Nothing says 80's horror flick like Adrienne Barbeau. Add bad acting, big hair, cheesy lines, a synthesizer soundtrack and you got Open House, a nostalgic trip into the 80's. It's about a psychopath that is killing real estate agents. Dr David Kelley, played by Joseph Bottoms, is a therapy radio show host that starts getting calls from the killer and the police want his help. Lisa Grant, played by Adrienne Barbeau, is a real estate agent which happens to be his girlfriend.
There really isn't any gore in the movie and the killer is a goofy looking homeless guy with a grudge against real estate agents. His motivation for killing is really never revealed and character development is nonexistent. It has a few creative death scenes, like death by champagne, the slasher staple of the couple making out and a beheading. The story is slow and it is very obvious that this was not a movie with a big budget. The realtor and radio signs thru out the movie look like someone handmade them with a Sharpie! See if you can spot them, it’s a fun game. The ending was disappointing and very anticlimactic. I started to get a bit bored with the movie, but did have fun laughing at the outrageous fashion and haircuts that were so cool when I was a teen.
So if you're feeling nostalgic for the 80's and want to experience the era, watch Open House and enjoy. It’s a “Bubblegum” kind of slasher that was typical back then. But, if you are used to the blood and action of today's slasher movies, or looking for something with a climax of tension and jump scares, I wouldn't recommend the movie.
