A Casa do Espanto

After an old woman is found hung in her creepy old house, her nephew (writer Roger Cobb, played by William Katt) decides to move in for some solitude. But the memories of the house come back to him, as this was where he lost his son and his marriage began to fall apart. And what is up with all the demons hiding in the closet?

The genesis of the film is somewhat interesting. Screenwriter Ethan Wiley was referred to the creators by Fred Dekker, who had developed the original concept. Dekker was too busy developing a Godzilla film for Steve Miner, so he passed the idea to Wiley, who converted it into more of a comedy. Now, the Godzilla film ended up in development hell, but the positive outcome is a superior "House". Dekker's version would have been darker, focused more on PTSD, while Wiley's version is what makes it so enduring.

Although my favorite film in the "House" series is part two, the entire run was respectable. We have some of the better acting for horror films of the time, and an interesting and original plot. The biggest flaw really is the poor makeup effects (especially on Big Ben), but this may have been partially intentional to reinforce that it is less than serious. The Vietnam theme is also played up a bit too much, but that was the kernel of the story, so it would be hard to remove.

Richard Moll (Bull Shannon from "Night Court") appears as Big Ben, a Vietnam soldier captured by the Vietnamese. His role is very important, although the acting comes across as flat. I do not know if he is a poor actor or if the script simply did not give him much room to work, but the entire Ben subplot is a bit lacking.

At the same time, we have George Wendt (Norm from "Cheers") as a friendly neighbor who has no problem inviting himself in for some pizza and beer. Wendt is wonderful and really makes this film fun, just as he would do twenty years later in John Landis' "Family". He also starts the trend of "Cheers" actors in the "House" series (John Ratzenberger appears in part two).

The film is fun, and a good pace. Nothing very scary here, not even the closet that goes straight to what looks like Cthulhu's basement. But sometimes you do not need scares and scantily-clad women. Sometimes you need a little fun, and you will find it here (and even more in "House II"). Watch it. You will like it.

Arrow Video has released the definitive "House" set (either two films or more depending on your region). For the first film, we not only get an extremely informative audio commentary from Steve Miner, Sean Cunningham, William Katt and Ethan Wiley, but we have a brand new making-of documentary which has all of those names plus George Wendt, Fred Dekker, Harry Manfredini and more. This is the last word on "House".

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.

That's right the Greatest American Hero star, William Katt, plays Roger Cobb a troubled writer. Roger's son went missing, his wife divorced him, and his aunt just passed away. All Roger wants to do is write a story drawing on his experiences in Vietnam, even though that is not what his fans or his agent wants. He moves into his aunt's Victorian home that she leaves him after her suicide to do his writing. When he moves in he meets his sweet neighbor, Harold Gorton, played by the always lovable George Wendt...who offers up some of my favorite lines in the film including this beauty: "Solitude's always better with somebody else around, ya know?"

It isn't long before Roger starts to believe that his aunt might be right about her house being haunted...and it begins this whole cycle if Roger writing about Vietnam in between battling the house in full military garb. This starts to blur reality and house.

Surprisingly fun haunted house story that has several plots that all come together neatly in the end. I loved seeing George Wendt in this congenial neighbor role and it was fun to see a couple of other stars that I really enjoyed in the 80's, William Katt (although I did also love seeing him in Bones) and Richard Moll who played Bull in the old Night Court. Not sure I would recommend this except to horror fans or fans of William Katt.

House is an inventive, original eighties horror comedy that has built its foundations on a thin line between laughs and scares. And I love every minute of it. The Friday the 13th team (Steve Miner, Sean S. Cunningham, and Harry Manfredini) strikes again. Even Kane Hodder (Jason) does some stuntwork. The story and the script are both great thanks to Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad) and Ethan Wiley (House II). Steve Miner succeeds in creating the atmosphere of an old house and in finding a likable cast as well. The cast includes William Katt (Carrie) as the unlucky lead Roger Cobb, George Wendt (Normie from Cheers), and Richard Moll (Bull from Night Court). My favorite cast member is probably the house itself. It's perfect, I think they made it just for this movie. The effects and makeup are great for the eighties. Skeleton Big Ben is awesome. One standout scene is Roger and the mini-demons playing tug-a-war with the little boy Robert (Miner's own kid). The score, by Manfredini, is highly similar to that of Friday the 13th, but I love still love it. House is a well put together, underrated horror movie. If you're going to buy a house this year, make it this one.

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.