Ding Dong, You're Dead! The Making of House

One of my favorite films as a kid growing up was 1986's "House" as I spent a whole summer watching it numerous times on Cinemax. With this doc "Ding Dong, You're Dead! The Making of House" is a must see for any fan of the film or history film buff. It looks at the making and behind the scenes production and the creation of the art work and how the monsters were crafted and built. Interviewed were creator and producer Sean S. Cunningham, director Steve Miner both "Friday the 13th" alums. And the story and paths were told of cast members William Katt('Greatest American Hero") Kay Lenz, and lovable "Cheers" guy George Wendt thru interviews. Also stunts were broken down in detail with Kane Hodder and music composer Harry Manfredini, told how to blend sound with scenes plus told is about the movies impact and success and how it became a cult film that has tested the times and lasted for the fans taste. Well worth a watch for any fan of the film.

Ding Dong, You're Dead! The Making of House (2017)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This sixty-six minute documentary takes a look at the making of HOUSE, the 1985 horror film that became a nice little hit when it was originally released. Producer Sean S. Cunningham, director Steve Miner, story creator Fred Dekker, cast members William Katt, George Wendt and Kay Lenz, composer Harry Manfredini, stunt coordinator Kane Hodder and various members of the special effects crew are interviewed in this extremely entertaining documentary.

If you're a fan of HOUSE then you'll certainly enjoy this documentary, which does a great job at covering everything from the pre-production through the release of the film. There are some great stories told throughout this thing including how the film ended up getting made and what the original ideas were. From here we get into the casting of the picture, the shooting and then the eventual release. There are some very funny stories including Cunningham talking about how they were determined to get a R-rating even though the film really isn't all that graphic. We also get to hear about a possible reboot of the franchise. All in all, this is certainly worth watching.