House: Ranking Horror’s Weirdest Franchise From Worst to Best

Consisting of four films that have basically nothing to do with each other, and also a talking pizza, House is truly horror’s weirdest franchise. To be fair, the genre has a lot of contenders for that title. There’s the Leprechaun series, in which the titular evil fairy is the only consistent element. Or the Wishmaster movies, where the rules surrounding the Djinn change every time. Or even better still, Jack Frost, in which the mutant killer snowman eventually starts chucking carnivorous baby snowmen at victims.

There’s plenty of competition for weirdest horror franchise, but what earns House the distinction is how entirely separate they all seem. Only two of them even have a returning character, and that character is basically in-name only, sporting a different backstory than in the prior film, despite being played by the same actor. That’s so brazenly inconsistent it almost makes one want to credit the filmmakers for their exceptionally high levels of not giving a damn about continuity.

Weirdness aside, there are four House movies, at least in theory, so it’s time to see how they stack up. To be sure, none of these are great films, but there’s a definite hierarchy of quality.

4. House 4 (1992)

House 4 is an absolute mess of a movie. It’s most confusing, but not quite weirdest aspect is the return of Roger Cobb (William Katt), the protagonist of the original film. That should help tie things back to the first House, but it doesn’t as Roger now inexplicably has a new wife and daughter that seem completely separate from the wife and son he had previously. Roger doesn’t even survive the first act, making his return feel pointless. Of course, there’s the real reason some people have heard of House 4, and that’s the completely insane scene in which a pizza comes to life and begs to be eaten, all while attacking Roger’s new wife.

3. House 3: The Horror Show (1989)

The Horror Show – only titled as House 3 outside the U.S. – might as well not be related to the other films at all. It features no returning characters or locations, and stars Lance Henriksen as a cop doing battle with a deranged serial killer played by Brion James, whose spirit lives on after he’s sent to the electric chair in a manner very similar to Wes Craven’s Shocker. Despite starring two genre staples, The Horror Show struggles to feel any different from the glut of slasher flicks released at that point in the late 1980s. It’s fine for slasher fanatics, but hardly necessary viewing.

2. House 2: The Second Story (1987)

Rushed out the following year after the success of the first House, House 2: The Second Story not only features a lame pun in its subtitle, but also begins the franchise’s tradition of tossing out the characters and events of the previous film. Focusing on two friends exploring an old mansion one has inherited, House 2 is actually fairly charming for what it is. It’s abjectly silly, and doesn’t remotely try to be scary, but it’s sometimes amusing, includes lots of fun practical effects and zombie make-up, is a generally breezy watch, and gets commendably crazy.

1. House (1986)

In this first House film, Katt’s Roger Cobb is a struggling author and Vietnam vet planning to write a book about his experiences during the war. To that end, he moves into an old house owned by his aunt, who recently committed suicide. Roger’s life isn’t great in general either, having separated from his wife after their son vanished. House is a genuinely good horror/comedy blend, but is much more evenly distributed between the two than House 2 was. House is also quite amusing, and features great monsters and practical effects work, all while also crafting some moments that are genuinely scary. If a horror fan sees one House movie in their life, make it the original.

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