HOUSE (1985)

a review by Evan Landon

I think it is safe to say that the poster for this 1985 comedy horror film from New World Pictures is more iconic than the Steven Miner directed picture itself is! I stand by that statement, too.

Deep down, I have a very strong familiarity with this movie. I was obviously scared of the cover that I saw on the shelves in our local Blockbuster (I think I still have my card somewhere), but when I saw the movie, I laughed at it more than I ever imagined. It's almost like if you crossed Ghostbusters, Evil Dead, and Jacob's Ladder together for a movie that is unexpectedly fun and should have been rated PG-13, but was given an R rating for no real reason I can see. I would let my child watch it, but I do not have children, so that problem works itself out. That being said, most of the crew themselves worked on the Friday the 13th film series, so they could have added a little more of that in this one.

There really is something to be said about the special effects; they are very much of the practical kind, almost in a comical way. Even the small amounts of fledgling CGI and green screen effects, it is used so sparingly that when it is implemented, it enhances the entire story. You can see it reflected in its budget, as well, to where they made $22 million against a $3 million budget. Maybe there is something to be said about that. Hmmm...

The story premise is simple: a very popular author who inherits his aunt's house after she offs herself via hanging is now troubled by the same supernatural beings she claimed to be. What ends up happening, while is writing about his experiences in Vietnam (as opposed to his usual horror novels), is multitude of experiences that not only trigger his PTSD, but memories of his dissolved marriage and longing to see their child again.

William Katt turns in a great performance as the film's protagonist, whose filmography has happily made a huge upturn over the past couple of years. Richard Moll is always a hoot for me in every B-movie, but most people recognize him from Night Court where he played “Bull” the bailiff. George Wendt plays his bestest role I can think of as a neighbor who befriends Katt as soon as he moves in. There is even a cameo from Steven Williams as a police officer there to check out who was shooting a shotgun in the area, but we all saw his ex-wife that turned into a ghoulie.

Again, I have a lot of love for this film, but there are some huge missed opportunities inside the story that gives it a profound sense of longing that is hard to pinpoint exactly. It is always there though.

House faired so well that it landed three more sequels that are very much in their own universe and have nothing to do with the original. Maybe I will review those sometime soon too, but in the meantime, if you like comedic horror movies from the 80's. Definitely check this one out. It is an unexpectedly fun time.

3 out of 5