House

[Jason Vorhees]

i wanna see this movie but i don't know if it is any good. i've seen some screen shots and the monsters/zombies or whatever look pretty cool. But, is the movie any good?

[countchocula]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/6303954200.01.LZZZZZZZ.gif

MINOR SPOILERS

I’m not a haunted house film enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination. There’s only so much that you can do with a decrepit, foreboding house that hasn’t already been done to death. This subgenre is extremely susceptible to clichés, maybe even more so than the slasher (OK, maybe not). Still, I admire a few haunted house romps, namely Poltergeist and The Changeling. They both added just enough spice to the conventional ghost story to arouse my horror sensibilities. House is another trip to an eerie abode that has caught my interest. It puts a lively, unorthodox spin on a weary yarn. What separates it from most films of this nature is the fact that it doesn’t take a sober approach to evil apparitions and paranormal activity. It makes a conscious effort to juggle both dour horror and playful comedy. I appreciate the effort. I really do. Alas, most of the comedic elements fall flat and feel glaringly out of place. The tone is just unbalanced. The transitions from juvenile humor (the autograph session, the “Sandy” beast) to grim crises (the many flashbacks) feel awkward and choppy. I wasn’t amused by the moments of clumsy folly, and quite frankly, they only succeeded in diverting my attention away from the film’s highlights.

William Katt stars as Roger Cobb, an author who wishes to find a serene setting in which he’ll commence work on his next novel. He decides to settle down in a house previously owned by his late aunt. She had committed suicide a few days prior, claiming that the house had a mind of its own. Needless to say, her allegations were written off as ludicrous babble. Roger soon discovers that his aunt wasn’t so loopy after all when he starts having visions of his missing son, and bumps into a wide range of misshapen monsters. The plot doesn’t lend itself to camp, but the script shoots for cheese anyway. A risky move that could have garnered positive results. For what it’s worth, when the horror is played straight, things are abnormally engrossing. The flashbacks are handled with care, and the subplot involving Roger’s presumably dead son leads to an intriguing mystery, one that isn’t adequately resolved. When the end credits roll, we still don’t know who/what captured the tyke, much less why. Ambiguity can be gratifying, but House pretends that its capoff tightened all of the loose ends and wrapped everything up in a pretty pink bow. Hell, we never unearth why the house is even haunted in the first place! It just is for the sake of creating conflict, I suppose.

But I’m capable of suspending disbelief. For the most part, I was able to choke back all of my unanswered questions. The first act is sluggish, but on the whole, I was entertained, which is all I could really ask of this flick. It was anchored by its two lead players. William Katt turns in a believable performance, and comes out of both grave and comedic situations looking strong. Even when the infantile humor is embarrassing, he doesn’t embarrass himself. As a matter of fact, his deadpan delivery actually makes certain scenes funnier than they really are. George Wendt of Cheers fame stars as Roger’s meddlesome nextdoor neighbor. He doesn’t just meddle, however, and is given more depth than one would imagine (relatively speaking, of course). Katt and Wendt share genuine chemistry with one another. The film’s only morsels of wit spring forth when the two of them are in a room together. Another sitcom alumnus, Night Court’s Richard Moll, plays one of Roger’s army acquaintances, Big Ben. To be blunt, Big Ben is badass! He’s a “no bullshit” military grunt who ranks up there with Predator’s Blain. His zombified persona is just as grand, although I would’ve liked to see him do more damage. He’s about as productive as Uber-Jason.

The creature effects tend to resemble...creature effects, but they’re still enjoyable to watch in action. There isn’t a globule of blood in sight, and House doesn’t really earn its R-rating, but all the same, it doesn’t shoulder a gratuitous or exploitative vibe. It conducts itself as a serviceable kid-friendly fright flick. There’s nothing wrong with that. If truth be told, this was one of the first genre films that I ever gobbled up. I dug it as a pup, and while it doesn’t have quite the same impact on me, I still dig it today. It’s a lukewarm offering, but I believe it to be Steve Miner’s best horror flick. That doesn’t say much about his directorial expertise, but I do enjoy most of his work. I can’t say that I abhor any one of his films; they’re all tolerable in their own right. Conversely, he has yet to dazzle me with anything remotely spectacular. Perhaps he’ll floor us all with a fifth House installment!

My rating-3/5

[The Claw]

House is a pretty damn entertaining film. I liked Big Ben, one of the top ten badasses ever!

[Cronos]

I really enjoyed it, funny, good monsters and the acting is great, if you like horror comedies you should like this,

House 2 is also pretty good but the acting is slightly worse and its not as enjoyable as the first outing

[Jason Vorhees]

i got them both today.

i haven't watched em yet though

[ERIN_LoJ]

I didnt know Sean S. Cunningham directed this!

This is old time favorite. It's funny with a touch of eerie tucked into some dark places. A great, fun movie that I watched over and over again - unfortunitely the movie is now broke http://216.40.249.192/s/contrib/edoom/cussing.gif

[countchocula]

Cunningham didn't direct it; he produced it. House was directed by Steve Miner.

[KillerKlown]

House is the best in the series, IMO.

Big Ben is cool!
http://www.horrordvds.com/reviews/a-m/house/house_shot5s.jpg

[Jewbo]

yeah house is pretty cool. the guy from cheers is really cool init.