The Horror Show (1989)


House and House II: The Second Story weren't big blockbusters, but they earned their reputation as cult films due to repeated showings on cable and through video rentals.  Other than taking places in haunted houses the two didn't really have much of a connection.  Still, they were ambitious movies, filled with interesting special effects and off-the-wall stories that, like many of the horror films in the second part of the '80s, sought to thrill more than scare.  They were always a welcome respite from the endless slew of repetitive slashers.

The series was successful enough that United Artists wanted to keep making them, but they also wanted a fresh start.  While The Horror Show was always meant to be House III it was decided, at least in the U.S., not to connect it with the rest of the series.  This was a wise choice as, other than some creative effects, this has even less of a connection to the first two movies, other than the main characters happen to live in a house.

Detective Lucas McCarthy (Lance Henriksen) is a police officer suffering PTSD after capturing serial killer Max Jenke (Brion James), who not only killed a few hundred people but also a number of officers as well.  McCarthy is hoping that by witnessing Jenke's execution that it will provide some closure but instead causes more trauma as Jenke survives his trip to the electric chair long enough to warn Lucas that he will be coming for him and his family.

McCarthy doesn't take the threat seriously, but Professor Peter Campbell (Thom Bray) does, believing that Jenke has transferred his soul into electricity and has used that method to survive death.  Campbell is, of course, correct as Jenke's essence takes up residence in McCarthy's home, threatening his wife Donna (Rita Taggart) and children Bonnie (Dedee Pfeiffer) and Scott (Aron Eisenberg).  As for Lucas, he begins seeing Jenke everywhere, causing him to act erratically and, when the police come to arrest him for the death of Bonnie's boyfriend Vinnie (David Oliver), it is enough to make him look guilty.  For his part, Lucas begins to take Campbell seriously and embarks on a quest to save his family.

Although the first two are kind of fun there is a good reason why no one really was begging for more of the House series.  They were diversions, much like Ghoulies or Troll, and not much more.  They didn't try to tell a serious horror story but rather to see how inventive they could get, taking their inspiration directly from The Evil Dead when it came to plotting.  No one wants to go into a House movie for a serious shocker.  Unfortunately, The Horror Show shares much in common with the actual movie Shocker which also came out in 1989.  There are humorous parts - Jenke ruining a family lunch by talking to McCarthy through a mutated turkey - but for the most part this is supposed to be taken seriously.

Problem is it borrows way too much from A Nightmare on Elm Street, including Jenke saying "bitch" a bit too much.  Lance Henriksen and Brion James are both good, but there are so many distractions in the movie, including the fact that out of nowhere the family is having an entire turkey for lunch, to keep one's mind on the plot.  Director James Isaac definitely didn't stick with it as, toward the end, the movie just keeps drifting here and there, trying to figure out what it wanted to do.  

This was one of many horror films butchered by the MPAA at the time, so there may have been more here to hold the attention or provide some entertainment.  As it is, what we have is half-baked mess with a terrible ending that, if it's supposed to have some deeper meaning, fails to convey it.  

The Horror Show (1989)
Time: 95 minutes
Starring: Lane Henriksen, Brion James, Dedee Pfeiffer, Rita Taggart, Aron Eisenberg 



 

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