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The Horror/Comedy genre has been lucrative over the past decade. Freddy Krueger has become a cultural icon and the "Scream" trilogy has made tremendous amounts of dough. These relatively cheap to produce films owe a great deal to Steve Miner and Ethan Wiley´s 1986 film "House." Before "House" hit the big screen, the Horror genre touched into comedy, but never had a film meshed the two together in equal parts. Produced for only three million dollars, "House" eventually grossed nearly $20 million in domestic release.
Starring William Katt ("Greatest American Hero") as writer Roger Cobb, "House" tells the tale of a troubled man who inherits the house he grew up in. Roger has lost his son, his wife has left him and he suffers from post-Vietnam trauma. Things only become worse when he discovers that the house he has inherited is haunted, he continues to have nightmares of his dead Vietnam buddy, Big Ben (Richard Moll, "Night Court") and his neighbor Harold (George Wendt, "Cheers") enjoys meddling in his affairs. Soon after Roger moves into the large house, he sees an image of his aunt committing suicide. Unfriendly spooks and possessed objects start to take up most of his evening time and Roger discovers that his son, who has mysteriously disappeared, may be trapped inside the house.
"House" successfully mixed comedy and horror. Studio executives were anticipating a straightforward haunted house film, and the general train of thought was that horror films would not be successful if they were twisted with many comedic moments. The first two "Friday the 13th" films had proven to be very successful, and the desire for scary films was prevalent. When writer Ethan Wiley and Steve Miner unleashed their comedic beast, the experiment was hugely received by the film-going public. "House" was not only responsible for opening the door to the horror/comedy film, but it was one of the earliest efforts to feature themes based upon the Vietnam War. It was still considered taboo at the time to make light of the Vietnam War, but "House" boldly stepped into that territory.
William Katt, Richard Moll and George Wendt all put forth great performances, and each show capacity to portray roles where comedy and horror are required. All three men had successful television shows and were each familiar with comedy. They were familiar faces as well. "House" would not have been as successful if it were not the casting of these three men and the effort they put forth.
The special effects and monsters featured in "House" are far from frightening and nowhere near believable. Granted, they are heads above the earlier horror parody "Saturday the 14th," but they are far from gory and play more to the comedic aspect of the film. "Saturday the 14th" failed to ignite a spark in the horror/comedy genre because it lacked any level of horror and because the effects were so bad. "House" succeeds in part, because it is far superior in these areas. "House" also looks to be more professionally shot and looks significantly more expensive in production costs.
As far as the horror and comedy goes, "House" is not the best of either world. Katt and Wendt are the thread that keeps this little movie together. The funniest moments in the film involve the interaction between the two. Compared to the fright fests of the time, "House" did not offer much in the scare department. There are a few moments where the film can put a quick jolt into some audience members, but never will the fill incur a massive scream or spine tingling chills. In the long haul, the principal actors, adequate script and good mix of fear and laughs guarantee an entertaining 92 minutes.
"House" was successful enough that a sequel was produced the very next year. "House II: The Second Story" delivered to audiences an entirely new tale in a different haunted house. Unlike the first film, the second film failed to connect with audiences. Though the film includes one of the greatest cameos ever to grace celluloid, "House II" grossed only $7.8 million dollars domestically. Anchor Bay has included "House II: The Second Story" in a limited number of "House" DVDs. 20,000 "House: Limited Edition" DVDs were produced. The shrink-wrap around the packaging contains a sticker to denote the DVD contains the second bonus discs, but the packaging itself makes no mention of the second film.
"House II" stars Arye Gross and Jonathan Starke as two men who move into a large mansion with their girlfriends. Arye Gross stumbles across a picture of his great-great-grandfather holding a crystal skull. The two men decide to exhume the remains of Gramps (Royal Dano) and retrieve the skull. Unfortunately for them, Gramps is still alive and has been waiting for somebody to dig him up so that he can re-enter society and party forever. Gramps is being pursued by a multitude of former foes that want to claim the skull, so that they can possess world-controlling powers. John Ratzenberger portrays Bill, the electrician, in the previously mentioned cameo. His character is very unique and his cameo truly has to be seen.
The original "House" was penned by Ethan Wiley, who directed "House II: The Second Story." The approach taken in "House II" was to remove all of the violence and horror of the first film to make the film more comedic and more accessible to other audiences. The result is a very different film that shares only a name with the first feature. Sure, they both take place in a haunted house, but that is where any comparisons end. Wiley´s approach was to make the film more kid-friendly, and characters such as a bug-dog were introduced. Silly plot points like this did achieve a child-friendly film, but it hampered the final product from being anywhere near what the first picture was.
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