PopHorror Let's Get Scared
What do you get when you mix one-part Evil Dead 2 with two part The ‘Burbs then add a pinch of Platoon? Well, boys and ghouls, you get the recipe to the insanely fun and one-of-a-kind ’80s gem of a haunted house flick, House, which released February 28, 1986.
Synopsis
Roger Cobb is a horror novelist and Vietnam vet whose life is falling apart after his son goes missing and his wife divorces him. In an effort to focus more on his writing Roger decides to move into his aunt’s old Victorian house after she commits suicide. Peace and quiet are the last things this house has in store for Roger.
For me, House is one of those movies which sticks in my mind not for the actual story or any specific scenes but more for the cover art. You see, many moons ago… before the invention of the internet as we know it today, streaming services were actual buildings which one would have to visit to procure a VHS tape.
I’m just kidding, folks; I know that pretty much everyone knows what video stores were, and unfortunately the magic of visiting one is long gone. But I digress. Back then just like today, everyone and their drunk uncle seemed to have the ability to put out a direct-to-video flick which would get sold to the video store and be in competition with all the other videos in its genre. This steep competition caused the filmmakers to get more and more ambitious with the box art since the viewer would gravitate to the wildest images on the shelf, and House had one of the most memorable covers in the horror isle.
Everyone thought House had to be truly horrific. Look at that hand! It’s green, and it’s decaying! It didn’t hurt that the mom-and-pop video store we frequented put it up next to other known classics such as the Psycho and Amityville series, either.
I did end up watching it way back when, but only faint memories of an undead soldier remained. That image of the hand with the key, though, remained burned into my mind. That’s why I was elated to go back and revisit House again so I could appreciate it for the which evaded me as a child.
House is a self-aware horror comedy full of the delightful practical effect which came to define an era. The film balances out the gags between night and day which was rare for a horror film of its time. I especially enjoyed jumping into Roger Cobb’s (William Katt: Carrie 1976 – see our retro review here) Vietnam stories while he is writing them.
I’m always giddy seeing Richard Moll in a roll in anything I watch. Moll plays Big Ben, an unhinged fellow soldier who plagues Cobb’s character in his novel. I’m a huge fan of the TV series Night Courtand Moll’s character Bull in that series.
Keeping on the subject of classic ’80s sitcom royalty, George Wendt aka Norm! from Cheers plays the nosy neighbor, Harold, who is genuinely concerned for Cobb’s mental health when he discovers an arsenal of video equipment set up and pointing at a closet door in an upstairs room. The lighthearted feel of the film is apparent when Cobb later comes rushing out the house in full military attire in the middle of the day, and Harold looks at his dog and nonchalantly mutters, “Hmm. Writing looks fun.”
Little well placed quips about the insane artwork on the wall painted by Cobb’s late aunt is also a running gag which kept getting a giggle out of me each time I noticed a new one.
The cinematography in House is well done, which is no surprise as the film is directed by Steve Miner who at that point had both Friday the 13th part 2 (1981) and 3 (1982 – read our retro review here) under his belt. The score by Harry Manfredini, producer Sean Cunningham’s go to film composer give Housethat perfect ’80s feel and proves that the duo’s movie magic hits quite well outside the Friday the 13th series.
House rolls in at a respectable 93 minutes long, but it feels longer due to all the different elements and kooky monster twists and turns that are jam packed into this surreal tale.
Final Thoughts
It was so much fun to be able to take a look back at House, as it was a film I have long been wanting to revisit with fresh eyes. House 2 would be my usual go to when revisiting the series, because let’s face it… no one can get enough of that caterpuppy!
House makes a great starter film for the genre when looking for a movie that is kid friendly. There is nothing within which is too gratuitous or nightmare-inducing for young ones.
I you haven’t yet seen House or it’s been way too long like me, then go check it out! House is currently available to Amazon Prime subscribers at the time of this publication.
