House
(aka House: Ding dong, you're dead)

Steve Miner (1986, USA)

Cast : William Katt, George Wendt, Richard Moll, Kay Lenz, Mary Stavin

Plot:
Roger Cobb is a vietnam vet, whose career as a horror novelist has taken a turn for the worse when his son Jimmy mysteriously disappears while visiting his aunt's house. Roger's search for Jimmy destroys his marriage and his writing career. The sudden death of his aunt brings Roger back to the house where his nightmares began. There, he will witness weird things, meet an annoying neighbour and have flashbacks from the viet war. But as he battles the evil forces possessing the house, he'll find out that it's his own past that's haunting him and has taken his son, until he finally finds out the source of all this evil and confronts it..

Appreciation: 5/10
A great box cover and a catchy title can make you go a long way. That is, in making movie-lovers picking up your film. But what about the product inside? House has probably one of the most widely known cover (in the horror section), but it's also one of the most misleading cover as well. In fact, the movie could almost have been rated PG
This movie tries to mix many genres but it all ends up as a confused mish-mash that comes out flat because each genre is lost along the way.
It all starts up slowly (nothing wrong with that, some great movies have slow start). Then, as the strange stuff starts to happen, you're rewarded with some flashbacks that seem totally out of place (i was almost expecting Charlie Sheen to pop out of the blue, for some reason). Then, horror kicks-in, but as soon as things start getting interesting (that is, when the horror could start being scary or making you shiver), all the efforts are anihilated by a light-hearted comedy approach. After that, you get a mix of horror, comedy and a family-friendly ending.
At least the main actors (William and George) give a decent performance (though their performance is too much geared towards comedy to my liking here). And there are some very good moments in the film, but whereas movies like Evil Dead who succeeded in mixing genre by going over-the-top all the way, this one succeeds more as a light-hearted comedy than it does as a horror movie, which is pretty much the opposite of what you'd expect from the cover (i know, i know.. never judge..)
As i said, the gore and horror are very much limited, and the film could also have benefited from some less bright lighting settings, and a spookier house to start with. Those elements could have helped set the atmosphere of the film decently.
The makeup and costumes for some evil characters are well done, and the special effects department did a good job too, in particular for the scene where Roger breaks the mirror in the bathroom, nifty idea indeed (i had to rewind just to see if it was all really one scene).
And lastly, I have to admit that the musical score is funny as hell by moments..
In short, if you want a gore comedy, see Evil Dead or Re-Animator instead, if you want scary houses and shivers, watch Amityville or Poltergeist, and if you want family fun, well.. watch something else :)

Other suggestions: Demons, Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Amityville, Poltergeist,