PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Directed by Brini Amerigo, Dead House is the story of an average family whose night is interrupted by a trio of sick killers who break into their house. The film opens as the men are killing and torturing another family. Two of the men, Nibbo (Danny Cutler) and Testamento (Alex Lucchesi), act very sadistic, while the third, Brett (Alex Southern), seems more reluctant.
We then meet our protagonists: a medical scientist named John (David White), his two sons, Paul (James Wiles) and Mikey (Andrea Pascali), and his wife, Elena (Kate Davies-Speak). As the three men enter the house, the family is enjoying a quiet night at home watching a movie.
When Testamento insists on seeing what is in the doctor’s lab, he is attacked by a bloodthirsty zombie-like creature who starts to feed on his flesh. The tables have turned, and the creatures break out of the basement. Elena, Paul, and Brett are on the run, fleeing desperately through the woods from the creatures that are spreading rapidly through the land like wildfire.
As far as positives, Dead House had a continued sense of terror throughout the course of the film. The lighting is well done as well, all shadows and ambient light. The FX artists, David Bracci, Alessandro Catalano and Enrico Galli, did a sensational job on the makeup and practical effects. The monsters, blood and guts look spectacular.
What Dead House lacked, however, was the real depth of story line necessary to keep the film going. The main goal of the villains the entire first half of the movie seemed to be to verbally abuse the protagonists with crude sexual talk. Honestly, there is only so much a viewer really wants to listen to. The highlight of the film was when the zombies finally broke loose. Without a doubt, the film was totally revitalized when they made their appearance. It just took a little too long to get there, so by the time the zombie virus began, the film was nearly over. Dead House is still worth a look for the effects alone though!
