Ghosthouse

With the DVD revolution came a rebirth of b-horror, with various companies releasing dozens of special edition versions of out-of-print 80s horror movies at a time. Unfortunately, some were overlooked, and the long-out-of-print Ghosthouse is among those that haven't been rediscovered.

This film has a little bit of just about everything b-horror... You have one of the most amusingly absurd plots ever contrived (CB radio nerd picks up scary message from the future, tracks down the signal using 80s home computer technology, then drags his girlfriend there to share his finding with another group of trespassing teens and twenty-somethings...mayhem ensues), a killer clown doll, a murderous ex-psychiatric patient, graveyards, gory deaths, amusing effects that seem to just be there for the sake of it (including a number of glass objects blowing up like balloons and exploding..ooh, scary), an evil little girl, vicious ghost dogs, perhaps the best b-horror music theme ever (a cheesy short little loop that sounds like a demonic children's song and plays a part in the plot..and something I'd love to get the license to for use as an intro track to an album by one of my bands..), a weird hitchhiker who shows up at various points in the story... I could go on, but you get the idea. And with all this, it still manages to balance the levels of (unintentional?) humor and horror (yes, it actually has a great sense of atmosphere despite its laughable absurdity) to the point where it's utterly enjoyable, maybe even approaching the Evil Dead series mark.

Unfortunately, for now you'll only find this gem used on VHS. It's even getting hard to come by at rental outlets. Hopefully one of those companies currently reissuing horror and cult DVDs will eventually unearth this highly entertaining horror film and give it the attention it deserves. Until then, track it down on VHS and give it a rental. If you're looking for a fun b-horror flick to watch with friends, this one won't disappoint.