House II: The Second Story (no pun intended, I'm sure) is a great example of lighthearted horror. I've loved this movie since I was a kid. I applaud Ethan Wiley, who also wrote the original, for making a sequel that is good enough to carry on the House name. A lot of people are blown away by the fact that this movie has nothing to do with Roger Cobb or his house. But what they were trying to do with this series was to inspire an anthology of haunted house movies, and not staying with the same house. Although having nothing to do with the original, House II still manages to continue its inventive legacy. For example, look at the scene where the cupboard pops open to reveal an ironing board. That's a conventional horror scare tactic and yet, it's not a cat that popped out. It's more creative than most genre pictures. Another tradition they seemed to maintain was having a Cheers cast member in the film. This time it's John Ratzenberger. Did you ever think you'd see Cliff Clavin fighting amazon warriors? House II is a very funny film too. There's more comedy in this one, but it's not over the top.
The cast helps to make the comedy work. Royal Dano gives a great performance as the kindhearted Gramps. He plays the funny parts just right, and has those sad eyes in other scenes that make you feel sorry for his character. The comical tag team of the heroes, Arye Gross (Soul Man) and Jonathon Stark (Fright Night) works well. But what in the hell is Bill Maher doing in this movie? And why wasn't he killed? The best lines of dialogue are between Jonathon Stark and Bill Maher:
Maher: "Who's your friend, Bozo the Clown?"
Stark: "No, Bozo the Death Machine."
And I can't forget to mention Harry Manfredini's score. It holds the movie together no matter what scenario you've just been thrown into. House II deserves more respect than it gets because it's a good horror/comedy (which is rare)...and your kids can enjoy it too.
Note for genre buffs: Kane Hodder was the stunt coordinator for House II and did a cameo as the gorilla guy. Dwier Brown, who plays Clarence, appeared in the first House as the Lieutenant in the Vietnam scenes.
