House III

Lucas McCarthy (Lance Henriksen) hunts, fights and finally catches the serial killer Max Jenke (Brion James). But after Lucas witnesses Jenke's drawn-out and violent execution - via the electric chair - he instead begins to see and hear him everywhere!

Lance Henriksen is as always great, and much of the movie's appeal comes from him - and, even more so, from a completely insane Brion James!! His totally unrestrained scenery chewing is exactly the right tactic in a film like this. If you blend into the background, you will definitely become part of the crappy movie, but if you stand out from the crowd, you have a 50% chance of being the positive thing that people remember afterwards.

-And Brion James, in the role of Max Jenke, is hard to forget!

On the plus side is also KNB Effects (Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger), who went all-in and created lots of grotesque and disgusting makeup effects and loose body parts....most of which both the American and in particular the Swedish censors then hacked away (however, I did watch an almost completely intact Blu-Ray release).

The story (what story?) is completely bonkers, most of the supporting characters are made of see through plastic played by b-actors, and the very sudden happy ending feels like a bizarre tacked-on solution.

Lance Henriksen, a madly entertaining Brion James and KNB rescue it from the bottom of the barrel, and they - and ONLY they - are what makes me give it a pass.

I just learned (reading these IMDb reviews) that this is a supposed "House" iteration... I never would have guessed it- In fact, I've been a fan of this film for years, and never even considered it had anything to do with the "House" films (I've only seen the US release, which is NOT titled 'House III', obviously)- Lance Henrickson is his usual, intense, (in my opinion, Excellent) self, we see a young Dedee Pfiefer being, well, herself- and Brion James at his most foreboding since 'Leon' in Bladerunner... (not going to talk about Tango & Cash here...). As for the 'Shocker' similarities- check the dates... this one came out first- Because of this, (all deference to Mitch Pileggi, of whom I'm also a big fan) I've always felt that Shocker was the rip-off, of a MUCH more intense and, pardon the pun, Shocking film... (I was really surprised to see a "Smithee" attached to this film anywhere- my guess is... politics. But hey, that's Hollyweird for ya). Yup, there's gore, and oh yeah- swearing galore, but this movie is one I look forward to dusting off every October, as my "must watch list" approaches "psycho-killer week"... (quick plug here- if you haven't decided whether or not to watch "Behind the Mask- The Rise of Leslie Vernon"- do yourself a Big favor, and check it out- it defies classification; funny, sharp, and actually Scary!).

If you're looking for a horror movie that may make you wince (talking about Horror Show)- this one could be a winner for you- It certainly is for me.

TDB in Hollywood

Quick P.S.- Fans of Lance- If Vampire movies are more your speed, a MUST-See is "Near Dark"- Honestly one of the Coolest Fang-pics I've ever seen... Happy Haunting!

I got this when i was eleven, and being a kid who loved freddy, jason etc i was always on the look out for another similar villain to get my teeth into, and for me, max jenke delivered. Around the same time, horace pinker came into play with 'shocker', and although good in his own way, the movie became a little too silly with the jumping in and out of TV shows. The two movies were almost the same story, but in max there was a much more evil guy, almost made for brion james, and if it wasn't tied in with the 'house' films i believe it would have had more impact. Bottom line is, if you enjoyed 'shocker' i doubt very much this would disappoint.

First of all, this has been mentioned many a times before, but this film is not a part of "The House" series. I could go on explaining why, but just watch all four films and you will understand.

This is a different movie in style and tone. It is very reminiscent of Wes Craven's Shocker (which was also made in 1989 and despite being a low-budget film itself is much better and more entertaining). Basically it is a horror thriller about a tough cop and a killer he wouldn't stay dead even after being executed. There is, of course, a professor with some totally stupid theory about how pure evil can be transformed to electricity and so electrocuting someone just makes them immortal and omnipotent ... you can clearly see the writers were pulling this plot point out of their asses. They simply saw "Shocker" and thought "Hey, this is a neat idea, let's use it in our movie". As the killer gets stronger, the cop's world start falling apart, he becomes the main suspect in the new killings, the usual clichés are thrown at us one at a time. You can even play the guessing game which one comes next.

What bothered me the most were the constant flashbacks and nightmares. The film actually starts with a flashback in a dream that's really happening in another dream. Wrap your head around that one.

What are really liked about it were the two main actors Lance Henriksen and Brion James. It was fun to watch them as they are both talented actors and were great in their roles. The rest of the cast is OK, even though forgettable.

So, did I like the film? Yes, I did. It was fun to watch (if you can look past its flaws and plot holes). It's not a part of House trilogy and is a story of its own. Take it for what it is and you too can spend enjoyable 90 minutes.

I waited a long time to see a third House movie, and once I heard it was called The Horror Show, I had to rent it. The Horror Show is a pretty cool film.True it has no relation to House, but neither did the second, or fourth ones, and they were still good. Brian James makes a great bad guy.Good story, and o.k. acting.*** out of *****.