🎥 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, hitting theaters just a week after Pet Sematary (1989). I chose to see The Horror Show on the big screen, and later, on repeat through worn-out VHS viewings.

Some tapes you pull off the shelf are pure nightmare fuel, and this one’s no exception. Also known as House III, The Horror Show (1989) is a late-’80s slasher that mixes haunted-house chills with the Freddy-style supernatural killer craze.

The result? A strange but memorable VHS gem that still sparks debate among horror fans decades later.

🎬 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.