House II: The Second Story ** (1987, Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, Royal Dano) – Classic Movie Review 8142

There is too much slapdash comedy in director Ethan Wiley’s 1987 House II: The Second Story, the even dafter yet still popular haunted mansion horror-thriller sequel to the 1986 hit House.

It motors on a determined, rather desperate effort at foolish laughs and fairground ride-style scares, but, except sporadically in some individual enjoyable scenes, it hardly works at all as a gripping or exciting horror film.

Arye Gross stars as Jesse, the new inhabitant of a haunted House, his biological parents’ home, and Jonathan Stark plays his buddy Charlie. Together they resurrect the body of Jesse’s ancestor Gramps (Royal Dano) from his coffin, and then the odd trio pursue the whereabouts of a powerful ancient Aztec skull apparently packed with gems.

Also in the cast are Lar Park-Lincoln, John Ratzenberger, Bill Maher, Amy Yasbeck, Gregory Walcott, Dwier Brown, Lenora May, Devin DeVasquez, Jayne Modean, Ronn Carroll, Dean Cleverdon and Doug MacHugh.

House II: The Second Story is followed by House III (see The Horror Show) and House IV.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8142

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com