Ghosthouse
| Ghosthouse | |
|---|---|
 Poster featuring Ghosthouse title | |
| Directed by | Umberto Lenzi |
| Produced by |
Joe D'Amato Tony Hood |
| Written by |
Sheila Goldberg Umberto Lenzi Cinthia McGavin |
| Starring |
Lara Wendel Greg Scott Mary Sellers Donald O'Brien |
| Music by | Piero Montanari |
| Cinematography | Franco Delli Colli |
| Edited by | Kathleen Stratton |
| Distributed by | Imperial Entertainment (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Language | English |
Ghosthouse (Italian: La Casa 3) is a 1988 Italian-American horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi and produced by exploitation auteur Joe D'Amato. Its plot focuses on a deserted house where the visions of a ghostly girl and her doll wreak havoc on those who enter it. The film is the unofficial Italian sequel to Evil Dead II (released as La Casa 2 in Italy).[1]
In Italy, The Evil Dead was released under the title La Casa 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. 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.[4]
This film has been released twice on Region 2 DVD in the UK as Ghosthouse; once by Vipco[5] in 2004 with no cuts, the second by Cornerstone Media in 2009.[6] In January 2012 the film was released as a download and VOD with humorous commentary by RiffTrax, under the title Ghosthouse. This was released to DVD in November 2013 along with the un-riffed version of the film.The film has also seen DVD releases in Germany and Italy.
The film was released for the first time in North America on Blu-ray in June 2015 as a double feature, paired with Witchery (1988) by Shout Factory.
See also
- La Casa series - An Italian rebranding of several otherwise unrelated horror films, including Ghosthouse.
References
- ↑ J.C. Maçek III (2013-04-26). "Books of the Dead: The Followers and Clones of 'The Evil Dead'". PopMatters.
- ↑ American posters in English-speaking countries credit the director being named Humphrey Humbert.
- ↑ Brown, Christopher A. (2014). The Video Nasties Moment: Examining The Films Behind The Scare. LULU Press.
- ↑ "Company Credits for Ghosthouse". imdb.com. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
- ↑ "Ghosthouse (DVD)". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
- ↑ "Ghosthouse (DVD)". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
External links
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