/veFIiZkNnvA11Xdvv8OI2s9wRLb.jpg
HorrorActionThriller

The House of the Dead

- Don't you dare go in there!

When a philandering husband accidentally finds himself lost during a rainstorm, he’s taken in by an elderly mortician and is forced to learn the ghastly origins of four freshly arrived corpses.

Release Date : 1978-11-22

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Myriad Cinema International

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Last Stop on 13th St.Zone of the DeadAlien Zone

Cast

John Ericson

Character Name : Talmudge

Original Name : John Ericson

Gender : Male

Ivor Francis

Character Name : The Mortician

Original Name : Ivor Francis

Gender : Male

Judith Novgrod

Character Name : Miss Sibiler

Original Name : Judith Novgrod

Gender : Female

Burr DeBenning

Character Name : Growski

Original Name : Burr DeBenning

Gender : Male

Charles Aidman

Character Name : Detective Malcolm Toliver

Original Name : Charles Aidman

Gender : Male

Bernard Fox

Character Name : Inspector McDowal

Original Name : Bernard Fox

Gender : Male

Richard Gates

Character Name : Cantwell

Original Name : Richard Gates

Gender : Male

Elizabeth MacRae

Character Name : Mrs. Lumquist

Original Name : Elizabeth MacRae

Gender : Female

Linda Gibboney

Character Name : Julie

Original Name : Linda Gibboney

Gender : Male

Leslie Paxton

Character Name : Marie

Original Name : Leslie Paxton

Gender : Male

John King III

Character Name : Marie's Husband

Original Name : John King III

Gender : Male

Reviews

T

talisencrw

@talisencrw

2021-06-23

This was a decent anthology film in the tradition of 'Twilight Zone: The Movie' and 'Creepshow', and was director Miller's only cinematic feature in her career from 1971-2002. It has an interesting framing device of a man, cheating on his wife with a married woman, taking a cab from where he had a late-night rendezvous with his mistress, but instead of being dropped off at his hotel, where he wants to call his wife (perhaps in feeling guilty, maybe just as an excuse not to have to stay with his partner after intercourse), is left at another place altogether. In trying to locate his hotel, he encounters strange, unresponsive man, then many empty buildings, and is finally offered shelter from the rain and a cup of hot coffee by an embalmer. Though the man feels really creeped out and tries to leave, the mortician, lonely and seemingly wanting company, makes him feel guilty and in politeness the man stays to see the five coffins the host wants to show him. After that comes four short stories, told in flashback, as the mortician (a creepy Ivor Francis) shows each of the coffin's contents (only to his visitor, not to us viewers) and, in a morality tale of sorts, what the person did wrong to get there: --The first story is by far the worst. A nasty teacher that hates children gets her comeuppance; --Secondly, a man that makes snuff films, having a movie camera on in his living room, while having a series of women over for 'dates'. He's arrested, and it's left to the imagination (at least, how the cut I watched from my Mill Creek 50-film 'Nightmare Worlds' pack was edited) how he was killed; --Thirdly, by far the most interesting and best executed of the stories, the best detective in England visits his American counterpart, and while they dine together, the host Detective Toliver receives a mysterious and anonymous note that in three days, someone he knows will be murdered horrifically--This was outstandingly carried out, and deserves special credit; --Fourthly, a cynical man who cares about no one other than himself is trapped inside a deserted building, then seemingly escapes, only to find himself trapped in a garbage truck, only sometimes given bottles of booze to mark the time; --The fifth coffin is empty, and the climax extremely predictable, but still watchable. I conclude that if you're the sort that likes the aforementioned two movies, or late-night horror to begin with, you'll enjoy this shabby, poor-boy's version. For those so inclined, it's worth one watch. Only the third segment is worth a rewatch, however.