House II: The Second Story (1987)

Jesse McLaughlin moves into his family's mansion with his girlfriend Kate and joined by Jesse's friend Charlie and his girlfriend Lana.  In search of an ancient Aztec skull with magical powers, Jesse and Charlie dig up his great-great grandfather.  Gramps informs them that evil spirits wish to possess the skull, including Slim Reeser, Gramps' former partner.  He returns for the skull and kills Gramps, while Jesse eventually disposes of him.  Jesse then uses the skull to travel back to The Old West.  

House II: The Second Story is a definite fixer upper compared to its predecessor.  Reviews and box office receipts signaled a foreclosure to the franchise.  Lar Park Lincoln and Kane Hodder would reunite the following year on Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988).  Coincidentally, House II was produced by Sean Cunningham, who directed the first Friday the 13th (1980).

Location: The McLaughlin Mansion

Address: 2401 S. Figueroa Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

The Stimson House was built in the late 1800s and belonged to banking millionaire Thomas Stimson.    Following his death, it served many purposes from brewery to convent to fraternity to filming location.

Location Visited: June 2021

Related Location: 

House (1986)

Locations Master List

 

House (1986)

Horror writer Roger Cobb moves into his aunt's house after she commits suicide.  A logical move most of us would make.  He begins work on his next novel to take his mind off his separation and the disappearance of his son, Jimmy.  But instead he starts to lose his mind after a series of nightmares and strange occurrences in the house.  He is soon attacked by monsters but manages to reunite with his lost son on the other side of the medicine cabinet.  But the reunion is overshadowed when Roger is attacked by his former Vietnam wartime buddy Big Ben, whom Roger is able to defeat.  He and Jimmy get the hell out of that house to start a new life.

House was helmed by Steve Miner, who had directed Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Friday the 13th Part III (1982) and would later make Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998) and was produced by Sean Cunningham, who directed the original Friday the 13th (1980).  The film didn't produce as many scares as the aforementioned, but it managed a decent performance at the box office, which led to further development of other dwellings.

House was filmed in Monrovia, CA

Location: Roger Cobb's House

Address: 329 Melrose Avenue, Monrovia, CA

The Victorian house seen in the movie is known as Mills View.  At the time of filming, it was owned by two firefighter brothers...

Location Visited: June 2021

Related Location:

House II: The Second Story (1987)

Locations Master List

 

Eye For An Eye (1996)

Karen and Mack McCann find their world shattered after the brutal rape and murder of their daughter, Julie.  After a technicality releases her murderer, Karen takes it upon herself to get justice.  She tracks Robert Doob and plots his murder with the help of her support group.  Karen lures Doob to her house and shoots him, claiming it was self-defense, though Mack and Detective Denillo know the truth.

The critics and I didn't see eye to eye about Eye For An Eye.  Dismissed as exploitative and unpleasant, I was all for Sally Field taking matters into her own hands after yet another example of how the law can fail us.  Kiefer Sutherland delivers a superb creepy performance as delivery man/murderer Robert Doob.  It would not sweep the nation until six months later, but The Macarena can be heard as Karen follows Doob.  Hey Macarena!  Eye, er, ay!

Eye For An Eye was filmed in Pasadena and Los Angeles, CA

Location: The McCann Residence

Address: 456 S Arden Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Location: Dolly Green's House

Address: 2757 Glendower Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Locations Visited: June 2021

Locations Master List