31 Days of Howl-oween

A Review of Films Filled with Frights

Day 6

Film #06

~ House ~

Director:  Steve Miner
Year:  1986
Cast:  William Katt, George Wendt, Richard Moll, Kay Lenz
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  93 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: R

Dealing with the recent disappearance of his son, divorce from his wife, suicide of his aunt, and continuing nightmares from his service in Vietnam, horror novelist Roger Cobb decides to take residence in his deceased uncle’s house to write his next novel.  Soon Roger begins to experience strange and demonic happenings, and he has to decide if the hauntings are real, or a result of his post traumatic stress disorder, all while his nosy neighbor attempts to intrude on his intended solitude.

This movie dubbed a horror-comedy is not a gut busting comedy, but more of a quirky horror movie (it does come to us from writer Fred Dekker [story by] of “Tales from the Crypt” and “Monster Squad” fame).  There are certainly plenty of goofy looking monsters, but the scares are aplenty in this haunted house tale.  There are some genuinely funny lines, particularly from the amusing George Wendt, but most of the acting is played straight, instead of the slapstick antics that are common in other films of this class.  In fact, it is not until the second act that anything resembling comedy even appears in the film.

The acting is very well done, and the dialogue is perfectly fit to the actors cast in the roles.  The creature effects are excellent, particularly the eerie Big Ben, complete in army fatigues.  The film thankfully wasn’t predictable, as can be a common obstacle to other horror films, and was engrossing from start to finish.

Next time I see a dog digging in the backyard, I may just get a little queasy.

My Rating:  **** / B

Available from Amazon: House DVD

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