House

"Horror has found a new home."

1985 1h 32m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

49%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 645🥫49%Rotten Tomatoes●44Metacritic★6.1IMDB · 31,414

ComedyHorrorFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A divorced horror novelist coming to terms with the disappearance of his young son inherits an old mansion home to malevolent supernatural residents.

“Horror has found a new home.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

William Katt
Roger Cobb
George Wendt
Harold Gorton
Richard Moll
Big Ben
Kay Lenz
Sandy Sinclair
Mary Stavin
Tanya
Michael Ensign
Chet Parker
Erik Silver
Jimmy
Mark Silver
Jimmy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steve Miner
Writers: Ethan Wiley, Fred Dekker
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "House Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steve Miner, shot by Mac Ahlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Manfredini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael N. Knue shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

William Katt and George Wendt and Richard Moll carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steve Miner directs. Mac Ahlberg behind the camera. Harry Manfredini scores. Michael N. Knue cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 6.5× over at the box office.
341 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "House Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Steve Miner, shot by Mac Ahlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Harry Manfredini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Michael N. Knue shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8William Katt and George Wendt and Richard Moll carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Horror has found a new home.".
10IMDB entry: tt0091223 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 19 themes, including "vietnam war", "vietnam veteran", "haunted house", "author".

The technical file

Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Original score: Harry Manfredini
Editing: Michael N. Knue
Production design: Gregg Fonseca
Costume design: Bernadette O'Brien
Stunt coordinator: Kane Hodder
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $19,444,631
Return: 648% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: House (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes: 49% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 44/100
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 31,414 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations total

Part of

House Collection

An American comedy horror film series.

Also by

Steve Miner

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

marcellus2012-07-21
Roger Cobb is a author who has just separated from his wife. He moves into a new house and tries to work on a novel based on his experiences in the Vietnam War. Strange things start happening around him; little things at first, but as they become more frequent, Cobb becomes aware that the house resents his presence.
Wuchak2022-04-25
★ 7/10
Amusing 80’s haunted house flick with William Katt and George Wendt When his aunt suddenly dies, a grieving horror writer and Vietnam vet (Katt) moves into her manor wherein he experience strange and frightening things. What’s going on? Wendt plays his neighbor, Kay Lenz his ex-wife and Richard Moll a soldier pal in Vietnam. "House" (1985) takes the done-to-death haunted house genre and adds creativity and humor along with the expected frights. It’s an entertaining horror/comedy where everything ‘clicks,’ mixing elements of “Poltergeist” (1982), “Basket Case” (1982) and “Ghostbusters” (1984). The Vietnam sequences are odd for the genre, but the pieces of the puzzle fit by the last act. Mary Stavin (Tanya) stands out on the feminine front with a couple quality scenes. The film runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Monrovia, California (house exteriors), which is just northeast of Los Angeles, as well as Doheny Mansion at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles (interiors). GRADE: B

Production companies