10 Horror Movies That Gave Fans EXACTLY What They Wanted (And They Hated It)

7. House IV Reverts To The Tried And Tested Formula

I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer
New Line Cinema

The Steve Miner-helmed House made quite the impression upon hitting the silver screen in 1986. It may not have been the most terrifying of horror pictures, but this tale of an author being tormented by the haunted house left to him by his aunt was well received for the sheer uniqueness and oft-erratic nature of its scares.

A year later we had the aptly-titled House II: The Second Story, with a similar premise to its predecessor but with even more emphasis on comedy and family-friendly frights. Again, the general response to the picture was positive, and thus audiences were left baffled when the franchise took a bizarre left-field turn for its third outing.

That threequel - dubbed House III: The Horror Show - removed the light-hearted nature of the series, took the action away from haunted houses, and instead the focus was on serial killer Meat Cleaver Max as his spirit returns from the grave following his electric chair execution. Despite impressive SFX work, House III took away the charm of the franchise and relied on lazy, excessive gore, which turned fans off.

Regardless of House IV: The Repossession giving fans what they wanted by returning to the franchise's roots - as in, haunted house shenanigans and even a brief return for the first movie's Bill Katt - this fourth outing for the IP, whilst better than House III, was ultimately a disappointing final nail in the coffin of the franchise.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.