🎥 VHS Vault: The Horror Show (1989)

They tried to electrocute "Meat Cleaver" Max. It didn't work. Now he's REALLY burned!

This one pretty much went toe-to-toe with Stephen King, being released theatrically just a week after Pet Sematary. I chose to see The Horror Show at the movies and later multiple views on video.

Some tapes you pull off the shelf are pure nightmare fuel, and The Horror Show is one of them. Also known as House III, this late-’80s slasher tried to blend the haunted-house formula with the Freddy-style supernatural killer craze. The result? A strange but memorable VHS gem that still sparks a bit of debate among horror fans.

🎬 VHS Vault Fact File

• Title: The Horror Show (House III)

• Year: 1989

• Director: James Isaac

• Starring: Lance Henriksen, Brion James, Rita Taggart

• Tagline: “He’s just been electrocuted… now he’s back from the dead.”

• Plot: Detective Lucas McCarthy finally brings down sadistic killer “Meat Cleaver Max” Jenke. But after Max fries in the electric chair, his spirit returns to torment McCarthy’s home and family in a twisted, supernatural revenge spree.

Watch the official trailer for The Horror Show:

📼 Watch It

⚡ Face the electric chair again. The Horror Show is available for streaming or purchase on Amazon Prime Video.

⏪ Rewind or Fast Forward?

Rewind if you love:

• Creepy late-’80s body horror effects

• Brion James chewing the scenery as a sadistic villain

• VHS-era atmosphere dripping with neon and nightmares

Fast Forward if you prefer:

• Coherent franchises (House III barely connects to the other films)

• A straight-laced slasher without surreal dream-logic

• Modern pacing over slow-burn supernatural horror

The Horror Show might not be top-shelf ’80s horror, but it’s a wild rental that deserves a spin, especially if you like your killers larger than life and your VHS tapes a little warped.