Despite not being a fan of House II I grabbed the Mediabook 4K edition along with a version of the original and Part IV from Diabolik. They also had Mediabooks of III but I don't acknowledge that one as a House film so I skipped it. All lovely designs evocative of old international VHS covers (on editions that don't feature the US artwork).
Revisiting House II I had mixed feelings. I still think it's a bad film that failed miserably in its attempt to recapture the spirit (no pun intended) of the original but it wasn't all bad. I liked the main characters (including the initially obnoxious Jonathan Stark), the production design was cool and the makeup and (most) of the effects worked but I still HATE the comedic bits and Muppets-like kiddie creatures in the film. I was actually enjoying the film up until "Gramps" opened his mouth to speak - that totally killed it for me. Between him and the "cutesy" creatures it felt like the filmmakers set out to make a film for 6 year olds. I did like the different dimension stuff, which reminded me of the first film and feel like that stuff is the only connection to the original - everything else was just a big misfire IMO. All told, I didn't dislike the film as much this go-round but it will never gain a place in my heart as much as the original - and Part IV - have.
Now, on the PQ. The 4K was, ahem, a mixed bag. If anyone has been following the "controversy" of the James Cameron 4Ks and is on the "I hate what he's done to them" side of the arguments, you won't like what you see here, either. I don't know if the Germans used AI on this but the film has the same processed and oversharpened look as those Cameron 4Ks. Equally present are DNR smoothing on faces and random scenes. Oddly enough, one particular scene in the jungle part where a certain special effect was used, the PQ looked fine to my eyes even though I know it should've looked awful. Maybe it will to others but I thought it stood as out looking good.
I'm a fan of those Cameron 4Ks but those of you who aren't fans, well, just stay far away from these unless you don't mind the updated "modern" look or inconsistency. Or occasional DNR. Personally, I thought this looked decent and, again, I don't mind the sharpness too much but we're going to have to get used to this AI stuff because more and more companies are going to be using it. Over time it'll improve but it IS the wave of the future.
Sean Cunningham must've been a huge fan of Cheers since he cast George Wendt in Part 1 and John Ratzenberger in II. Oh, and it was weird seeing Bill Maher in this. He hasn't changed much over the years except maybe his hair isn't as big. Lol.
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