Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The House of the Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 30, 2018

1978’s “The House of the Dead” was originally released under the title “Alien Zone.” The film doesn’t contain any aliens and very few zones, making it strange name for the movie, but that’s the fun of theatrical releases from desperate producers. “The House of the Dead” isn’t better, but it’s slightly more accurate title for the anthology effort, which presents four tales of death and denial from the comfort of a mortician’s showroom floor. Screenwriter David O’Malley and director Sharron Miller have the vague shape of an omnibus chiller here, but they seem terrified to follow their ideas in full, leaving the feature a strange assortment of half-realized chapters in an unfinished picture. Some bits and pieces show promise, but the overall experience presented here is clouded by confusion and hesitation.

Talmudge (John Ericson) has spent time with his needy mistress, eager to get away and return to his hotel room for the night. When his cabbie drops him off at the wrong address during a rainstorm, Talmudge searches for shelter, finding help from The Mortician (Ivor Francis), who’s eager to have company around his workspace. Showing off the collection of dead bodies he’s working on, The Mortician shares their personal stories of death, selling tales of bad decisions and cold hearts. In “Miss Sibiler,” a teacher (Judith Novgrod) who hates children is visited by masked kids late one night, and they’re not there to turn in their homework. In “Mr. Growski,” a serial killer and photography nut (Burr DeBenning) gets his kicks by filming himself murdering young women who visit his apartment. In “Detective Toliver,” the master American sleuth (Charles Aidman) is challenged to solve a crime, with his chief rival, Inspector McDowal (Bernard Fox), joining the mystery. And in “Mr. Cantwell,” a malcontent (Richard Gates) who pushes away attention from a homeless man on the street experiences a hellacious evening inside an empty store.

“The House of the Dead” doesn’t value character detail, only giving viewers the basics in temperament before moving on to the next piece of business. Talmudge is a professional guy (in town to attend a plumber’s convention -- now there’s your movie!) managing an insistent lover who wants to spend more time with him, while he only wants sex. Their evening is cut short, with Talmudge speeding off in a cab, trying to return to his hotel and reflect on his life choices, which have been quite dishonest in recent years. He finds warmth and dryness with The Mortician, who offers the guest something to drink and an opportunity to peek at his collection of corpses, with each stiff saddled with a tale of disaster the spooky man is compelled to share. And that’s it for introductions. While anthology entertainment doesn’t require fine-tuning in the personality department, it always tends to work better with a sharper hook to bring viewers into the storytelling, adding some stakes to increase tension. “The House of the Dead” doesn’t inject enough pressure on Talmudge and The Mortician, while played with ideal exaggeration, is basically more of a weirdo than a plausible threat.

Granted, suspense is tempered by idea that The Mortician’s stories are about dead people, which ruins the ending of the segments, but resolutions aren’t really the point of “The House of the Dead,” as there aren’t any to begin with. With only 80 minutes to work with, Miller races through set- ups and payoffs, putting her faith in the inherent oddity of the screenplay, which tries to twist and turn seemingly average routines as they’re hit with abstract events. There’s nothing known about Miss Sibiler besides her hatred of children, but the short tries to transform such bitterness into monstrous activity, failing to explain how the pieces fit together. “Mr. Cantwell” is another head-scratcher, following the titular man, who hates people, into a situation where he’s forced to survive on his own. That this tale takes place in the bowels of an empty store is very bizarre, especially when the basement is hiding a magically collapsing wall loaded with sharp nails, forcing Cantwell to slip out of a Saturday matinee movie situation.

“The House of the Dead” is not a documentary, it’s a genre picture, and these are known for bending reality to a point of breakage. Miller has enthusiasm for the job at hand, instructing her actors to react as broadly as possible to threatening events, but there isn’t a moment that clarifies what’s going on, with some brief discussion about moral choices hardly enough to explain away most of the random encounters found here. That’s not to suggest “The House of the Dead” doesn’t have its amusing moments. It’s clear O’Malley is having a ball with “Detective Toliver,” tasked with generating a Holmes and Moriarty-style relationship between the American and his English rival. However, most of the short takes place at dinner, with conversation, not deliciously evil developments, making the section more about acting than thrills. For a movie that’s short and packed with things to do, there’s a lot of empty space here that could be better utilized for meatier characterization.

The House of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The House of the Dead" does very well with the feature's limited production value, with the movie largely contained to tight rooms and some scattered small town locations. Detail is strong, delivering a full sense of facial particulars and fibrous costuming, with the "Mr. Toliver" segment enjoying more refined outfits for the gentlemen detectives. Sets are also sharp, capturing use and decay, and distances are intact. Colors are tastefully revived, delivering hearty primaries, finding red the dominant hue throughout. More flavorful props, like child Halloween masks, add some eye-catching pop to the viewing experience. Delineation is adequate. Grain is thick but quite filmic. Source is a bit problematic at times, with wear and tear resulting in some judder and damaged frames. Speckling and mild scratches are found as well.

The House of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers a basic listening event for "The House of the Dead," which generally leads with dialogue exchanges. While some sibilance issues are present, performances are easy to follow, hitting horror highs and lows without painful distortion. Scoring needs are met, handled with satisfactory instrumentation. Sound effects are louder, defining threat. Some popping is detected.

The House of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Interview #1 (21:53) features director Sharron Miller.

• Audio Interview #2 (25:35) features screenwriter David O'Malley.

• Still Gallery (1:13) offers a handful of BTS shots, highlighting Miller and O'Malley on set.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

The House of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The House of the Dead" isn't a lost classic, but for admirers of the anthology subgenre, it's worth a look just to see what Miller and O'Malley try to get away with, mistaking minimalism for efficiency, or perhaps production issues prevented them from achieving their vision in full. The segments are hit and miss, with "Mr. Growski" easily the most ludicrous and dull of the bunch (the story consists of the killer enjoying light conversation with his victims before killing them), but it's not a total loss, especially for cult movie fans (and comic book collectors) who don't mind some sizable leaps in logic and limited connective tissue.