From Sean S Cunningham, producer/director of Friday the 13th (1980) and Steve Miner, director of Friday the 13th Part II (1981) comes House, a shocker of a markedly lighter tone than the slasher movies for which either was known.
Promoted as a comedy horror, House stars William Katt as horror author Roger Cobb (presumably modeled after Stephen King) a Vietnam vet who is mourning the recent suicide of a beloved aunt and the mysterious disappearance of his young son. Both events are somehow connected to the creepy house which his aunt has left to Cobb in her will. Retreating to his aunt's abode to write a biographical novel based upon his wartime experiences, he is haunted by all manner of apparitions, included that of comrade Big Ben (Richard Moll) who died in Vietnam. Naturally folks think Cobb is crazy. Enlisting the help of amiable neighbour Harold (George Wendt), Cobb battles to overcome both inner-demons and the curse of the house of horrors.
Missing kids and suicidal aunts may seem an odd choice of subject for a comedy, even one with horror elements. However, what seems even odder is how a comedy about a war veteran evidently suffering from PTSD was ever greenlit in the first place. While I am pretty sure this raised zero eyebrows in ‘85, three decades later it leaves a decidedly nasty taste. I do acknowledge that this was almost certainly not the intention of the filmmakers and is, instead, indicative of changing (for the better) attitudes.
Unfortunately the genre straddling in House is not particularly successful, as the film has no firm footing in either comedy or horror. Aside from from some neat satirical swipes on the relationship between author and fanbase, viewers are presented with a comedy which is light on laughs and a horror with no real frights. Gore fans in the audience will be disappointed as this is pretty much a blood and guts free affair, which is fine with me.
In many respects, House is the cinematic equivalent of a fairground haunted house or ghost train; every so often a rubber creature pops up to offer a jump scare but there is little for genre aficionados to really sink their teeth into. Serviceable special effects enhance the mild thrills but are not particularly groundbreaking and the movie can't help but feel just a little generic. The ‘Nam flashbacks are fairly well mounted but their seriousness feels out of sync with the otherwise comic tone. While they eventually have their payoff, these scenes also feel a little like an attempt to bring the movie runtime up to feature length.
William Katt is a little bland in the lead; likeable enough but never quite convincing as a man experiencing some major traumas. Although sadly underused, it was nice to see George Wendt in a fairly substantial feature film role. Best known as Norm on TV's long running sitcom Cheers (1982-93), Wendt plays another affable beer drinking everyman type which, let's be honest, doesn't really tax his talents.
Early on in the movie, a ghostly apparition proclaims “Leave while you can!” and I can’t help but feel that this is a warning to the audience. Yet it was popular enough in ‘85 to spawn an incredible 3 sequels, so maybe I am being too harsh on the movie. I am sure that House has its fans, but I imagine that these are largely those who enjoyed it back in the 80s. I can’t really see it having any wide appeal to newcomers. I wouldn't say House is entirely without entertainment value, it plodded along well enough but it was a little underwhelming. It is certainly not the worst movie I have seen, or even one of the worst. However, when the Clint Ballard classic ‘You’re No Good’ plays over the end credits, it’s hard to disagree.
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