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House of the Dead (film)
Encyclopedia
House of the Dead is a 2003 action-horror film adaptation of the successful 1996 light gun
arcade game
of the same name
produced by Sega
. The film was directed by Uwe Boll
. The film was universally panned by critics.
) and Greg (Will Sanderson
) planning to take a boat to an island rave party. They meet up with Alicia (Ona Grauer
), Karma (Enuka Okuma
) and Cynthia (Sonya Salomaa). Karma has a crush on Simon, Simon has a crush on Alicia and Cynthia is Greg's girlfriend. When they arrive at the dock, they find the boat to take them to the island has already left. They hitch a ride instead with Victor Kirk (Jürgen Prochnow
) and his first mate Salish (Clint Howard
). A cop named Jordan Casper (Ellie Cornell
) tries to stop them since Kirk is a smuggler, but they leave anyway.
Arriving at the island party site they find it a deserted mess. Alicia, Karma and Simon start searching for the others leaving Cynthia and Greg behind. The two start to making out in a tent, but Greg leaves to urinate. Left alone, Cynthia is killed by a group of zombies. Meanwhile, the others find an old house. Inside, they find Rudy (Jonathan Cherry
), Liberty (Kira Clavell
) and Hugh (Michael Eklund
) who tell them zombies attacked the rave, killing everyone. The six go back to the rave site to get the others. Meanwhile, Salish is killed while walking through the forest.
Everyone else meets up at the rave site. Cynthia shows up but she's become a zombie. She kills Hugh but is shot by Casper. They develop a plan to leave the island using Kirk's boat. But they find Kirk's boat overrun by zombies. Casper and Greg leave the group to go find help, but Greg is killed. Kirk later takes the group to a hidden box of guns. Once everyone is armed, they head back to the house. The front of the house is filled with zombies. Liberty and Casper are killed in the ensuing fight while the rest manage to make it inside.
Kirk hears Salish whistling outside. He goes out and finds Salish as a zombie. Kirk then commits suicide by blowing himself up, opening the front of the house. The remaining four lock themselves in a lab, but the zombies break in. Karma finds a hatch in the floor. She, Alicia and Rudy climb down while Simon shoots a barrel of gun powder, blowing up the house, a lot of zombies, and himself. They find themselves in a series of tunnels. Making their way through the tunnels, Karma is killed by zombies as she holds them off so Rudy and Alicia flee.
They're later captured by a man named Castillo "wearing Greg's face as a mask" who injected himself with immortality serum many years ago, creating the first zombie. Alicia and Rudy escape, blowing the tunnels up in the process, but they're followed by Castillo. Alicia gets into a sword duel with Castillo and he stabs her in the heart. Rudy decapitates Castillo, thinking the fight is over. But Castillo is still alive and his headless body begins to strangle Rudy. Alicia, who is barely alive, crushes the Castillo's head under her feet, finally stopping him. She then seems to die.
Later, Rudy and Alicia are seen being rescued by a team of federal agents. Rudy reveals his last name to be Curien (the main antagonist in the House of the Dead Video Games). The ending narration reveals that Rudy gave Alicia the immortality serum and that is why she is alive.
ranked the film 41st in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of 4% based on 54 reviews; the site's critical consensus called the film "A grungy, disjointed, mostly brainless mess of a film, House of the Dead is nonetheless loaded with unintentional laughs." IGN Movies, however, gave it three out of five stars, citing it as "an unabashed B-movie
that does an incredibly decent job with a limited budget, unknown cast, and routine storyline."
In 2009, Time
listed the film on their list of top ten worst video games movies.
of the film was released on DVD on September 9, 2008. The new version "features new dialogue, alternative takes, pop up commentary and animation from the original video game."
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
of the same name
The House of the Dead (video game)
The House of the Dead is a first-person, light gun arcade game developed in 1996 and released in 1997 by Sega.Players assume the role of agents Thomas Rogan and "G" in their efforts to combat the products of the dangerous, inhumane experiments of Dr. Curien, a madman.-Gameplay:The House of the Dead...
produced by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. The film was directed by Uwe Boll
Uwe Boll
Uwe Boll is a German director, producer and screenwriter, whose work includes several films adapted from video games. He finances his own films through his Boll KG production company. He is often cited as the worst director of all time.-Early life:...
. The film was universally panned by critics.
Plot
The film begins with Simon (Tyron LeitsoTyron Leitso
- Life and career :Leitso was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He entered the acting industry when he worked as an extra on several Vancouver-based television productions, including The X Files and Millennium. Leitso's first speaking role was for an episode in 1998 in the series...
) and Greg (Will Sanderson
Will Sanderson
Will Sanderson is a Canadian television and film actor.He is known for having a long working relationship with director Uwe Boll, having appeared in most of his video-game based movies such as House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne and In the Name of the King.In 2007 he played the...
) planning to take a boat to an island rave party. They meet up with Alicia (Ona Grauer
Ona Grauer
Ona Grauer is a Mexican–Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of the Ancient Ayiana and later Emily Young in the science fiction television franchise Stargate.-Life and career:...
), Karma (Enuka Okuma
Enuka Okuma
Enuka Vanessa Okuma is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her work on the TV series Madison, on the TV series Sue Thomas F.B. Eye, and the Nickelodeon teen drama Fifteen...
) and Cynthia (Sonya Salomaa). Karma has a crush on Simon, Simon has a crush on Alicia and Cynthia is Greg's girlfriend. When they arrive at the dock, they find the boat to take them to the island has already left. They hitch a ride instead with Victor Kirk (Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
) and his first mate Salish (Clint Howard
Clint Howard
Clinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
). A cop named Jordan Casper (Ellie Cornell
Ellie Cornell
Ellie Cornell is an American actress and movie producer, known primarily for her roles in horror films. After her marriage to producer Mark Gottwald, she is sometimes credited as Ellie Gottwald.-Career:...
) tries to stop them since Kirk is a smuggler, but they leave anyway.
Arriving at the island party site they find it a deserted mess. Alicia, Karma and Simon start searching for the others leaving Cynthia and Greg behind. The two start to making out in a tent, but Greg leaves to urinate. Left alone, Cynthia is killed by a group of zombies. Meanwhile, the others find an old house. Inside, they find Rudy (Jonathan Cherry
Jonathan Cherry
Jonathan Cherry is a Canadian actor known for playing Rory Peters in Final Destination 2 and also had a lead role in the video game film adaption House of the Dead. All his training was done at Thornlea Drama Classes. In addition, he was also in a low budget movie called Marker and a few CSI...
), Liberty (Kira Clavell
Kira Clavell
Kira Clavell is a Canadian actress based out of Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario. She attended the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada....
) and Hugh (Michael Eklund
Michael Eklund
Michael Eklund is a Canadian actor, who has made numerous appearances in both television and film roles.-Acting career:Since 2006, Eklund has appeared as Vancouver Narcotics detective, Rene Dejardins, in CBC's drama, Intelligence....
) who tell them zombies attacked the rave, killing everyone. The six go back to the rave site to get the others. Meanwhile, Salish is killed while walking through the forest.
Everyone else meets up at the rave site. Cynthia shows up but she's become a zombie. She kills Hugh but is shot by Casper. They develop a plan to leave the island using Kirk's boat. But they find Kirk's boat overrun by zombies. Casper and Greg leave the group to go find help, but Greg is killed. Kirk later takes the group to a hidden box of guns. Once everyone is armed, they head back to the house. The front of the house is filled with zombies. Liberty and Casper are killed in the ensuing fight while the rest manage to make it inside.
Kirk hears Salish whistling outside. He goes out and finds Salish as a zombie. Kirk then commits suicide by blowing himself up, opening the front of the house. The remaining four lock themselves in a lab, but the zombies break in. Karma finds a hatch in the floor. She, Alicia and Rudy climb down while Simon shoots a barrel of gun powder, blowing up the house, a lot of zombies, and himself. They find themselves in a series of tunnels. Making their way through the tunnels, Karma is killed by zombies as she holds them off so Rudy and Alicia flee.
They're later captured by a man named Castillo "wearing Greg's face as a mask" who injected himself with immortality serum many years ago, creating the first zombie. Alicia and Rudy escape, blowing the tunnels up in the process, but they're followed by Castillo. Alicia gets into a sword duel with Castillo and he stabs her in the heart. Rudy decapitates Castillo, thinking the fight is over. But Castillo is still alive and his headless body begins to strangle Rudy. Alicia, who is barely alive, crushes the Castillo's head under her feet, finally stopping him. She then seems to die.
Later, Rudy and Alicia are seen being rescued by a team of federal agents. Rudy reveals his last name to be Curien (the main antagonist in the House of the Dead Video Games). The ending narration reveals that Rudy gave Alicia the immortality serum and that is why she is alive.
Cast
- Jonathan CherryJonathan CherryJonathan Cherry is a Canadian actor known for playing Rory Peters in Final Destination 2 and also had a lead role in the video game film adaption House of the Dead. All his training was done at Thornlea Drama Classes. In addition, he was also in a low budget movie called Marker and a few CSI...
as Rudolph "Rudy" Curien, the male protagonist who is on the island when the zombies attack - Ona GrauerOna GrauerOna Grauer is a Mexican–Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of the Ancient Ayiana and later Emily Young in the science fiction television franchise Stargate.-Life and career:...
as Alicia, the female protagonist and Rudy's ex-girlfriend - Enuka OkumaEnuka OkumaEnuka Vanessa Okuma is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her work on the TV series Madison, on the TV series Sue Thomas F.B. Eye, and the Nickelodeon teen drama Fifteen...
as Karma, Alicia's close friend, who has a crush on Simon - Tyron LeitsoTyron Leitso- Life and career :Leitso was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He entered the acting industry when he worked as an extra on several Vancouver-based television productions, including The X Files and Millennium. Leitso's first speaking role was for an episode in 1998 in the series...
as Simon Cruise, friend of Alicia - Will SandersonWill SandersonWill Sanderson is a Canadian television and film actor.He is known for having a long working relationship with director Uwe Boll, having appeared in most of his video-game based movies such as House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne and In the Name of the King.In 2007 he played the...
as Greg, Cynthia's boyfriend - Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Salish, Kirk's first mate who always dresses in a yellow fisherman's coat and hat - Jürgen ProchnowJürgen ProchnowJürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
as Captain Victor Kirk, ex-navy and a smuggler who helps Alicia's friends to get to the island - Ellie CornellEllie CornellEllie Cornell is an American actress and movie producer, known primarily for her roles in horror films. After her marriage to producer Mark Gottwald, she is sometimes credited as Ellie Gottwald.-Career:...
as Jordan Casper, Kirk's nemesis. She dies when she loses her legs and bleeds to death - Michael EklundMichael EklundMichael Eklund is a Canadian actor, who has made numerous appearances in both television and film roles.-Acting career:Since 2006, Eklund has appeared as Vancouver Narcotics detective, Rene Dejardins, in CBC's drama, Intelligence....
as Hugh, a nerd who records the zombie attack on the rave on his camcorder - Kira ClavellKira ClavellKira Clavell is a Canadian actress based out of Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario. She attended the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada....
as Liberty, an Asian-American rave-girl - David PalffyDavid PalffyDavid Palffy is a Canadian film and television actor of Welsh and Hungarian descent. He has a degree from the University of Calgary . He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and was cast in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Palffy has many television/film credits as an actor and as a...
as Castillo, the creator of the zombies and the main antagonist of the film - Sonya SalomaaSonya SalomaaSonya Salomaa is a Canadian actor of Finnish descent, known for her performances in The Collector and Durham County.She was born in Sudbury, Ontario. Salomaa grew up in Prince George, British Columbia and attended the University of Northern British Columbia to pursue a Bachelor of Science in...
as Cynthia, Greg's girlfriend - Erica DuranceErica DuranceErica Durance is a Canadian actress. She has also been credited as Erica Parker. She is best known for her role as Lois Lane in the Superman-inspired television series Smallville.- Early life :...
as Johanna, a party girl - Michael Melendez as Mark, a Puerto Rican Pot-Head
Reception
Reception amongst critics and fans of the game was overwhelmingly negative; Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
ranked the film 41st in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of 4% based on 54 reviews; the site's critical consensus called the film "A grungy, disjointed, mostly brainless mess of a film, House of the Dead is nonetheless loaded with unintentional laughs." IGN Movies, however, gave it three out of five stars, citing it as "an unabashed B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
that does an incredibly decent job with a limited budget, unknown cast, and routine storyline."
In 2009, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
listed the film on their list of top ten worst video games movies.
Box office
House of the Dead is one of Uwe Boll's few films that made a profit. It's box office performance was dire however, the film fared much better with DVD sales and rentals.Director's cut
A director's cutDirector's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
of the film was released on DVD on September 9, 2008. The new version "features new dialogue, alternative takes, pop up commentary and animation from the original video game."