The House of the Dead

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Dave S May 13 There must be something in the Mortician’s Code of Conduct Guide that discourages an undertaker from dragging some oblivious passerby off the street and into the funeral home, followed by the popping open of caskets and explaining to the bewildered passerby the bizarre circumstances under which they died. Such is the premise of The House of the Dead, a very low-budget, late ‘70s horror anthology that really doesn’t offer up very much in the way of horror. The third story involving a pair of world-renowned sleuths has decent production values and has enough going on to potentially hold the viewer’s interest, but the remaining three stories are amateurish at best and agonizing at worst. See more 12/10/2015 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. See more 05/20/2013 Trying to figure out what this movie is about exactly is probably the only thing it offers. Shotty characters, lacking plot, and dull pacing. Nothing memorable, nothing of interest, just another bland film. See more 12/30/2008 Visitor finds refuge from rain in a mortuary and is given a tour of the latest customers, the final coffin saved for him. This inappropriately titled (Alien Zone?) Oklahoma film features frequent QUINCY ME guest star Charles Aidman. See more 08/20/2008 i saw this film twice...under two different titles; alien zone and house of the dead. either way, i'm a big fan of the movie. a guy stumbles into a mortician's place and said mortician tells the lad the stories of the four recently deceased folks in the room with them and how their passings came to be. it's pretty nifty and swell. See more 06/17/2008 here's a fun little horror/thriller movie about a mortician who has a morbid fascination with his "victims". he tells the twisted stories of how his "victims" got to where they are and leads a man to his own death as well. i watched this under the title of House of the Dead which somewhat seems more appropriate than Alien Zone. there aren't any aliens in this whatsoever and it really makes no sense to call it that. all in all though, this is a fun yet flawed little horror gem to watch. See more Read all reviews

The House of the Dead

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