Simply Perfect

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Although "The Horror Show" was marketed outside of the U.S. as a sequel to the "House" movies, it has nothing to do with either of the previous entries in the series. The only thing in common with those two is the movie's production crew and the fact that it's about a house in which supernatural happenings occur. There are a few unintentionally hilarious parts to be found in the film, but overall it's a mess that really comes unraveled in the end.After seemingly dying in the electric chair, mass murderer Max Jenke (Brion James) returns from the dead seeking revenge on the detective who captured him, Lucas McCarthy (Lance Henriksen). The killer is now in spirit form and able to manifest himself anywhere he pleases. He begins terrorizing McCarthy's family with every intention of killing them one by one. The desperate McCarthy must find a way to put a stop to Jenke's bloody trail of retribution."The Horror Show" is rated R for violence, gore, adult situations, nudity, and language. It's pretty much par for the course when it comes to horror movies of the 1980s and 1990s. I'm positive it was mandatory to have at least one nude scene in all of these types of films during that era.There are those who say it's all about the journey and not where you're going. If that's a mantra you live by, "The Horror Show" may be worth a watch for you. I would like to mention that throughout the film, Lance Henriksen and Brion James do pour their hearts into their respective roles. All I can say is it's nowhere near as entertaining as I remember it being when I first saw it on cable back in the day. I'm rather lenient when it comes to my horror and slasher films, but this was a bigger mess than I'm able to make excuses for and just accept.

Detective Lucas McCarthy (Lance Henriksen) finally apprehends "Meat Cleaver Max" (Brion James) and watches the electric chair execution from the audience. But killing Max Jenke only elevated him to another level of reality. Now Lucas' family is under attack, his sanity in question, and his house haunted.Inevitably, this film has to be compared to "Shocker". While this one came out first (by a few months), the plots are largely similar and I hate to say it, but "Shocker" is the better film.Now, this film may be a bit of a stinker because of the rotation of directors and the writing crew not necessarily approving of what they created. The acting is pretty good, and this ranks among Kane Hodder's best stunt work. But the overall story is just alright and the "evil laughter" gets old after a while.Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "The Horror Show builds up a good head of suspense, then squanders it in mechanical, poorly staged splatter." Roger Ebert says that "the execution scene is actually the best one in the movie", thus somewhat agreeing with Holden that the beginning is better than anything after. (This is also a nod to Hodder, as he was the one on fire for this scene.) There were some decent nods to other films (can anyone see the basement furnace and not think of Freddy?) but overall offered little of its own memorable moments. I mean, I liked the turkey, but come on...

Detective Lucas McCarthy finally catches crazy killer Max Jenke, putting an end to his bloody reign of terror. Lucas goes to watch Jenke's execution and is shocked to see Jenke withstand multiple electrocutions. Finally, he does die but swears revenge on Lucas before he goes. Jenke's spirit takes flight and apparently ends up in the furnace in the basement of McCarthy's home. A few murders are committed and McCarthy is blamed for one, McCarthy's family is threatened, and it all leads to an electrifying final showdown between McCarthy and Jenke.I don't hate The Horror Show, but it never seems to really come together. Brion James is clearly having a ball, and it's always nice to see Lance Henriksen as a good guy. There's also some decent gore and I like the idea that the McCarthy family both genuinely seems to love AND like one another. Also, considering the history of this film and Wes Craven's Shocker (from October of 1989, about 6 months after this one), I was surprised to find The Horror Show felt more like a Craven flick with its weird lighting and animated turkey and dreamy quality. I need to revisit Shocker to compare and contrast.All in all, The Horror Show (known as House III in some markets, but having nothing plot-wise to do with the House franchise) isn't a movie I'd go out of my way to watch again, but I wouldn't dash for the remote should I stumble across it in the future.

I watched this last night and i was thinking it was gonna be awful, but it was pretty scary and a nice little movie to watch, I enjoyed this more than most other old horror movies. I enjoyed the acting and kinda liked the happy ending, anyway overall it was a 7/10 movie and i recommend this to all retro horror fans. Im out to try and watch the other house movies now I've seen how good this one is :), Finally i loved the fact that they wet to the basement, as you knew what was coming and it had you all tense and waiting for the killer to come out. And also the execution scene is amazing and for 1989 seeing a serial killer taking 1400 volts of electric and surviving is pretty stunning apart from the fact his veins where popping :). Best old horror movie since the exorcist, Definitely Worth a watch.