HOUSE is One of The Most Fun 80s Horror Movies That You May Have Never Seen
One of my favorite horror movies to watch when I was growing up was a 1985 film called House. Outside of my family, I don’t know a lot of people that are familiar with this movie, so I thought I’d bring it to your attention just in case. If you have seen the movie… congratulations! You win! And now you can go watch it again.
The movie was written by Fred Dekker (Monster Squad) and Ethan Wiley and it was directed by Steve Miner (Warlock, Friday the 13th Part II). House also had a great cast that included William Katt (Greatest American Hero), George Wendt (Cheers) and Richard Moll (Night Court).
The story follows a character named Roger Cobb, a Vietnam vet with a career as a horror novelist, whose son Jimmy mysteriously disappears while visiting his aunt's house. As Roger doesn’t give up looking for Jimmy his marriage comes to an end and his writing career is on the rocks. The death of Roger’s aunt brings him back to the house where his nightmares began. The evil forces that reside in the house force Roger to endure a harrowing journey into his past.
While the movie is pretty damn scary at times, there are also some great comedic elements in the film that lighten the mood and bring some laughs. There are so many things to love about this movie, the story being the main thing, but one of the things that I enjoyed most were the creepy-ass creature designs! The monsters that were created were the stuff of wonderfully terrifying nightmares.
One of my favorite scenes in the film revolved around Roger Cobb setting up a bunch of cameras to catch the war demon on film. This is actually one of the most terrifying closet monsters ever created. It was an elaborate puppet that measured up to 18 feet and it had to be operated by 15 people! Anyway, Roger brings George Wendt in to help him and the scene is both absolutely frightening and funny. I love the mix of horror and humor that this movie entailed.
I recently watched this movie again for the first time in awhile. I found it on Blu-ray and had to pick up a copy. The movie is just as great as i remembered it being when I was a kid. Obviously, it’s going to feel dated, but the core awesomeness of it is still there. If you’ve never seen it, you’ve got to watch this! The full movie is actually on YouTube and I included the embed for you below if you’re interested.
Do you remember this movie? What were your favorite parts from it?