Sega’s House of the Dead franchise is getting a new movie, and it’s in development from Paul W.S. Anderson. Anderson is no stranger to video game adaptations, previously bringing Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, and Monster Hunter to the big screen. However, the director is teasing that this new project will be closer to something else that he worked on. In an interview with Variety, Anderson said that he’s “really going to push the envelope on this one.” The outlet then asked if House of the Dead will be “a full-tilt horror film” closer to his work on Event Horizon.
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“Yes, exactly that. It’s going to be immersive and very, very scary,” Anderson replied. “It’ll all play out in real time, so it reflects the experience of playing the video game. The only time it stops is when you beat the game or you die. That’s going to be the only way out.”
The House of the Dead games have often been on the cheesier side, sometimes intentionally; House of the Dead: Overkill memorably leaned into grindhouse horror tropes. However, it seems like Anderson is intent on playing the concept straight, and it will be interesting to see the overall results. If the new House of the Dead adaptation builds on the horror elements from Event Horizon, it’s easy to imagine the movie succeeding where previous attempts failed. Uwe Boll directed a House of the Dead movie back in 2003, and a sequel came out a few years later. Unfortunately, both were critical and commercial flops.
Despite these previous failures, it makes sense that House of the Dead is getting a second chance at life. Video game adaptations have seen a major renaissance over the last few years, spurred in large part by the success of Sega and Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog series. Studios have been rushing to grab up any video game property they can adapt, and Sega has hugely benefitted; in addition to the Sonic and House of the Dead movies, a Golden Axe animated series is in the works at Comedy Central, and Like a Dragon: Yakuza premiered on Prime Video last year.
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In that same interview with Variety, Anderson noted that the script for House of the Dead is nearly complete, and the current plan is “to shoot in the fourth quarter of this year.” Unfortunately, that means the movie is probably at least a couple of years away from releasing in theaters. That will likely come as a disappointment to fans, but hopefully the director can deliver a film that lives up to the best games in the series. From everything Anderson said in the interview, it sounds like his House of the Dead adaptation could appeal to both fans of the game, as well as casual audiences.
Are you excited for the new House of the Dead movie? Do these comments make you more excited for the adaptation? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Geek Tyrant]
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