House (1986)

Tagline: ‘Ding Dong, You’re Dead!’

UK Running Time: 93 Minutes

Film Quality: 3/5
Gore Content: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Introduction

Fresh out of directing parts two and three of the Friday 13th film franchise Steve Miner sat down with the aforementioned franchise’s producer, Sean S. Cunningham, and dusted down a copy of a script for a feature called ‘House’. Wanting to do something different they decided to press ahead with the film as a comedy horror (the studio apparently thought it was going to be played straight!) and started a whole new, though not as successful, franchise.

In a nutshell

Roger Cobb, a successful author of horror movies, has writer’s block. Separated from his wife following the mysterious disappearance of their only son and suffering from Vietnam flashbacks, he decides on a change of scene and moves in to the house he grew up in, belonging to his recently deceased Aunt. Soon discovering the house is haunted, can he get the answers he needs about his son’s disappearance and redemption for his time in ‘nam.

What’s good about it?

I won’t have been the first for whom Steve Miner’s minor classic was their first experience of a horror film and, watching it back, I was surprised at how well made it is. The opening tracking shot of the titular house is excellent, utilising a crane and Steadicam to really explore the exterior before a grocery boy with a food delivery affords us reason to follow him and explore the interior. It’s very well done and, despite the obvious low budget, we can see the movie is in safe hands with Miner who knows his onions.

Secondly it has a very good cast. William Katt (left) wouldn’t be many horror directors first choice as a lead, yes he was in ‘Carrie’ but was a bit of a wet lettuce, however he’s very likeable and, thanks to a flashback scene early on involving a phone conversation with his estranged wife, you warm to his predicament very quickly. Susan French, who has a small role as his batshit mental Aunt, is suitable wacky, Michael Ensign plays a great turn as a real estate guy and George Wendt, best known as Norm from ‘Cheers’ is wonderful as Cobb’s next door neighbour and a great comic turn.

Scared the hell out of me as a kid!

As I said before, this was probably one of the first ‘proper’ horror films I ever saw and by that I mean it has some genuine scares in it. Our first encounter with a ghost is quite early on and it sets the tone for a few creepy scenes, especially as Cobb is alone in the house and we’ve all had the creeps whilst alone haven’t we? We have stuffed animals coming to life, monsters bursting out of closets (a great analogue effect) and the one that gave me nightmares was the Doctor Who style ‘man in a monster suit’ who takes the place of his wife. The prosthetics in this film really freaked me out in my young, tender years with exaggerated, monstrous features and the ‘Sandywitch’ (above, right) as it was apparently known, particularly unnerved me with her grotesque appearance and high pitched voice.

It doesn’t exactly strike a perfect balance between horror and comedy, it works as a comedy on a much higher level than the horror. You have to enjoy the scene with Katt and Werdt as they wait for the monster to come back out of the closet, Werdt absolutely terrified at the thought that it might be a Raccoon! However, it still has some atmosphere with a surprising amount to say about madness, the nature of obsession and how traumatic events from your past can shape the delicate nature of a fragile psyche. That doesn’t sound like fun but believe me, it is!

What about the bad?

I was less than convinced by the Vietnam scenes which kind of resembles somebody’s overgrown back garden with a few fake trees dotted around…of course it’s a little harsh to be over-critical of low budget films for not shooting on location in South East Asia and, though important to the plot, it’s not a central part of the film in terms of building tension and ghostly visuals. The budget was around $3million and most of that was spent on the impressive prosthetic effects and a number of alterations to what was a real house.

Any themes?

For a comedy it deals with some very serious themes. In the early 80s, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome was being attributed as the cause for erratic behaviour and rage in Vietnam war veterans. Cobb is clearly suffering from some form of temporary insanity, brought about by the very real haunting and the book that he’s writing about his experiences in Vietnam. His neighbour recognises his erratic behaviour and shows concern by calling his estranged wife and, already aware that his Aunt was a couple of boats short of a regatta, there is a high level of insanity and anxiety running through the core of this film.

Katt plays this aspect of Cobb’s character surprisingly well, particularly the scene involving the police, and having a foil with the comic chops of Wendt to bounce off, he can over-egg the insanity and let Wendt ground the scene with humour. You don’t quite know what’s real and what’s not because Cobb doesn’t, and knowing that he’s suffering the consequences of a double trauma, can we trust what’s in front of our/Cobb’s eyes? The house does appear to be a metaphor for the madness than runs in his family, past present and future with paintings and flashbacks holding the key to the puzzle in Cobb’s head.

This insanity is emphasised by the film’s obsession with doubles, the monstrous and the normal. We have two versions of his wife (beautiful actress and monstrous witch), two versions of Big Ben (Vietnam buddy and reanimated corpse), two versions of the house (pre and post midnight), effectively two versions of Cobb (present day and flashback) and it’s no coincidence that the answer to the puzzle lies beyond the bathroom mirror, the reflection of reality.

Release History

Nothing controversial and no censorship issues. It performed reasonably well at the box office and very strongly on VHS, it got a special edition dvd release with commentary and making of featurette but no blu-ray release as yet. Arrow Video have announced such a release for US and European territories but no specs as yet, however based on previous releases we can expect previous features and more.

Cultural Impact

The movie spawned three sequels ‘House 2: The Second Story’, ‘House 3: The Horror Show’ and ‘House 4: The Repossession’. The third film has the most unusual history and perhaps I’ll make that the subject of a separate blog review. It has nothing to do with the other parts and was only given the ‘House’ tag in a few countries, including the UK. Perhaps I’lll revisit this one when I inevitably pick up Arrow’s box set!

One piece of notable trivia is that Kane Hodder was the stunt co-ordinator for this film…Hodder would of course go on to be forever associated with Jason Vorhees, playing the role in four of the films in the series.

Final Thoughts

Just like ‘Ghoulies’, this is probably best enjoyed as a nostalgic re-watch rather than appreciated for the first time more than 30 years after it was made. It’s very well put together with some superb acting and, watching it again, much better than I remembered all those years ago. Perhaps that’s partly because there’s more going on in terms of subtext and the psychological elements, though played ultimately for laughs, do have a serious side, which adds a solid foundation on which to build a film that has more substance than most people give it credit for.

Memorable Quote

Harold: “Woman who lived here before you was nuts. Biggest bitch under the sun, just a senile old hag really. Wouldn’t surprise me if someone just got fed up and offed her, know what I mean?”
Cobb: “She was my Aunt.”
Harold: “Heart of gold though, just a saint really…and such a beautiful woman for her age.”

Harold: “Solitude’s always better with somebody else around.”

Big Ben: “Roger, you hit like a little girl.”

Aunt Elizabeth: “It won Roger, it tricked me. I didn’t think it could but it did. It’s going to trick you too Roger. This house knows everything about you, leave while you can.”

Big Ben: “Damn, you rise from the grave and run out of ammunition.”

You’ll like this if you enjoyed…

‘Ghoulies’, ‘The Gate’, ‘Critters’, ‘Cellar Dweller’