House From Hell: Steve Miner’s ‘HOUSE” (1985) – Retro Review

The thing I loved the most about 80s horror films is that there were no rules. Writers could take their movie anywhere, even the horrible movies got attention. For some reason, today’s horror fans started way back in time, when there was a wild west feel. There were still icons, however, if you look at the movies that flew under the radar, straight to video releases. House (1985) brings back the spirit of the demonic Evil Dead-style stories.

Synopsis

Famed author Roger Cobb’s son Jimmy vanishes while they visit his aunt Elizabeth Hooper’s home, leading to the collapse of his marriage to movie star Sandy Sinclair. When asked, the seemingly senile Elizabeth claims that Jimmy was taken by her house. When Elizabeth later hangs herself, Roger decides to keep her house, and moves in to work on his new book, a memoir of his experiences during the Vietnam War.

Not long after, Roger faces a new enemy threats in the spirit sense. trying to convince Roger that he is losing his mind into a terrfying plan to get him out of this house of horrors. Trying to convince his bumbling neighbor to help fight an invisible forth.

A House That Raised Hell

House stood on firm ground as a comedy horror. Some moments got pretty intense; however, it quickly bounced back to making you laugh. It is the perfect mix between keeping the lights on while you sleep with one eye open so some vortex opens in your room (No, not Poltergeist), I mean, a much worse demon. Where demons and the ghosts that followed terrorize you with visual hallucinations. House also centers on the PTSD epidemic that terrorizes war veterans. House looked more at the Vietnam Veterans who made their conditions more public. Proving to civilians that poor people give their lives, not millionaires.

Is House more of a dramatic idea that gave the movie its style, always keeping you on your toes, waiting for the next supernatural event that could either terrify you or make you realize not all horror films have to have a serious tone. Campy horror like House showed the other side of the box office slashers. House saved the terror regularly to make you laugh at Roger’s demeanor. His character makes the entire movie click. To have a small cast running between only a small handful of characters.

In The End

House is actually one of my favorite movies, the first movie that made me a little more jumpy than usual as a small child into monsters. I guess I was born in the 80s, so I carry it with me well. grew up in a simple time in horror. I can only wish that more current movies would still exist, or did Shaun of the Dead spell the end of a complicated era? Maybe all I know is I am a fan, not an expert. I really have no argument on the spirit of the 80s. They were all films that werent in a fight for the box office, they just had fun. House will always bring a smile to every horror fan’s face when asked.

We hold this film dear to our hearts shuffling it into becoming a sensation.