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Ghosthouse (film)

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Not to be confused with Ghost House (film).
Ghosthouse
Poster featuring Ghosthouse title - Art by Enzo Sciotti
Directed byUmberto Lenzi
Written bySheila Goldberg
Umberto Lenzi
Cinthia McGavin
Produced byJoe D'Amato
Tony Hood
StarringLara Wendel
Greg Scott
Mary Sellers
Donald O'Brien
CinematographyFranco Delli Colli
Edited byKathleen Stratton
Music byPiero Montanari
Distributed byImperial Entertainment (US)
Release date
  • August 11, 1988 (1988-08-11) (Italy)
Running time
95 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Ghosthouse (Italian: La Casa 3) is a 1988 Italian horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi and produced by Joe D'Amato. It co-starred Lara Wendel and Donald O'Brien.

Its plot focuses on a deserted house where the visions of a ghostly girl and her haunted doll wreak havoc on those who enter it.

The film is the unofficial sequel to Evil Dead II.[1] In Italy, The Evil Dead was released under the title La Casa (The House), and Evil Dead II became La Casa II; these were followed by three other unrelated horror films, branded with consecutive titles so as to appear as part of a series: La Casa 3, La Casa 4 (also known as Witchery), and La Casa 5 (Beyond Darkness). In the United States, La Casa 3 was released as Ghosthouse, with director Lenzi being credited under the alias "Humphrey Humbert".[2]

Plot

A group of unlikely companions receive a radio call leading to a deserted house with a grisly past. After exploring the house, the group makes the foolish decision to split up, leading to a trail of death and destruction as the house unleashes its deadly past. Along the way expect severed heads, exploding light bulbs, demonic clown dolls, and creepy children. The clown doll is the main evil force from the film; the director of a funeral home stole it out of a child's coffin to give to his own daughter, leading to angry spirits possessing both the girl and the clown doll.

Cast

  • Lara Wendel as Martha
  • Greg Scott as Paul Rogers
  • Mary Sellers as Susan
  • Ron Houck as Mark Dalen
  • Martin Jay as Jim Dalen
  • Kate Silver as Tina Dalen
  • Donald O'Brien as Valkos
  • Kristen Fougerousse as Henrietta Baker
  • Willy M. Moon as Pepe
  • Susan Muller as Mrs. Baker
  • Alain Smith as Samuel Baker
  • William J. Devany as Lieutenant
  • Ralph Morse as Coroner
  • Robert Champagne as Mortician
  • Hernest Mc. Kimnoro as Cemetery Custodian

Production

Ghosthouse was shot on location in Boston and Cohasset, Massachusetts. The house featured in the film is the same house used in Lucio Fulci's The House by the Cemetery (1981).[3]

Release

The film was released theatrically in Italy in August 1988, and in the United States on VHS by Imperial Entertainment in 1989.

This film has been released twice on Region 2 DVD in the UK as Ghosthouse; once by Vipco[4] in 2004 with no cuts, the second by Cornerstone Media in 2009.[5]

Reception

Digital Retribution panned the film, awarding it a score of one out of five, writing, "Lethargic in pace, trite in action, appalling in acting and script, Ghosthouse made me, as a fan of Lenzi's films, wince. I love his cannibal and crime films, but this unholy mess simply didn't cut it. Bearing in mind the expectation based on his other films, this was like sitting down to a meal expecting a Mexican pizza and beer, and instead getting a green salad and a glass of water."[6] Terror Trap.com awarded the film two and a half out of four stars, calling it "incomprehensible", while also stating that the film was "delightful to watch".[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ J.C. Maçek III (2013-04-26). "Books of the Dead: The Followers and Clones of 'The Evil Dead'". PopMatters.
  2. ^ American posters in English-speaking countries credit the director being named Humphrey Humbert.
  3. ^ Brown, Christopher A. (2014). The Video Nasties Moment: Examining The Films Behind The Scare. LULU Press.
  4. ^ "Ghosthouse (DVD)". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  5. ^ "Ghosthouse (DVD)". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  6. ^ "Ghosthouse DVD Review". Digital Retribution.com. Mr. Intolerance. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  7. ^ "Ghosthouse (1987)". Terror Trap..com. Terror Trap. Retrieved 19 March 2018.


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