Since the original House proved to be a hit at the movies and on video producer Sean Cunningham quickly asked Ethan Wiley for a sequel, though instead of going back to the original house a new spooky dwelling, and story, had to be found.
The new house (which has Scooby-Doo written all over it) has 20-something yuppie Jesse (Arye Gross) move in with his girlfriend Kate (the beautiful Lar Park-Lincoln). His manic friend Charlie (Jonathan Stark), a music agent, arrives with his new diva discovery Jana (Amy Yasbeck) to help him thru the unfamiliar first few days. The house is where Jesse's parents were mysteriously killed when he was just a baby and it full of many curiosities.
Crafted in a bizarre Gothic-Aztec style the house itself is a marvellous set and the many rooms and passages are as mysterious to us as they are to Jesse. Sitting on one of his many mantelpieces is a crystal skull that fascinates him for some reason. He even misses his housewarming party while studying the skull's history.
His studies lead him to dig up the grave of his great, great grandfather, or Gramps (Royal Dano), where he discovers the old coot isn't dead, just in limbo. The person who possesses the skull is granted eternal youth but it also warps the space-time continuum within the House.
Gramps comes home with Jesse, is more enthralled by Kleenex boxes and TV than the mysteries around him and ducks for cover whenever someone from another time comes to steal the skull. Just like the first movie, different rooms lead into different time zones. Jesse and Charlie have many hilarious adventures battling caveman, dinosaurs, Aztecs, and an evil cowboy called Slim, the one that killed Jesse's parents and betrayed Gramps over a century ago.
House 2 has so much careless abandon and zany plot twists that it is totally impossible not to enjoy it. I would have absolutely loved this as a kid. The idea of secret passages and other worlds hidden beyond the walls of the house would have been utterly compelling to my child imagination.
One of the weaker aspects of this sequel is that it has more SFX and animation by Phil Tippet's stop-motion workshop and less by Dreamquest. The matte paintings are gorgeous but the dated dinosaurs look hokey in a few shots. If you can just squint during these moments you won't notice.
Clinton shill Bill Maher even manages to show up as a music producer who is interested in Yasbeck and is mighty suspicious of Jesse's antics. John Ratzenberger (this makes both movies star one of the "Cheers" barflies) appears as a repairman/adventurer who assists Jesse and Charlie battle some Aztecs. Look out for Kane Hodder in an ape costume at the Halloween party. Jesse adopts a fluffy, little baby pterodactyl and a strange creature called a Caterpuppy, a cross between...well you know. You need an open mind and a suspension of disbelief to accept the sheer madness in this movie.
Don't be put off by the "horror" movie aesthetic as this is perfect family entertainment that perfectly blends lovely, heartwarming moments with comedy and fantasy. Watching Jesse bond with a great, great grandfather he never knew is so endearing and bittersweet, and the comic timing is pitch perfect. If you're not watching House 2 with a big smile on your face or shedding a tear at the end then there's something wrong with you.
The new house (which has Scooby-Doo written all over it) has 20-something yuppie Jesse (Arye Gross) move in with his girlfriend Kate (the beautiful Lar Park-Lincoln). His manic friend Charlie (Jonathan Stark), a music agent, arrives with his new diva discovery Jana (Amy Yasbeck) to help him thru the unfamiliar first few days. The house is where Jesse's parents were mysteriously killed when he was just a baby and it full of many curiosities.
Crafted in a bizarre Gothic-Aztec style the house itself is a marvellous set and the many rooms and passages are as mysterious to us as they are to Jesse. Sitting on one of his many mantelpieces is a crystal skull that fascinates him for some reason. He even misses his housewarming party while studying the skull's history.
His studies lead him to dig up the grave of his great, great grandfather, or Gramps (Royal Dano), where he discovers the old coot isn't dead, just in limbo. The person who possesses the skull is granted eternal youth but it also warps the space-time continuum within the House.
Gramps comes home with Jesse, is more enthralled by Kleenex boxes and TV than the mysteries around him and ducks for cover whenever someone from another time comes to steal the skull. Just like the first movie, different rooms lead into different time zones. Jesse and Charlie have many hilarious adventures battling caveman, dinosaurs, Aztecs, and an evil cowboy called Slim, the one that killed Jesse's parents and betrayed Gramps over a century ago.
House 2 has so much careless abandon and zany plot twists that it is totally impossible not to enjoy it. I would have absolutely loved this as a kid. The idea of secret passages and other worlds hidden beyond the walls of the house would have been utterly compelling to my child imagination.
One of the weaker aspects of this sequel is that it has more SFX and animation by Phil Tippet's stop-motion workshop and less by Dreamquest. The matte paintings are gorgeous but the dated dinosaurs look hokey in a few shots. If you can just squint during these moments you won't notice.
Clinton shill Bill Maher even manages to show up as a music producer who is interested in Yasbeck and is mighty suspicious of Jesse's antics. John Ratzenberger (this makes both movies star one of the "Cheers" barflies) appears as a repairman/adventurer who assists Jesse and Charlie battle some Aztecs. Look out for Kane Hodder in an ape costume at the Halloween party. Jesse adopts a fluffy, little baby pterodactyl and a strange creature called a Caterpuppy, a cross between...well you know. You need an open mind and a suspension of disbelief to accept the sheer madness in this movie.
Don't be put off by the "horror" movie aesthetic as this is perfect family entertainment that perfectly blends lovely, heartwarming moments with comedy and fantasy. Watching Jesse bond with a great, great grandfather he never knew is so endearing and bittersweet, and the comic timing is pitch perfect. If you're not watching House 2 with a big smile on your face or shedding a tear at the end then there's something wrong with you.