After the satisfactory box office success of the original, a sequel was released the following year. Unlike many other sequels, The Second Story doesn’t feature any of the original actors, nor is there any continuum from the first installation or the original setting.

In this sense House II could’ve very well been an independent film to avoid then often harsh comparisons to the original.
While House II is often dubbed as an unworthy sequel, there’s a lot to like here as well. The characters for example are well crafted and interesting characters that add a lot to the humour. The drunk ex-girlfriend who pops up in the most unfortunate times and the visit from Bill Towner, the electrician / adventurer are hilarious moments when the sequel surpasses the original by a long shot.

Although I’m much more a good adventure fan rather than horror film freak, House is a concept where the wacky scares would seem a must, so it’s a letdown to see the horror missing this time around.

Ultimately House II’s biggest flaw lies in its mayan saga, wild west plot and the sections in the prehistoric jungle that feel – as imaginative as they might’ve felt like when writing the script – unimaginative, out of place and distractive. House II could’ve easily built its whole plot simply on the haunted house without all the sidetracking.

House II does many things in overall wackyness and in the humor sections better than the original, but the mayan, wild west and jungle side plots feel very obtrusive and glued on.