House (1986), House II: The Second Story (1987)

While I never saw it in its entirety I saw portions of the movie House II many times when it was in regular rotation on the USA Network circa 1990, so in deciding to revisit House II I figured why not see the original as well. Turns out the House films are not really that related to each other, besides the title, some names behind the camera, roughly the look of the special effects, and they each concern a home that is something of an inter-dimensional gateway, though its actually a different house in each of these two films.

The original House is closer to a conventional horror movie. Greatest American Hero star William Kitt is Roger Cobb, a Steven King like horror author who moves back into the home where his aunt raised him after her apparent suicide. This is also the house that his only son disappeared from, an event that ultimately resulted in the breakup of his marriage to (Miss world 1977 Mary Stavin) a successful actress on a prime time soap opera called Missouri. Add to this that Cobb is working on a book about his traumatic experiences in the Vietnam War, and the guy is under a lot stress. The movie really could have gone in an ambiguous direction as it relates to its lead characters sanity, though it largely abandons this sense of uncertainty around half way through. There are a number of rubbery looking  caricature-like monster people in this who torment Roger. Cobb also has a somewhat intrusive neighbor played by Cheers star George Wendt, which is a perfect segway into House II, which features another Cheers star.

John Ratzenberger's performance as Bill, a guy whose business card lists him as an Electrician/Adventurer is the element of this film that I always most remembered. When called to the  titular house to investigate an electrical issues he quickly a finds a portal behind a wall, 'Yeah that seems to be your problem here, you've got some kind of alternate universe back there. Don't worry I've dealt with this kind of thing before'.  House II has a lighter tone then the original, it barley keeps up even a pretense to being a horror movie, its more of a comic/adventure movie. A man inherits the ancestral home of his family he never knew, and in short order unearths the reanimated corpse of his cowboy great grandfather who is kept alive by a ancient Crystal Skull, that the business partner he killed has also returned from the dead to collect. Our lead Arye Gross and his best friend Jonathan Stark end up traveling to alternate dimensions accessible within the house in efforts to retrieve and protect the skull after it is captured, more then once. Bill Maher and Amy Yasbeck are also in this, veteran character actor Royal Dano plays great grandpa Jessie. Its an odd yet enjoyable film that despite its off the wall premise seemed more coherent then the original House, which often felt like it was an assemblage of plot elements from various other movies. House II is probably something you can show the kids, but I don't think I'd let little ones see the original.

House (1986) **
House II: The Second Story (1987) **1/2