Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

House of Horrors Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 10, 2020

A poor sculptor with limited professional prospects, Marcel (Martin Kosleck) is ready to end it all when he happens to spot The Creeper (Rondo Hatton) drowning in a lake. Saving the man’s life, Marcel hopes to use The Creeper’s distorted facial features to inspire new work. However, when he learns of the stranger’s propensity for violence, he decides to use The Creeper to murder art critics around town.

“House of Horrors” has a plot perhaps every artist would love, with Marcel finally getting revenge on the pompous writers who hope to destroy his work with their lethal words. It’s an amusing idea, and with Hatton around, there’s genuine threat in certain scenes, watching the bulky killer graduate from offing screaming women to effete critics, while local police have no idea who’s behind the crimes. “House of Horrors” isn’t actually much of a fright fest, moving forward as lukewarm mystery (we already know the identity of the killer) with flashes of a journalism drama, finding spunky reporter Joan (Virginia Grey) on the case.

House of Horrors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"House of Horrors" has the benefit of having the ultimate cinematic detail on display: Rondo Hatton's face. The AVC encoded image (1.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation does an acceptable job exploring such unique visuals with an older scan, finding the actor's appearance memorable but not fresh. Set decoration is also open for study, with artwork a common sight in backgrounds. Grain is heavy, slightly chunky. Delineation is passable, as "House of Horrors" deals with a lot of shadow play and limited lighting. Source has some speckling and scratches.

House of Horrors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix does wrestle with age, as hiss and pops are present during the listening experience. Dialogue exchanges are acceptable, managing performance styles, including Hatton's growl. Scoring retains instrumentation, delivering comfortable support of suspense.

House of Horrors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Scott Gallinghouse.

• "The Creeper: Rondo Hatton at Universal" (22:24, HD) is an overview of the "House of Horrors" star's life and times, offering input from experts such as Rick Baker and Fred Olen Ray. The details of Hatton's adolescence are shared, with the handsome young man soon pulled into the battlefield of World War I, finding exposure to mustard gas triggering the development of acromegaly, which slowly distorted his features. Trying to make a go of things as a journalist in Florida, Hatton was soon lured to Hollywood, using his extreme looks to commence an acting career. Early work is detailed, including the birth of The Creeper character. Also explored is Hatton's relationship with producers and the slow deterioration of his health. Some commentary on The Creeper as seen in 1991's "The Rocketeer" is offered as well.

• Image Gallery (5:19) collects film stills, publicity shots, BTS snaps, poster art, and lobby cards.

• A Trailer has not been included.

House of Horrors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"House of Horrors" tries to squeeze as much mileage out of Hatton as possible, but it's hard to get excited about The Creeper's rampage when the movie barely has a pulse. Instead of launching a bizarre takedown of art world opinion writing, the production serves up small slices of nightmarish encounters, trusting in the sheer power of Hatton's appearance to do all the heavy lifting for the film.