House

A true product of the 80s, but does that mean its anything less or far more… I don't know but I had trouble not getting caught up in its irresistibly off-kilter charm and patchwork ideas. I truly have a soft spot for it. Yeah it's a mess, a clueless and incoherent one. However it's goofy nature, vivid visual effects and willing performances lend very well to a competent looking production… yeah so what if those Vietnam flashbacks looked hokey and it's origins are cheap. This was the third film under the belt of director Steve Miner, who a couple years earlier brought us the raw, opening sequels 'Friday the 13th' Part 2 and 3'.

Miner is joined by producer Sean S. Cunningham, the man behind the original 'Friday the 13th'. This time it's far from chilling (but it doesn't feel like its trying either… well there are moments, lightly done though), as the angle is focused on the comedy, even if it doesn't have you constantly laughing out loud. It remains amusing nonetheless, while managing to be unpredictable in a way. We've flooded with ideas, artistic lashings and loose writing. William Katt makes for a likable victim, to his worrying state of thinking his going crazy due to the traumatic stress (war experience, missing child and marriage failure) or maybe it's the house and its dark, devious secrets preying upon his fragile mind.

Roger Cobb is a Vietnam VET/ horror novelist that has tragedy on mind after the strange disappearance of his son Jimmy when visiting his aunt's house. His obsessive quest on finding him takes on a huge toll on his marriage, as his wife leaves him and now he wants to write a book about his Vietnam experience despite the growing success of his horror novels. After the death of his aunt, he heads back to the house and decides this is where he would write his new book. However he finds out there's more to this house, and maybe a chance to find his son again.

Sounds like the typical haunted house shenanigans… Well to a point. There are monsters (creative animation/ rubber make-up and the zombie soldier design looks awesome) stemming from portals to other universes through closet doors and bathroom mirrors. In the end I guess there just wasn't enough of it, compared to its boundless sequel 'House II: The Second Story'. The psychological aspect (yes it tries) is muddled and never truly explored; because it lets the daftness and convoluted tone take control of anything of importance through its Vietnam slant. Miner keeps a steady pace, drawing some minor moments of suspense and unhinged weirdness. The direction can feel a little too staged, and planned out in its set-pieces due to its change in shifts. Although the execution comes off better than it probably should have and is fairly presentable, as just look Mac Ahlberg's polished cinematography as the camera seamlessly glides through the set-pieces and Harry Manfredini's score is elastically piercing in its perky arrangement.

Like I mentioned up further, Katt brings along an honest and capable performance. Around him is a down-to-earth turn by George Wendt. Who is good fun as Cobb's interfering neighbour. The stunning Kay Lenz doesn't get a lot to do, but her warm presence doesn't look out of place and Richard Moll is imposing as Cobb's Nam buddy. The beauty of Mary Stavin engulfs the few scenes she's in. Another asset you could say, and just as part of the film's character is the house itself. A formidable setting, but it didn't entirely have the lasting impact like I would've hoped and that's why the atmosphere (quite patchy) across the board didn't always have the same effect.

Loony, spontaneous comedy/horror that doesn't entirely hit the mark, but does plenty to tweak ones interest.

In the Eighties, horror flicks were all the rage. Sequels were obligatory and every year saw another Freddy, Jason, Pinhead or Michael Myers shocker. Among these were the House movies, which are a lot better than the genre reputation suggests.

First and foremost, this is not strictly a horror film. There are some sprinklings of light comedy here and there and the monsters are so ridiculous that they don't really scare. It sure makes for a welcome change in a decade full of blood, knifings and slayings.

Roger Cobb (William Katt) is a horror novelist, suffering from writers block. He can't seem to continue with his latest book, a recollection of his tour in 'Nam. The fans are eager but they want horror, not some war story. On top of all this, he is also dealing with a divorce and coping with the mysterious disappearance of his son. Depressed, he moves to his aunt's house, from where his son vanished and in which the old lady hung herself. A creepy log cabin in the mountains might be more appropriate, as Roger finds just as many distractions here.

The first distraction is his neighbour Harold (George Wendt), who shows up at the worst moments to hassle Roger in the Ned Flanders style. The second distraction is a little more sinister. Monsters burst out of the closet at midnight, doors in the house lead into different dimensions and he is haunted by the memories of his best friend (Richard Moll), whom he betrayed back in 'Nam. Third, there is a sexy blonde, who bathes in his pool.

One of the most appealing things about House is that Roger doesn't respond with any clichéd horror movie tactic - running away, falling flat on his face, hiding under the sink, etc. Instead, he buys a camcorder and tries to capture the monsters on film to convince Harold, and himself, that he is not crazy.

He even manages to persuade Harold to help him catch a big raccoon, which hides out in a certain closet and only shows itself at midnight. Even at this, Harold gets scared, but not us. The film is only slightly dark and keeps a jovial mood for an hour and a half.

Steve Miner (Halloween H20, Lake Placid) intrigues us as much as Roger as to what the hell is going on. Ethan Wiley's script is the tiniest bit loose, but is smarter than you would think and even contains a few little touches that you might miss on the first couple of viewings.

It could have been beefier and longer, but if it was, it wouldn't be as irresistibly charming.

'House' stars William Katt as Roger Cobb, an accomplished novelist who moves into his creepy aunt's house after her suicide. In bits and pieces, the audience discovers that Roger once lived in the house, as well, along with the aunt, Roger's wife, and their now-missing son, Jimmy. Roger believes that Jimmy is trapped somewhere in this mysterious house, which just happens to be some sort of portal between past and present dimensions...I think? Anyway, the audience becomes involved, well, at least myself and the rest of my company became involved, and you start to feel for this poor guy who has really sorry luck...in all areas. Roger, our tattered hero, has the pretty neighbor Tanya, who likes to come and swim in his pool, and who ALWAYS catches him at the worst times. Then he has the nosy neighbor Harold, played by George Wendt, who might be out to exploit him or may just be generally concerned. I don't know. Then there is the neighborhood dog who likes to dig up Roger's "saplings"....

Overall, I find this to be a fairly underrated little horror movie. It's definitely one of Steve Miner's more innovative attempts, and the music, reminiscent of the F13 music and performed by the same man, Harry Manfredini, is thoroughly haunting. Also, most importantly, the acting is believable. Major points for that. None of this movie is hokey. It could have been...but it wasn't. 7/10 is my vote.

Roger Cobb is a newly divorced horror novelist whose young son has recently mysteriously disappeared. He moves to his aunt's house to write a book about his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam. The trouble is that his aunt killed herself there in strange circumstances and before long Cobb starts to experience malevolent paranormal activity in the house. House was produced by Sean S. Cunningham, the man who directed the hugely influential slasher Friday the 13th (1980) and produced the notorious rape-revenge exploitation shocker Last House on the Left (1972). It would be fair to say that with House, he was involving himself with something decidedly less controversial. This is in actual fact a horror-comedy which is not so far off being family-friendly. While it does admittedly have its share of horror moments such as demonic creatures and some suspenseful events, it certainly plays its comedy hand with more certainty. The result is a very likable film.

This is a film which is not so well remembered now but it was a sizable hit at the time it was released from what I can recall, after all it did manage to spawn three sequels. It benefits quite a bit from very good performances from William Katt as Cobb and George Wendt as his friendly neighbour. Both have good comic timing and work well together, while Katt has to be given extra credit for still being capable of acting while wearing the most 80's V-neck sweater I have ever seen. Aside from the two leads there is also a lot of really good 80's effects and make-up for the various demons who plague the house, including a monster in the closet which I daresay haunted many a little kid who happened across this flick back in the day. It was also an interesting idea to combine the 80's movie staple of the Vietnam War in with a haunted house scenario. These strange bed-fellows are amalgamated pretty successfully I thought though, giving the movie a distinctive angle. Ultimately, House is a fun movie without ever being an essential one. It does display a certain craft and care though and, even if it is a bit limited in some ways, it's a film which is difficult to dislike and one which offers a fun 90 minutes for genre fans.

I don't know when I first saw this movie. I know I was young, ten or eleven maybe. I remember being scared, and probably had some trouble turning off the light that night, but it never traumatized me. I've picked it up every so often ever since and always enjoyed it. It was one of the first R rated horror movies I saw, and now I'm hooked on the genre.

This is a great film when introducing children to "harder" horror. For those ready to move on from Scooby-Doo but not ready for Night of the Living Dead or The Exorcist. It's scary and suspenseful but never terrifying. Tension builds and there are plenty of jump scares, but the frights never last for long. Take the closet monster for instance. Tension builds as Roger goes to the door and there's a big scare when it comes out. But afterwards it becomes almost silly. Same with the fish and witch. It's a lot like Evil Dead 2 in that it's never too scary to not be funny and never too funny to not be scary.

There's also a good story to go along with it. It follows Roger Cobb who grew up with his aunt in a haunted house. He went to war and saw horrible things. His son disappeared at the haunted house and he's separated from his wife. Obviously, all this ties together in some way when the aunt dies and he moves back into the house. None of it ever becomes hokey or clichéd. The film allows time to get to know Roger before the haunting begins so we like him and understand his plight. There's also an interesting aspect regarding whether all the hauntings are real or just caused by the stress of his life.

George Wendt from Cheers plays the lovable neighbor that Roger befriends and helps. He isn't that much different than Norm but provides lots of humorous moments. The only thing I wish they did better is to make the supermodel neighbor more interesting. She's fine for some T&A and the house does something with her (which I still can never get whether that was really her or if it was just the witch), but she never really serves the story well. It's little more than a cameo just to have a model in the movie.

Each of the actors do well in their parts. All are great, though Richard Moll hams it up just a little too much in his Vietnam scenes. It features William Katt, who genre fans would know as the prom date from Carrie. This film certainly shows some range for him. The film is made by the crew who did Friday the 13th, Parts 2 and 3 and has the same visual style.

The special effects work very well for the story. The "ghosts" are practical effects using puppets, like Star Wars, which looks a lot better than stop motion. As I said before, they look scary at first but grow silly the more they're seen. The walking hand is equally disturbing and funny.

The movie may not be a classic of the genre, but it's well worth checking out. It's a descent ghost story with plenty of suspense. As I said before, this is a good movie to test children before showing them something like The Shining or Nightmare on Elm Street. Those used to more terrifying horror should know that this isn't the scariest thing on store shelves. It's a good, solid B-movie that won't really disappoint.

Regarding the sequel, I say skip it. As light as this movie is, House II is much lighter and far campier. In fact, it's more like Weekend at Bernie's than Evil Dead. It's more of a fantasy-western than horror and never scary. If you're watching this movie and want more, go with the Bruce Campbell trilogy.