House

(House/Ghost/Psych)              7*******skulls

* No Strong Language * No Sexual Situations * No Nudity *

* Not Particularly Violent * Blood * Not Particularly Gory *

1985/Color/93 Min./New World Video & New World Pictures & Sean S. Cunningham/Rated R

Director.........Steve Miner (Friday the 13th II & III, Warlock)

Screenplay.......Ethan Wiley (House II)

Music............Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th)

Producer.........Sean S. Cunningham (House II)

Executive Producer.....

Creature Special Effects by James Cummins & Backwood Film

Based on a Story by Fred Dekker

Dramatis Personae

Roger Cobb......William Katt (Baby, Carrie, House IV, Last Call)

Harold Gorton...George Wendt (Cheers-TV, Guilty by Suspicion, Gung Ho)

Big Ben.........Richard Moll (Night Court-TV, Night Train to Terror)

Sandy...........Kay Lenz (The Initiation of Sarah, White Line Fever)

Chet Parker.....Michael Ensign

Aunt Elizabeth..Susan French

Tanya...........Mary Stavin (The Opponent)

Jimmy...........Erik and Mark Silver

Cop #3..........Alan Autry (The Heat of the Night-TV, Roadhouse 66)

Cop #4..........Steven Williams(Jason Goes to Hell,Missing in Action2)

Critique: The nature of the hauntings are laden with symbolism his son is a captive to the Vietnamese as was his wife a victim of the war, the rebirth takes place in the swimming pool the answer is in the mirror the monsters are in the closet the house at the cliff the scene of Roger's last chance at the brink of sanity. Big Ben is behind it all back from the grave looks good. In the end Roger can't run away. Something isn't quite right about the pace. Early rock and soul fans will enjoy the soundtrack which is not particularly well integrated(You're no Good, This is dedicated) Is the Alan Autry from The Heat of the Night-TV always a cop? Producer Cunningham directed the original Friday the 13th.

Plot Summary: A delivery boy comes to the House with groceries for Mrs. Hooper and decides to have a look around. Mrs. Hooper is swinging from the ceiling. Her nephew Mr. Roger Cobb., an author of horror novels is at a book signing, where he announces that his next project is a book about his personal experiences in Vietnam. His publisher is pressuring him to produce another book quickly and not one about the war - a horror book. Cobb calls the FBI to check on the progress in the case of his son. His ex Sandy calls to say she didn't win her award. Cobb has bad dreams and is drawn to the house of his aunt where he has a flashback concerning the disappearance of his son Jimmy. The aunt was a painter who believed the house was haunted and claimed the house was responsible for the boy's disappearance. Cobb decides to move in and work at the house. Aunt Elizabeth appears to Roger and claims the house tricked her and it will trick him too. Harold Gorton is the neighbor, he is Roger's biggest fan. Roger wants solitude. The visions of Jimmy persist and the closet in his aunts room calls him constantly until one midnight a monster emerges and tears at him. Cobb fills the place with surveillance equipment and dresses like a commando to investigate the houses problem but is disappointed. The closet is now empty. He begins a friendship with the neighbor and explains to him about the ghosts. Harold calls Sandy to tell her of Roger's very strange behavior. Cobb is startled from his truly scary flashbacks (featuring Night Court Bull) by a toy car rolling by when a swordfish on the wall goes crazy followed by an attack by everything in the tool shed, he returns to shoot the swordfish, only to find the tools have followed him into the house. Meanwhile Sandy has arrived downstairs, or at least a truly hideous monster pretending to be Sandy which he blows away. Whoops! It was Sandy. When the police finally leave Roger with demon Sandy and she has the gun. A lucky maneuver does away with the monster through the independent work of the garden tools. He meets his beautiful neighbor Tanya, while burying the beheaded monster. Regrettably a dog digs up the monsters hand and runs off just as Tanya arrives with her son and dumps him on Roger for the night. Roger thwarts a pair of demons in their attempt to steal Robert. Harold and Roger go fishing for a demon. More flashbacks reveal Roger's strong feelings of guilt relating to the death of a war buddy who was tortured for weeks after Roger couldn't bring himself to finish him off. In his aunt's painting Roger discovers that his missing son Jimmy is trapped in the mirror. Only if Roger can overcome the demons and the test of the house can he regain control of his life and resume a happy life with his family.