Growing up, I was a big fan of both House and House II: The Second Story, so as you can imagine, Arrow Video’s recent House: Two Stories Blu-ray collection was right up my proverbial alley. Both films look better here than they did on DVD (which is how I’ve been viewing them for years now), the new retrospective featurettes do a great job of diving deep into both movies, and the other supplemental materials included are a welcome blast from the past. For fans who are on the fence about adding House: Two Stories to your home media collections, I can emphatically say this set is well worth the investment.
In House (1986), we meet famed writer Roger Cobb (William Katt), a Vietnam vet with a slumping career and a marriage that has hit the skids after his son disappeared while visiting Roger’s aunt Elizabeth in her gothic abode one fateful day. But after Elizabeth takes her own life, Roger returns to her home to settle her affairs, unaware that he’s about to contend with some nightmarish issues of his own, courtesy of a cavalcade of ghosts and monsters, as well as some very vivid flashbacks from his time fighting in the war.
As far as haunted house movies from the 1980s go, House is certainly a great entry that’s fitting for fans of all ages, and by and large, it’s a really fun blending of horror and comedy (although there’s a fair dose of drama at play, too). Produced by New World Pictures (one of my personal favorite studios growing up) and Sean S. Cunningham, House was something more than just another story of a man fighting against a bunch of ghosts in hopes of trying to get a few scares out of its audience. It was also an ambitious creature feature and a buddy comedy of sorts that wasn’t afraid to dig into some tough issues as well, including child abduction, suicide, and PTSD.
At the helm of House was another Friday the 13th franchise alum, Steve Miner, who gets his first chance to really flex his genre-blending muscles here as a director, and for the most part he’s successful. Tonally, House goes all over the map, with an equal mix of frights, laughs, and tears, and it’s up to Katt to navigate the distinctly varied emotional waters of House, proving that he’s more than up to the challenge of bringing together all the aspects of Ethan Wiley’s multifarious script.
When you look at it, most of House is just Katt on his own, doing his best to not be driven crazy by all the unexpected supernatural shenanigans going on in ol’ Aunt Elizabeth’s former homestead, and he makes for a perfectly perplexed protagonist who isn’t above trying to “trap” his otherworldly opponents, sometimes with the help of his concerned neighbor Harold (George Wendt). You can sense a real affection between Katt and his co-star, and any time they share the screen in House makes for some of my very favorite moments from the film. When it comes to horror comedies of the ’80s, House is something truly special, and much of that is due to the cast’s commitment to the oddball spook-fest’s ridiculously fun antics.
With House II: The Second Story, writer Ethan Wiley steps into the director’s chair to create a cinematic experience that’s a complete departure from its predecessor. More of a comedy/western hybrid than an excursion into terror, with a bit of swashbuckling adventures thrown in for good measure, House II has been one of my favorite sequels for nearly three decades now, and to be frank, Joshua Jackson’s assertion in Scream 2 about The Second Story being better than the original is something I’ve been 100% on board with ever since he declared it in on screen in 1997.
House II follows Jesse (Arye Gross) after he inherits a peculiar house (that also happens to be a temple) from his estranged parents that gave him up for adoption when he was still an infant. As he begins to settle into his new home with the help of his music executive girlfriend, Kate (Lar Park Lincoln), his buddy Charlie (Jonathan Stark), and Charlie’s musically inclined girlfriend, Lana (Amy Yasbeck), Jesse discovers his new estate harbors many surprises and secrets that will forever change his life. Not only are there portals to different dimensions at every turn, but Jesse also discovers prehistoric creatures, foes of all shapes and sizes, and his great-great-grandpa (also named Jesse and portrayed by Royal Dano), who has been kept alive for centuries by the power of a crystal skull that must be protected at all costs. Oh, and of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the caterpuppy, undoubtedly one of the cutest co-stars of the whole affair.
While it may not be nearly “genre” enough for some fans, I personally love the new direction that House II takes, making it one of my go-to feel good movies I watch whenever I need a pick-me-up. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Gramps reminds me of my own grandfather (who was my gateway to western movies and television series), or maybe it’s the fact that the story consistently takes a few delightful left turns all while promoting the idea that family and heritage are of the utmost importance, but in any case, House II: The Second Story is one of those rare movies that can immediately transform me back into that little kid who first fell in love with horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films years (and years) ago.
Another unique aspect of House II is that instead of watching one man being tortured by his new digs, Jesse is joined by Charlie for most of his otherworldly outings, giving The Second Story somewhat of a buddy comedy feeling at times, and the genuine chemistry between Gross and Stark is infectiously funny to watch. We also coincidentally get another Cheers alum in the sequel, John Ratzenberger, who plays Bill the electrician (and adventurer) who comes along for one of Jesse’s mini-adventures involving the rescue of a virgin (Devin DeVasquez) before she can be sacrificed.
Some may not prefer House II’s more earnest approach to the haunted house story, and I get that, but personally, Wiley’s genuinely sweet and funny tale is so damned charming, that I can’t help but fall in love with it all over again each time I rewatch it (which is quite frequently).
For their Blu-ray collection, Arrow Video put together a great selection of special features for each film, including two brand new behind-the-scenes docs that run right around the hour-long mark. Both featurettes do a superb job of celebrating the work and efforts that went into making House and House II: The Second Story, and they spend a lot of time going through everything you could possibly want to know, from the genesis of Steve Miner and Ethan Wiley’s working relationship, to putting each of the casts together, to all of the insanely impressive special effects from both films.
Even Kane Hodder (who handled the stunts and makes an appearance in House II during a Halloween party dressed in a gorilla suit) gets a good amount of screen time during the sequel’s doc, making for an incredibly thorough trip down memory lane. Both House and House II also feature commentary tracks (although I haven’t had a chance to make it through those yet), as well as some vintage featurettes that fans will undoubtedly enjoy.
You can tell that Arrow put a lot of effort into their House: Two Stories collection, and it shows from every single aspect. The new transfers look wonderful (even though there’s a fun little flub where you can now see a crew member in House, which is more reflective of the original production than anything Arrow could possibly control here), and the special features are top notch. I’m so glad these two wonderful cult classics have finally found a home on Blu-ray.
House Score: 4/5, Disc Score: 4.5/5
House II: The Second Story Score: 4/5, Disc Score: 4.5/5
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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