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House of the Dead 2 (alternately titled House of the Dead II: Dead Aim[1]) is the sequel to Brightlight Pictures' 2003's House of the Dead. The movie is directed by Michael Hurst and premiered on the SciFi Channel on February 11, 2006. The DVD was released on February 27, 2006 in North America.
Plot summary
Taking place shortly after the original, government operatives, under the command of one of the survivors of the first film, Colonel Jordan Casper (Ellie Cornell), are sent to investigate a new infection that has rapidly spread across fictional Cuesta Verde University. The operatives must bring back a first-generation blood sample from a zombie in order to create a vaccine against the virus, which is spread through biting; however, tensions between AMS and special forces, stemming from the apparent inexperience of the latter, create conflict within the team. Outside parties, interested in financially exploiting the zombies, also cause, second-hand, further conflict.
The parties now face an army of highly evolved zombies that can easily chew through their body armor. Battles rage from the library, to the dorm rooms, to the football fields. Eventually the operatives discover that the original hypersapien is Alicia, from the first House of the Dead film. Despite her survival, it is indicated she later transformed and one of her first victims was Rudy, the other survivor from the first movie.
The operatives are unsuccessful in the initial attempt to gain a sample. The second time around works, leaving only two of them alive. After returning to their armored car, the blood sample is destroyed when one of the soldiers detonates a hand grenade. The survivors return to the city to find it burning, presumably over run with zombies.
Casting
Ellie Cornell returned as Colonel Jordan Casper even though, in House of the Dead, her character died. Casper was inserted during a script rewrite.[2]
One of the soldiers in the beginning of the film is played by Power Rangers Time Force Quantum Ranger Daniel Southworth.
Critical reaction
- "While there are one or two intriguing moments spread throughout the film's interminable 95 minutes — i.e., the zombie virus can be spread by mosquitoes — House of the Dead II is undoubtedly one of the worst horror sequels to come around in a good long while." — Reel Film[3]
- "Whereas [the first] film was so bad it was almost good (at least we could laugh at it), this straight-to-video sequel is just flat-out bad, and unfortunately, it's flat-out dull. ... House of the Dead II commits the ultimate celluloid sin – it's boring." — DVD Talk[4]
- "If you were looking for a movie to show you how generic and formulaic horror movies in America have become lately, you needn't look any further than [House of the Dead II]. ... [It's] indeed an improvement over Boll's original [but it] would have worked better had it stuck to camp and not taken the whole zombie thing too seriously." — Beyond Hollywood[5]
- "House of the Dead II is not as bad as the original by any stretch of the imagination. Is it a good film? Not really. But at least the filmmakers can always claim that it joins an elite selection of sequels which are better than their predecessors. ... It's still a sub-par zombie flick which is too monotonous for its own good." — Popcorn Pictures[6]
- " I'll be kind enough to say that some of the cheeky lines and goofy acting had me at least mildly entertained, but this is all kiddy-level play acting, with a few zombies shambling around in befuddlement. ... I love me some zombies, but this is a redundant exercise in running a video game franchise into the ground." — Mutant Reviewers From Hell[7]
- "[It's] the cinematic equivalent of a rectal exam. Uncomfortable, embarrassing, painful, disconcerting, you just want it to end already, and when you're done you're bitter and sour. And you can't shake that feeling that you've been violated." — Cinema Crazed[8]
Connection to games
The movie is based on the video game series The House of the Dead much more so than the previous film. Both feature some kind of medical facility overrun by zombies, and AMS agents are dispatched to contain it. This movie also shows the 4th game as the AMS agents struggle to break free from the zombies. In this film, AMS agents are dressed up as rogue commandos, and just like in The House of the Dead III, some of them are killed or turned into zombies. Both AMS commandos survive in the ending of the movie, not in the game. The survivors are Ellis and Alex (AMS commandos).
The subtitle for which the film is known is also the name of one installment of another survival horror game: Resident Evil: Dead Aim.
House of the Dead 3
In Mid-2006, a House Of The Dead 3 was announced;[9] however, there have been no more developments since.
References
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