Director: Lewis Abernathy

Writers: Geof Miller and Deidre Higgins

Starring: Terri Treas, William Katt, Scott Burkholder, Denny Dillon, Melissa Clayton, Dabbs Greer, Ned Romero, and Ned Bellamy

Rating: ★★½

House IV: The Repossession is the only sequel in the House series that’s connected to a previous entry. William Katt returns as horror author Roger Cobb from the first film, although the events of the first film aren’t mentioned and the timeframe of this one doesn’t add up with that one either so it may as well be a completely new character. In the original film, Cobb had a young son who he is reunited with at the end of the film. Now it’s five years later and he has a different wife and a twelve-year-old daughter. He also doesn’t ever mention what happened in the first film. It’s like they got so far into production and wanted to link it to a previous entry to give people a reason to see it.

Roger Cobb is also not in the film that much, as his character dies in the opening sequence in a car crash that also leaves his daughter in a wheelchair. Instead, his wife Kelly (Terri Treas) is the main focus of the story. She moves into a house that Roger left her, which has been in his family for several generations.  Roger’s half brother is also after the house as he wants to pass it on to the local mob. Kelly finds the house is haunted by spirits and ghosts and she starts to worry for her own safety.

This is a really silly film that doesn’t make much sense. The spirits in the house seem to be there to warn Kelly about her brother-in-law’s plans but they go about it in the weirdest way possible and seem to be dead set on scaring her as much as possible. There’s also a scene where Kelly and her daughter hold a yard sale, and even though their house is in the middle of nowhere people turn up to it. Not that it really matters for the plot either way, it’s just a silly moment.

Like the first two films there’s an emphasis on comedy and the tone is kept fun and upbeat throughout even with the darker moments it doesn’t dwell on them. Kelly loses her husband, and her daughter ends up in a wheelchair, but they keep quite upbeat about it. It’s not a depressing film at all, even though it could be. The horror never gets scary either. It’s something akin to Home Alone in some parts.

The fourth House film is perfectly fine, but it’s nothing special. The more you think about it, the less sense it makes, but it’s not boring while it’s on. As it stands it’s the final part of the House series, but there is a reboot reportedly on the way in 2024.

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