Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘House’ (1985)

Written by Scott Edwards

​Sometimes you take a look at your life and wonder what it could have been if you did something else. I have done this many times over the years and it is a good practice to do, mainly because it makes you think about a different skill set that you can work on to not only better your work performance, but yourself. While I have always tried to improve my creative storytelling (writing) skills, I always seem to have one aspect holding me back from making it a career. As I continue to contemplate what the future might have for myself, I urge you all to do the same thing, think about what you would rather be doing, because you never know if the opportunity will come knocking one day.
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On top of his game, author Roger Cobb is nearing another deadline and needs to get another book out by the end of the month. After getting word that his aunt killed herself, Roger decides that he wants to take possession of her old house, if only for the short term to finish his book. But the house has something else about it that Roger and his ex-wife Sandy cannot put their fingers on, as their son Jimmy went missing there a year ago. While the two were never able to get back into the married mode after this took place, they both still love each other and wish nothing but the best for each other’s futures.
 
Thinking back to that hapless day, Roger remembers his aunt saying that the house took the boy and can’t seem to get that out of his mind. When walking through the house on his own, he is shocked to see his aunt in her room getting ready to hang herself. Barking out a warning not to let the house fool him, Roger is forced to watch the tragic even unfold in front of his eyes. Starting to believe that the house might actually be haunted after seeing his aunt’s ghost, Roger wants to know what really happened there and if it had anything to do with his missing son. Keeping an ear out for strange things and remembering a painting that his aunt made of her room, Roger gets up the nerve to take a look into her closet that her painting depicted as some sort of gateway. Opening the door once and finding nothing, Roger hears the clock strike midnight and gives it another try, releasing a beast that can only be found in his nightmares. Being able to free himself from the beast, Roger is ready to prove that he is not crazy and purchases top of the line video equipment to get it on tape.

Watching as his new neighbor is slowly descending into the mouth of madness, Harold Gorton decides to keep a closer eye on his favorite author. Showing up at the most inopportune times in Roger’s mind, Harold is worried about his mental health. Bringing over food while Roger is trying to coax the monster out again, Harold does not see anything and needs to take a more drastic step. Calling Roger’s ex-wife Sally for help, she is stuck at work and cannot make it out right away but wants to support Harold in trying to keep Roger sane. Watching as Roger starts shooting at things that are not there, Harold gets the police called in for a possible suicide watch, but nothing will keep Roger from the house and all of the horrors it has in store for him, along with a chance to be reunited with an old friend for the rest of his days.

If you have seen this movie, you can see that I tried to hit all of the main bullet points of where the story was trying to go, if you have not seen the movie, well, then you are in for a surprise. While this movie makes me miss the 80’s horror genre more than anything else, the storyline jumps all over the place and you have to have a pretty good memory to try and piece most of it together. The silliness that takes place on screen, along with the innuendo is more than enough to keep you entertained throughout, so don’t let a fractured storyline keep you from watching, because it is just too much fun. With a witch, a creature looking to kill, a mounted fish coming to life, Vietnam flashbacks, Bull from Night Court, Norm from Cheers and the Greatest American Hero front and center, this movie is just fun from start to finish and if you are looking for some not so serious scares, this is the movie for you. Stay Scared.

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