Death House
Death House is a 2017 American horror film directed and co-written by B. Harrison Smith, with the story credited to Gunnar Hansen. Set in a secret underground prison facility known as the Death House, the film follows two FBI agents who become trapped during a power outage and must battle escaped inmates and supernatural entities to survive. It features an ensemble cast of prominent horror genre actors, blending action, crime, and supernatural horror elements in a narrative often compared to an all-star horror tribute.[1] The plot centers on FBI agents Toria Boon, played by Cortney Palm, and Jae Novak, played by Cody Longo, who arrive at the Death House for an exclusive tour of its nine subterranean levels, which house the nation's most notorious and psychopathic criminals. A sudden blackout triggers a prison-wide riot, allowing inmates led by the sadistic Alois Sieg (Kane Hodder) to break free and unleash chaos. As Boon and Novak fight their way through the facility's labyrinthine corridors, they encounter deranged prisoners including the cannibalistic inmates and the voodoo-practicing Farmer Asa (Tony Todd), while descending to the prison's lowest level where they confront a malevolent demonic force that offers a twisted path to escape. The story incorporates vignettes of the inmates' backstories, highlighting their monstrous natures, and culminates in a battle against otherworldly evil.[2] Production on Death House began as a concept by Gunnar Hansen, the actor known for portraying Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, who envisioned a film uniting horror icons in a high-stakes survival scenario akin to The Expendables for the genre. Smith, making his feature directorial debut after working in visual effects, assembled a cast featuring veterans such as Dee Wallace as Dr. Eileen Fletcher, Barbara Crampton as Dr. Karen Redmane, Sid Haig as Icicle Killer, Bill Moseley as Hirace Giger, Michael Berryman as Crau, and Adrienne Barbeau as Virtual Narrator, alongside cameos from Hansen himself, Lloyd Kaufman, and Camille Keaton. The film was produced by Steven Chase and Rick Finkelstein under Dark Coast Entertainment and Entertainment Factory, with a runtime of 95 minutes.[2][3] Death House premiered at the Central Florida Film Festival on September 2, 2017 and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on February 23, 2018, distributed by Cleopatra Entertainment. It grossed approximately $22,000 at the domestic box office. Critical reception was largely negative, with the film holding a 33% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews, praised for its nostalgic cast but criticized for incoherent storytelling, weak pacing, and underdeveloped characters. Audience scores were similarly low at 38%, though some fans appreciated the over-the-top gore and icon cameos. The movie later became available for streaming on platforms like Netflix in May 2019.[1][3]Synopsis
Plot
The Death House is a secret nine-level underground prison designed to house the world's most dangerous criminals, including serial killers, terrorists, and supernatural entities, with each level descending deeper into Dante's Inferno-inspired torment through advanced virtual reality holodecks that simulate the inmates' pre-capture environments while hallucinogenic gases maintain their compliance.[2][4] The film opens with FBI agent Toria Boon confronting and executing, via holographic simulation, a serial killer who murdered her mother. Boon and her partner Jae Novak arrive at the facility for a tour, guided by scientists Dr. Eileen Fletcher and Dr. Karen Redmane. A power failure, caused by a device planted by a young boy at the behest of inmate Alois Sieg, triggers a prison-wide riot orchestrated by the neo-Nazi leader Sieg, who rallies the prisoners to seize control and free the most heinous occupants from the ninth level.[2] As chaos erupts, Boon and Novak separate from the scientists and navigate the darkening corridors, encountering brutal gangs of inmates including cannibals, cultists, and mercenaries, while fighting to reach an escape route amid massacres of the staff. Their journey leads to confrontations with the notorious Five Evils—immortal supernatural prisoners whose unleashed presence amplifies the facility's nightmarish horrors.[4][5] As the agents battle deeper into the prison, fragmented visions and encounters reveal suppressed memories: Boon and Novak discover they are actually former prisoners whose memories have been suppressed and replaced with false identities as FBI agents through the facility's experimental mind-control program.[2] Guided by a rogue inmate, they piece together their past crimes and the facility's role in weaponizing criminals via virtual reality simulations that blur reality and illusion, forcing them to question every encounter as potentially fabricated. In the climactic sequence, Boon and Novak activate the facility's kill-switch, causing Sieg to disintegrate from exposure to toxic gas while the Five Evils escape; the agents then fight their way out as the facility shuts down. Emerging from the collapsing facility into the real world above ground, the agents, now aware of their true origins as former prisoners, resolve to uncover their real identities, leaving the prison's subterranean abyss in ruins behind them.Cast
The film Death House boasts an ensemble cast of prominent horror genre icons, assembled to portray federal agents, prison staff, and inmates within its dystopian narrative.[6] The leads are portrayed by Cortney Palm as FBI Agent Toria Boon and Cody Longo as FBI Agent Jae Novak; Longo's performance marked his final film role before his death in 2023 at age 34 from chronic ethanol abuse.[6][7] Key supporting roles feature Kane Hodder as the menacing inmate Sieg, Bill Moseley as Giger, Barbara Crampton as Dr. Karen Redmane, Dee Wallace as Dr. Eileen Fletcher, Sid Haig as Icicle Killer, and Tony Todd as Farmer Asa.[6][8] Additional notable actors include Camille Keaton as Kristi Boon, Gunnar Hansen in a cameo as an unnamed prisoner—Hansen's posthumous final role following his death in 2015—Vernon Wells as Nela, and Michael Berryman as Crau.[6][9]| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Cortney Palm | Agent Toria Boon |
| Cody Longo | Agent Jae Novak |
| Kane Hodder | Sieg |
| Bill Moseley | Giger |
| Barbara Crampton | Dr. Karen Redmane |
| Dee Wallace | Dr. Eileen Fletcher |
| Sid Haig | Icicle Killer |
| Tony Todd | Farmer Asa |
| Camille Keaton | Kristi Boon |
| Gunnar Hansen | Prisoner |
| Adrienne Barbeau | Virtual Narrator (voice) |
| Vernon Wells | Nela |
| Michael Berryman | Crau |