Movie Review: House (1985)

★★★★★

I always thought of House as a goofy VHS horror flick, but this review helped me see how clever and layered it actually is.

Evan M.

Indiana

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House

1985

When people talk about ’80s horror, the conversation usually revolves around slashers like Friday the 13th or supernatural classics like Poltergeist. But tucked in between those giants is a quirky, creative gem called House (1985). Directed by Steve Miner and written by Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad), this film is equal parts haunted house horror, surreal comedy, and even heartfelt drama. It’s not often mentioned in the same breath as its contemporaries, but that’s exactly why we at BoxReview.com love digging into it.

Because once you look past the campy VHS cover and “boo!” moments, you’ll find House is a lot stranger and more thoughtful than most people give it credit for.

The Setup A Haunted House with a Twist

At its core, House is about Roger Cobb (William Katt), a novelist and Vietnam veteran who moves into his late aunt’s creepy old home to write his next book. But, of course, the house has other plans. Roger is soon tormented by supernatural forces that blur the line between reality and hallucination.

Sounds familiar, right? Another haunted house movie. But what sets House apart is its tonal blend. It’s not trying to be just scary it’s gleefully weird, balancing jump scares with moments that border on slapstick comedy. One minute you’re watching a grotesque monster emerge from a closet, and the next you’re chuckling at Roger battling it with household items like it’s an unruly raccoon.

That constant pivot between horror and humor keeps the film fresh, even decades later.

What Most Reviews Miss: The Vietnam Subplot

One of the most overlooked elements of House is Roger’s backstory. He’s not just a horror protagonist battling ghouls he’s a man haunted by real trauma. His Vietnam War flashbacks, particularly his guilt over the fate of his fellow soldier Big Ben, give the movie an emotional weight that most haunted house films avoid.

The supernatural horrors of the house can be read as a metaphor for Roger’s PTSD. The grotesque creatures, the disorienting time loops, and the house’s ever-changing layout all mirror the chaos in his own mind. While casual viewers might see it as a wacky horror-comedy, there’s actually a deeper story about how we confront (or fail to confront) our personal demons.

That mix of pulp thrills and genuine psychological weight is part of what makes House so rewatchable.

Practical Effects That Shine

Before CGI took over, horror relied on creativity and House delivers in spades. The practical creature effects are both scary and funny in equal measure. From the bloated, grotesque witch-monster in the closet to the skeletal remains of Big Ben returning as a vengeful zombie, every design feels like a cross between Evil Dead–style horror and Saturday morning cartoon grotesquery.

They may look “dated” to some, but I’d argue that’s what makes them so effective. You can feel the textures, the goo, the rubber, the slime. Practical effects give the film a tangible, handmade charm that modern horror sometimes lacks. It’s part of why House still pops up on cult horror lists it’s just so much fun to watch.

Humor in Horror A Balancing Act

Many horror-comedies struggle to strike a balance, leaning too far into parody or playing the horror so straight that the comedy feels forced. House manages to walk that tightrope surprisingly well. Roger’s interactions with his nosy neighbor Harold (played hilariously by George Wendt of Cheers fame) add levity without undermining the tension.

What I love is how the comedy doesn’t dismiss the horror it coexists with it. The house is terrifying, but Roger’s absurd attempts to fight back give us a release valve. That tonal balance is why the film works both as a fun Friday night flick and as a slightly deeper psychological horror.

The House as a Character

Here’s something I rarely see in other reviews: the house itself is the most important character in the film. Its geography shifts, its rooms expand into impossible dimensions, and it seems to toy with Roger as much as it terrifies him. Unlike other haunted house films where the house is just a setting, here it’s alive a trickster antagonist.

That surreal approach elevates House beyond the usual haunted-house formula. It feels more like a nightmare come to life, where logic bends and nothing is trustworthy.

Why House Still Deserves Attention

When people talk about cult classics from the ’80s, House doesn’t get nearly the same love as Evil Dead II or Re-Animator. But it should. It’s a film that embraces horror’s campy side without losing sight of genuine scares and emotional resonance.

It’s also a great example of mid-’80s genre experimentation mixing haunted house tropes, war trauma, practical monster effects, and sitcom-style humor into one messy, fascinating package. And somehow, it works.

Final Thoughts from BoxReview.com

At Box Review, we like to shine a light on films that slip between the cracks of mainstream memory. House (1985) is exactly that kind of movie. It’s part haunted house flick, part dark comedy, and part war drama something you’d never expect from the VHS cover alone.

If you’re a fan of horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still has a beating heart beneath the gooey monster effects, House is absolutely worth revisiting. It may not be perfect, but it’s weird, wild, and endlessly entertaining.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what you want from a haunted house story.

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House

1985