To finally watch the House movie from 1986 was a special treat for me; I’d always admired the mysterious poster from the first time I saw it and remember the VHS box in the rentals as something that always caught my eye. But it was always the PG rating that kept me from renting it.

So, after always admiring it from afar, I finally got to see the movie – accidentally just a few weeks after its 30th anniversary.

So, how does it measure up to the little kid’s hype? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The concept is pretty much as one would except, but the biggest flaw here is that House always feels like its holding back a little and constantly missing its opportunity to really go along with its wacky concept. What little we see here is well done and executed, I just wish there was lots of more of it.

Instead, House tries to tap into some Vietnam war flashbacks that always seem out of place. More screen time could’ve also been dedicated to George Wendt as the nosy but polite neighbour trying to get to know his new mysterious neighbour.

All in all, House is a solid horror comedy that really could’ve been a riot had they dived much move bravely deep into the established concept.