Customer Reviews

House III

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I saw the first two HOUSE movies when I was young and liked them during that time. When I got older I found HOUSE IV at a video store and rented it. I didn't even know they made a part III! After I saw part 4, I put the hunt out for 3, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I asked video stores and everything, but they never even heard of HOUSE III! I knew if they made a 4, their had to be a 3 out there somewhere, so I went to the internet and found it. The reason I couldn't find HOUSE III is because it was retitled for U.S. release as THE HORROR SHOW. I ended up buying it to see what it was like. I was very disappointed. First of all, it had nothing to do with the first two HOUSE movies. It did however provide a good cast. MGM really should retitle it and release it as HOUSE III: THE HORROR SHOW to avoid confusion in the states for people looking for the nonexistent HOUSE III

I Enjoyed this film ever since I saw it in the early 90s. It does compare stylistically to SHOCKER, but IMO this film has more finesse.
Whilst Lance and Brion are the key players, the Psychic researcher is a key player, since he opens up the plot very quickly. I would love to see this film done in a more recent version with some fx touchups... but if not, it still stands the test very well, and it would do great on DVD ( wow, would I love that).
Overall, the surreal elements are great, and the "language" element is not a loss, since it would play well on tv, since its okay to slice and dice people, but swearing is a definite no-no.
Overall, I have wished that I could find more of Lance in this sort of psychic/surreal sort of film, but outside of Pumpkinhead, and OMEN 2, ( the exception now is MILLENIUM, since the extras make it clear that Frank Black has no psychic powers ... what a blow :-), anyways, Lance does a great job, same intensity as PUMPKINHEAD.

Lance Henriksen and Brion James in one movie! It has to be good. I saw this film a couple of years ago and thought was one of the best horror films ever. James is excellent as a recently killed serial killer and Lance Henriksen is equally as good( this movie would make for a good episode of Millennium, also starring Henriksen). Thought it is much like Wes Craven's great movie Shocker, it is a lot more scarier and it has better actors, though Mitch Pileggi of X-Files as the recently electorcuted killer was just as good as Brion James. However, I liked Horror Show better and think it is a very good film of its kind.

For everyone who thinks The Horror Show is the missing House 3 its not (1989) THE HORROR SHOW adopted the title House 3 in Australia and the UK so producers of House 3 retitled the film House IV to avoid confusion so House IV is actually House 3 just under a different title. The plot of the the Horror Show is about Detective Lucas McCarthy(Lance Henrickson)who has caught brutal serial killer Max Jenkie or Meat Cleaver Max (Brion James) exicuting Max was not the end of his reign of terror but actually gave him a new lease on life now he haunts the home of lucas and his family. Terry Alexander (Dawn of the Dead) plays Detective Casey and i actually ate at that restraunt in the movie when i was little. All in All this movie is pretty good i have not seen Wes Cravens Shocker yet but this film looks quite similer to it.

Let's have some more blood in here...throw a couple of body parts on the stove... This is one of those great gonzo-killers-who-won't-die-even- when-they're-dead films that were so hot in the 80s. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the late, great Brion James chew scenery, and Lance Henriksen gives a good performance though he's somewhat hampered by the fact that he can't chew back since he's supposed to be a cop, a family man and reasonably sane. He still manages to give his characterization a real edginess. I mean, he gets to pull his own chest open in one scene. Can you get much edgier than that? Still, the dialogue rarely rises above the "F--- you!" "Yeah, well, f--- you, too, f---er!" level which is a shame.

Lance Henriksen plays a cop who arrests serial killer Max Jenke, but after the psychopath is put to death on the electric chair he comes back to haunt his nemesis through halucinations.

Though this film is made watchable by a strong performance from Henriksen, a genuinely scarey killer and a good soundtrack, it is utterly let down by its slow pacing. It takes ages for the film to get going, and there are slabs of tedium later on. What also lowers the film is the unbelievably repetative use of f-words which becomes boring and shows a lack of imagination. Some chilling scenes can't save this Nightmare on Elm Street clone.

This movie is similar to "Shocker", but this one's more suspenseful. I literally flew out of my seat a few times.!!!

they never made a house 3. last time i checked this was a great subject of embarassment for the maker of house 4. this has obviously been done recently to lessen that humiliation. this movie may be that old, but the name house 3 isn't.

Another one from the great old days of HBO(HBO would NEVER play a movie like this today). As of yet, this film isn't available on DVD in the U.S. Tis a shame.
As others point out, this is very similar to Craven's Shocker, which was released shortly after this. Both films deal with serial killers executed in the electric chair, only to be resurrected as a kind of electrical specter hellbent on revenge.
Shocker got most of the attention, but what Shocker didn't have is two of the coolest character actors ever. Both Lance Henriksen and Brion James are major league badasses, and having them square off against each other is a treat.
No, the movie isn't perfect, but better than you'd think. In Freddy Krueger-like tradition, ghostly killer, James, sometimes appears to Henriksen as a kind of prankster. Sometimes it's kinda funny, but his character is so vicious and imposing that it seems out of character. Killer Max Jenke doesn't seem like he's really got much of a sense of humor and would be acting this way. Plus on hand is the reliable nerdy guy who's all informed as to what's going on and tries to convince the very skeptical Henriksen. Nothing much is a surprise, it's all riddled with cliches, but the power of the two leads keeps this one constantly watchable.
It should have a DVD release, dammit!

THE HORROR SHOW. LANCE HINDRICSENS BEST MOVIE BY FAR! CLASSIC HORROR, CLASSIC SPECIAL EFFECTS, AND CLASSIC ACTING. HORROR HAS FOUND A NEW HOME! AND HORROR IS WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THIS FLICK. ALONG WITH COMEDY, DRAMA, AND THE ALL-FAMOUS ELECTRIC CAIR SCENE. ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES IN THE HOUSE SERIES. A WONDERFUL MOVIE THAT I HAD TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON TO WATCH. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.........