Vietnam vet and successful horror writer Roger Cobb (William Katt) is quietly suffering after his son Jimmy's mysterious disappearance in the swimming pool. The case is cold and the police avoids him. In turn, he avoids his loving actress ex-wife Sandy Sinclair (Kay Lenz). It's 3 years since his big book and he plans to write about his Vietnam experiences. He is haunted by the war and his buddy Big Ben (Richard Moll). He moves into her aunt's home after she hangs herself. She had raised him after his mother's death. She claimed that the house is responsible for Jimmy's disappearance. Harold Gorton (George Wendt) is his nosy next door neighbor and his biggest fan.

Coming off Friday the 13th Parts 2 and 3, director Steve Miner makes a well constructed haunted house movie. This is probably my favorite of his full length features. It's not groundbreaking but there is something about William Katt's performance as a haunted dad that is so compelling. It has a few scares but it is more about rooting for Roger. It's one of those lesser known horrors that really strikes a cord with me.

You Can Normally Tell How Great a B-Horror is by...the creation of a sequel. House is no exception. As a comedy-horror, "House" broke ground in the 1980s to set the bar higher for B movies. This was a must see B-horror when it came out. It is still good by today's standards, having stood the test of time.

Good rock-n-roll sound track too. George Wendt as the quirky neighbor is classic, and William Katt, a very B actor, is perhaps in his finest performance (where's the Academy?). The baby sitting scene was one that I enjoyed as he tells the 3 year old, "How would you like to play with a nice plastic bag?" It is a must for any B horror movie collection. Notice the shadow of the boom mic in the closet? In fact IMDb lists over 2 dozen such goofs for this movie.

Could make for a good drinking party to list all the goofs and then point them out as the movie progresses.

The successful writer Roger Cobb (William Katt) is trying to write a book about his experience in Vietnam, but he is blocked after the disappearance of his son Jimmy and the divorce from his wife, the actress Sandy Sinclair (Kay Lenz). When his beloved Aunt Elizabeth (Susan French) is found dead hanged in her bedroom, Roger inherits the house and moves to live there. His snoopy neighbor and fan Harold Gorton (George Wendt) gets close to Roger and learns that his aunt claimed that the house is haunted. Further Jimmy disappeared in the swimming pool on the back of the house. While writing his memories from the Vietnam when his pal Big Ben (Richard Moll) was captured and tortured by the Vietcong, weird things happen in the house and soon Roger leans that the place is a gateway to a hellish dimension.

"House" is one of the best haunted house films ever made. The plot is funny and recalls "Twilight Zone", with surrealistic situations. William Katt is great in the role of the writer that wants solitude but finds monsters while haunted by his past. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "House - A Casa do Espanto" ("House - The Frightening House")