Death House – Movie Review
Director: B. Harrison Smith (Camp Dread)
Writer: B. Harrison Smith (Screenplay)
Writer: Gunnar Hansen (Story)
Cast
- Cody Longo (The Last Movie Star)
- Cortney Palm (Zombeavers)
- Adrienna Barbeau (The Fog)
- Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes)
- Barbara Crampton (You’re Next)
- Sid Haig (The Devil’s Rejects)
- Gunnar Hansen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
- Tony Todd (Candyman)
- Kane Hodder (Hatchet)
Plot: Two guards fighting through a power breakdown inside the secret ‘Death House’ prison must fight to survive ruthless inmates and even supernatural horrors.
Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Death House starts when two agents Toria Boon (Palm) and Jae Novak (Longo) get welcomed to a specialist prison. It is the home of the worst of the worst who are kept sedated. Dr Fletcher (Wallace) runs the instate, where Dr Redmane (Crampton) keeps the prisoners contained.
The pair learn about the five deadliest prisoners, Giger (Moseley), Balthoria (Hartley), Crau (Berryman), Thile (Ward) and Nela (Wells). They are kept in the deepest parts of the prison. As the tour continues, Novak and Boon meet even more of the darkest figures in history. However, when a breach leads to the facility losing power, it becomes a race to prevent the deadliest prisoners from escaping, with Boon and Novak leading to charge to protect lives.
Verdict on Death House
Death House is an action horror following two new agents learning the ins and outs of a high-tech security prison. However, their tour takes a deadly turn when the power goes down and the inmates are free. They must rush to find the best way out before the most notorious killers escape too.
This is a movie that was branded the Expendables of horror movies. It is one of the biggest casts in any horror movie, with genre icons appearing throughout. We have a massive concept for a story, which feels like not everything gets unleashed. This creates a chaotic environment but suffers by having too many characters. None of them get enough time to be fully flushed out or as dangerous as the reputation suggested. It also spends a lot longer explaining what is going on, unlike the quick introduction ‘Con-Air’ gave us to the inmates on a plane.
Where to Watch
Final Thoughts – Death House is a big ambitious concept waiting to be explored more.
