Italian horrors are flicks that stand on their own. Mostly they have their typical score (Goblin is famous for making sounds and music) and the overall look immediately says , this is an Italian flick. On the other hand most of them look cheesy and not everybody loves them. Therefore the Italians knew what to do. Give the release another title clocking in on other successes. There are many examples and this one here surely fits in it. When Evil Dead (1981) was released in Italy it was called La Casa 1. Later on of course Evil Dead II (1987) was released as, you guessed it, La Casa 2. To be sure of selling Ghosthouse it was released as La Casa 3.
Naturally it had nothing to do with Evil Dead but it wasn't that bad after all if you can dig Italian gore. The main lead was Lara Wendel who we knew from Tenebre (1982). The other actors aren't that well known, some made it into the B-flick scene's and some are still busy up to today, a thing we couldn't say from our main lead who stopped in 1994. The director was Umberto Lenzi, famous from the gory Cannibal Ferox (1981). It all looks promising but for a flick made in 1989 the effects are rather cheap and even laughable.
The thing that sticks to your mind is in fact the creepy soundtrack. The vicious doll wasn't scary or whatsoever but combined with that particular score it did work. The flick itself starts of pretty gory and one slashing of a throat is done on-screen. From there on it falls a bit on the gory parts but it does work storywise. The acting isn't always top notch but that's also typical Italian, isn't it.
A nice flick surely to catch full uncut, only two versions aren't cut, the VIPCO release and the extreme limited 666 copy release (B cover) from X Rated Kult. The latter I viewed, included was the soundtrack. If this flick would have been released early eighties it would have fit into that era but for 1989 it's way to cheesy.
Gore 2,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5
Naturally it had nothing to do with Evil Dead but it wasn't that bad after all if you can dig Italian gore. The main lead was Lara Wendel who we knew from Tenebre (1982). The other actors aren't that well known, some made it into the B-flick scene's and some are still busy up to today, a thing we couldn't say from our main lead who stopped in 1994. The director was Umberto Lenzi, famous from the gory Cannibal Ferox (1981). It all looks promising but for a flick made in 1989 the effects are rather cheap and even laughable.
The thing that sticks to your mind is in fact the creepy soundtrack. The vicious doll wasn't scary or whatsoever but combined with that particular score it did work. The flick itself starts of pretty gory and one slashing of a throat is done on-screen. From there on it falls a bit on the gory parts but it does work storywise. The acting isn't always top notch but that's also typical Italian, isn't it.
A nice flick surely to catch full uncut, only two versions aren't cut, the VIPCO release and the extreme limited 666 copy release (B cover) from X Rated Kult. The latter I viewed, included was the soundtrack. If this flick would have been released early eighties it would have fit into that era but for 1989 it's way to cheesy.
Gore 2,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5