causing her to fall into a pit. DJ is given the dynamite, and he and Jenny climb to the top of a crane while Chowder distracts Constance. DJ throws the dynamite into the chimney, destroying the house. The trio see Nebbercracker with Constance's spirit for the last time before she fades away. Nebbercracker thanks DJ, Chowder, and Jenny for freeing him and Constance after 45 years of being trapped. That night, children in their Halloween costumes are lined up at the site of Nebbercracker's house, where DJ, Chowder, and Jenny help him return all of the toys to their owners. Jenny's parents pick her up and DJ and Chowder decide to go out trick-or-treating, which they had previously thought they were too old for.

Personality

Chowder is a stubborn, more likely in a funny way as he wants several things from his best friend DJ as he wanted to go Trick or Treating (acting like kids once again) He expects nice things from his friend when he does stupid things in the house that messes up the plan, as they Jenny Bennett and DJ just have to deal with him and his funny actions when in the house releasing Constance's soul into the skies. Chowder likes Jenny and got in an argument with D.J. because they both liked her. He only agreed to D.J.'s plan when Jenny wanted to do it too.

Relationships

DJ Walters

DJ is Chowder's best friend.

Chowder is really good friends with DJ as he wanted to go trick or treating with him on Halloween. But Chowder is stunned to know that DJ does not want to go trick or treating as he thinks he is getting too old for it. At the end of the film, Chowder thought that DJ was right that he is too old for trick or treating, but DJ thought he can go trick or treating as it would cheer Chowder up and it did.

Chowder and DJ argued in the film a few times as Chowder risked his life for DJ as he stole Cold Medicine for DJ for the plan to kill the Monster House and even arguing that they cannot call "dibs on a girl".

Chowder and DJ still remained close as they remained best friends after the "Monster House Incident"

Jenny Bennett

Chowder formally had a crush on Jenny but remained friends with her.

When both DJ and Chowder saw Jenny delivering chocolates, both fell in love with her, until they saw he going to Nebbercracker's haunted house but the two boys saved her before she was eaten. Chowder and Jenny's relationship started out as rocky as Jenny finds Chowder to be immature and eccentric. But as time passes, Chowder and Jenny grew to be close friends.

After the incident with the Monster House, Chowder and Jenny still remained close friends and he was not jealous of Jenny starting a romantic relationship with DJ.

Trivia

Chowder is seemingly based off of Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter franchise: Both love sweets, both have a sense of humor, and act immature now and then. Unlike Ron, though, Chowder is a little more gentleman-like; an example is when he introduces himself to Jenny as Charles.

Quotes

"My nose is in my brain!"
"Fine. You want my help? I got three words for you: Trick...or...treat."
"The haunting is subtle."
"This is why nobody will sit next to us at lunch. I'll go Ding Dong Ditch the house and you'll see. No ghost!"
"Oh, no! A bottle!"
"Hey, DJ, who am I? Get off my lawn!"
"Charles to the ladies."
"I'm too young to die!"
"Jenny, I've always loved you!"
"Maybe we should examine our other options?"
"I'm going home to make a pretzel sandwich! See ya!"
"Mommy!"
"Sorry!"
"She grabbed my butt."
"All right! Thanks!"