House II: la deuxième histoire

This film is a fun, under-watched gem from the 80s. Fans of the first House have a lot to enjoy here. Certainly one of the only horror/comedy/westerns I can think of, but it works well in this picture. Don't expect Citizen Kane, but if you're looking for an enjoyable little flick, you won't be disappointed.

Interestingly, this film follows in the footsteps of the original House by casting a member of Cheers in a small role. In House, it's George Wendt, and in this film we get an amusing, if brief, appearance by John Ratzenberger. Jonathan Stark puts in an amusing performance as the Jim Carrey-esquire buddy, and Bill Maher shows up as well.

Jesse (Arye Gross) moves to his biological parents' house with his girlfriend Kate (Lar Park Lincoln) and soon he hosts his friend Charlie (Jonathan Stark) with his girlfriend. Jesse reads old documents and decides to go to the local cemetery with Charlie to unbury his grand grand grandfather to seek out an ancient powerful Aztec skull. They reanimate Gramps (Royal Dano) that soon befriends Jesse and Charlie. But demons cross gateways in the house to retrieve the magic skull and Jesse and Charlie need to go to other dimensions to retrieve the skull and keep Gramps alive.

"House II: The Second Story" is a silly fantasy adventure based on the first House with new characters. The plot is a comedy with silly (and some of them also funny) moments but never a sequel of the first film. There are many points without a solution but the film is entertaining and cult. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "House II - A Casa do Espanto" ("House II - The Frightening House")

House II: The Second Story (no pun intended, I'm sure) is a great example of lighthearted horror. I've loved this movie since I was a kid. I applaud Ethan Wiley, who also wrote the original, for making a sequel that is good enough to carry on the House name. A lot of people are blown away by the fact that this movie has nothing to do with Roger Cobb or his house. But what they were trying to do with this series was to inspire an anthology of haunted house movies, and not staying with the same house. Although having nothing to do with the original, House II still manages to continue its inventive legacy. For example, look at the scene where the cupboard pops open to reveal an ironing board. That's a conventional horror scare tactic and yet, it's not a cat that popped out. It's more creative than most genre pictures. Another tradition they seemed to maintain was having a Cheers cast member in the film. This time it's John Ratzenberger. Did you ever think you'd see Cliff Clavin fighting amazon warriors? House II is a very funny film too. There's more comedy in this one, but it's not over the top.

The cast helps to make the comedy work. Royal Dano gives a great performance as the kindhearted Gramps. He plays the funny parts just right, and has those sad eyes in other scenes that make you feel sorry for his character. The comical tag team of the heroes, Arye Gross (Soul Man) and Jonathon Stark (Fright Night) works well. But what in the hell is Bill Maher doing in this movie? And why wasn't he killed? The best lines of dialogue are between Jonathon Stark and Bill Maher:

Maher: "Who's your friend, Bozo the Clown?"

Stark: "No, Bozo the Death Machine."

And I can't forget to mention Harry Manfredini's score. It holds the movie together no matter what scenario you've just been thrown into. House II deserves more respect than it gets because it's a good horror/comedy (which is rare)...and your kids can enjoy it too.

Note for genre buffs: Kane Hodder was the stunt coordinator for House II and did a cameo as the gorilla guy. Dwier Brown, who plays Clarence, appeared in the first House as the Lieutenant in the Vietnam scenes.

Fun but dumb, "House II: The Second Story" is an altogether different tale than that of the original "House," starring William Katt. In the second installment, a yuppie couple (Arye Gross and Lar Park Lincoln) inherit a mansion, only to discover an alternate universe inside. Hijinks ensue when the lucky owner reunites with his undead great-great-grandfather and, along with his goofy buddy, battles baby pterodactyls, angry outlaws and Bill Maher.

Although a character in "Scream 2" cites the film as a superior sequel, "House II" does little to one-up its predecessor. Taking on a much lighter tone and with little to no violence, this sequel is more like a campy spoof of the first film, which in and of itself was a silly affair. No worries, though, as once you know what to expect, you can have a good time with the film. The performances across the board are light-hearted and fun, with plenty of lovable goofballs to go around (a sequel concerning these characters would be a good time). The score by Harry Manfredini is most memorable, as you'll be humming the film's main theme not long after the credits have rolled.

Writer/director Ethan Wiley may not have created much of a horror film, but his blend of the supernatural and absurd with a hint of Western makes for a winning recipe that just can't be matched. Those expecting bloodshed and jump-scares will be left in the cold, but perhaps with a few drinks in hand and with the right expectations, you'll find "House II: The Second Story" a film deserving of the title "cult classic."

Jesse and his girlfriend move into an old mansion that his parent died in 25 years ago. He starts to learn about his past through old books in the basement and learns of his great grandfather who was an adventure and found a crystal skull. Jesse decides that he is going to find the crystal skull with the help of his friend Charles, but he soon finds more than he bargained for.

House was a quirky horror comedy in the vain of Evil Dead, House 2 drops all the horror and bumps up the comedy and becomes more of a goofy kids movie in the vain of The Goonies. The monsters in this one are for the most part non-threatening cute puppets and such and the comedy is mostly bizarre (why does Charles have an uzi?, Why is the electrician an adventurer?) Nothing really makes sense, but the random nature makes it funny.

This film is also more of an adventure film in which the house opens up portals into other time periods which gives the film an overall episodic feel and keeps things a bit fresh and interesting.

The acting isn't very good, but in a film like this it doesn't need to be. The special effects are fairly good and I loved the cute monster puppets and stop motion effects.

House 2 is a stupid movie, I can't see fans of the first movie liking the second one to well. It has almost nothing in common with the first one, there are no returning characters and even the house is different. But I still kind of liked it, maybe even better than the first. This one is more for kids than adults, but if you like bizarre random humor, you might get a kick out of this.

** out of ****