According to Sean S. Cunningham, the film was going to be named 'House III', but the new distributor, MGM, wanted a fresh start with potential new series with a new iconic villain, so the script was modified to reflect the new approach, and it was re-titled "The Horror Show" for the US theatrical release, while the title "House III" was maintained for the non-US market.
Brion James (Max Jenke) has said in several interviews that of all the roles he's played, this is his favorite.
Part of a cycle of horror films about murderers coming back from the dead after execution in the electric chair. Prison (1987), Destroyer (1988), and Shocker (1989) were also included in this trend.
Was one three films in 1989/1990 that had a story line involving an executed serial killer coming back to life and stalking people. The other two films were Shocker (1989) and The First Power (1990).