Exclusive Interview with the Screenwriters of House of the Dead 2

Posted By : deadmanwalkin, Thursday Feb,09
Filed Under : General Horror, Horror Interviews, Horror Sequels & Remakes,

Horror-Movies.ca had a chance to sit down and talk to both Michael Roesch and Peter Scheerer, the screenwriters of the upcoming sequel (to the Uwe Boll-less) horror film HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2.

I know HM has a lot of readers who is curious about this upcoming film.. and wondering what it's going to be like.. well wonder no more - cause we got the inside scoop in this exclusive inteview... so read on.

We have a lot of questions to ask about this film but there is one that is burning a hole in my keyboard so I will start there. House of the Dead (orginal) is known to have been panned by many critics. I'm sure it's hard not to notice the reaction of horror fans all over regarding the first film. What do you feel you are bringing into this project that will coax the masses into giving it another try?

Peter: When we started to write the script for HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2, the first movie wasn’t released. But even having no reaction from the public, nobody of the team was happy with the first movie. Not director Uwe Boll, or producer Mark Altman, or any other of the producers. So our plan was to stay more true to the game for the sequel.

Michael: We wanted to get back to the roots of the HOUSE OF THE DEAD franchise. The games are first person shooters, it is all about action. So we wanted to focus on the AMS team, on the anti zombie unit. It is a straight action horror movie.

Did you find the task of writing this film a difficult one knowing what you were up against?

Michael: No, we had a very clear idea in which direction the movie should go. And fortunately the producers and the studio shared this vision.

Peter: It was quite clear that this movie had to be different, so we were free to make a complete new approach and didn’t even have to stay with the characters from the previous script.

Uwe Boll has been slashed to ribbons over House of the Dead. Do you feel that Michael Hurst helming the sequel worked out well?

Peter: Mike was a great choice. He is an enthuiastic director and a horror fan at heart. We´ve not seen the complete movie yet, but what we saw had a more appealing look.

Michael: It is also an advantage that HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 stays more true to the game series.

What sort of feedback have you received regarding this film?

Michael: For the script we had a very good response, from the beginning on. Agents all over town liked the script much.

Peter: The movie is not released, so there isn’t too much feedback yet. But so far the reviews I´ve read in the internet are mostly positive.

This film is supposed to be picking up where the last one ended. Can you give our readers a peek into the plot?

Peter: Oh, that´s only a rumour that the movie is picking up where the last one ended. The only link between both movies is the short cameo by Ellie Cornell – and the zombies of course.

Michael: Our storyline for HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 is that the AMS anti zombie forces are sent to clear a campus overrun by zombies. They are on search for material of the very first zombie, the zombie that spread the whole zombie plague. If they found the material, they could develop an antidote. The idea was to send a platoon to the very heart of the zombie plague, to a point of no return, and then let hell break loose.

House of the Dead 2 is scheduled to be aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on February 11. Do you feel that it's being a cable release will detract from the intended action or gore and how do you feel about that?

Michael: The Sci-Fi Channel is a great place to premiere a movie. We´re fans of all kind of genre movies, and we love the SciFi Channel!

Peter: And if there´s anything to gory for TV, don’t be sad; You can get it on DVD at the end of March.

What exactly is the gore level? What can horror fans expect to see or not see?

Peter: There will be tons of blood, but it´s not a pure blood´n´gore movie, it´s also a straight action horror movie.

Michael: The special make up effects were done by Almost Human – and they did a great job.

Do you have a favorite House of the Dead 2 moment?

Michael: We´ve not seen the whole movie yet, but the big battle scenes between the special forces and the zombies will be fun.

Peter: In our script we had a scene in which one of our heroes must disguise as a zombie in order to get through a crowd of hundreds of zombies. Hopefully the scene works in the movie as well as in the script.

Will there be anything on the DVD release that won't make it to the screen?

Peter: We hope so.

Michael: Lions Gate will release the DVD end of March. It´s a very cool DVD, with a lot of Behind the scenes stuff.

Do you feel that the final product remains faithful to what you pictured during the writing process?

Michael: The final movie is never what you had in mind while writing it. One reason is, that every script gets changed by the director and the producers. Usually you hear in the beginning, that this is the perfect script for the movie. And in the end there is no single line left from your script.

Peter: That´s the reason why most of the screenwriters want to direct their own movies sooner or later. Like we did - with our movie BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD, which we just wrapped.

Video games are known for strong graphics and lots of action. What are some things you had to keep in mind as far as writing this film to keep it within a reasonable budget?

Peter: We have numerous action scenes in the script! We liked the idea of following the AMS anti zombie special forces into their final mission. Because of budget restrictions some very nice helicopter scenes could not be realized.

Michael: Graphic violence, on the other hand, is more a question for the director. For us as screenwriters it´s easy. For example, we write "His head gets blown away." For a PG-13 rating the director would cut away and just show the wall splattered with blood. With an R he could visualize the same line in the movie with showing the exploding head. So the same screenplay could be easily PG-13, R or even NC-17.

Will House of the Dead 2 contain any of the clips from the video game as in the first one?

Michael: No, there will be no video game footage at all!

Peter: The video clips were a desaster so we’re glad that House of the Dead 2 is "video clip free"

If you could say anything you wanted to the fans about this film, what would it be?

Peter: Marines vs. zombies! Great action, great horror!

Michael: So don´t miss it!

This is not your first collaboration. In fact, you have several upcoming films that you wrote together as well as your work on Alone in the Dark. How did you guys end up working together?

Michael: We know each other since school! We started to shoot short horror and action movies on an old Super 8 camera, while we were in high school.

Peter: We both end up working together cause we had the same dream of making movies.

I sense a trend of video game films here. LOL What do you feel is the most difficult thing about transforming a game into a film?

Peter: Most games don’t have a storyline usable for a movie. Games and movies are two different media, maybe even more different than literature and film. So regularly you need to expand the story and the characters, or even change the complete story. But often the loyal fans of the game are upset about these changes.

Michael: It is difficult to expand the story carefully, to make it work for a movie, but not to upset the game fans.

Is is safe to assume that you are both gamers? If so, do you feel that gives you an edge when adapting a game to film?

Michael: I´m not the big gamer, but Peter is!

Peter: It is useful to play the videogames to get a glimpse of the mood and tone of the story, but when it comes to write the script you have to get loose of all the details and create your own world.

Do you feel that most video game fans are happy with the films that are made from them?

Peter: I think most of them are unhappy with the movies based on games, cause the fans have a very precise idea on how the movie should be.

Michael: Because of this the film makers vision often does not match the fans’ vision – and the fans are not satisfied. It´s like if you see an adaption of a novel: If you have read the novel before, you often do not like the movie – because you have own ideas in your mind how the movie should look.

What else do you have on the burner that we should be looking forward to?

Michael: We just wrapped our movie BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD, which we have written and directed. Even without a big budget, we have a great cast: Ken Foree and Sid Haig of THE DEVIL REJECTS are in it, as well as Victoria Pratt of MUTANT X.

Peter: BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD is now in post production and we´re aiming for a limited theatrical release this fall/ winter. Later the movie will come out on DVD.

What film would you most like to write if given the opportunity?

Peter: Right now we are working on some ideas for our next project as directors. Again it will be a horror movie!

Michael: It was a great experience to direct BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD, so we got hooked on directing.

Guilty "DVD" Pleasure. What ís the one film you have hidden in the back of your collection that you love to watch?

Peter: I have some Italian horror/Sci-fi movies from the 70th. They are awesome.

Michael: Does my Paul WS Anderson collection count? No, just kidding. Actually I like Event Horizon and Resident Evil much.

Are either of you readers of Horror-Movies.ca?

Michael: Yes, as a big horror fan, I´m reading several horror websites every day, among them Horror-Movies.ca!

Peter: It´s a great website. If you are a horror fan you have to read this site.

What do you feel about Internet sites like ours and the buzz that they generate? Do you find it helpful to have input from the fans?

Peter: It´s great that there are Internet websites like Horror-Movies.ca! A few years ago, it was much harder for fans to get information about upcoming horror movies. There were the monthly magazines – but nothing in the 30 days till the next magazine hit the stores.

Michael: I agree. I also think that through the websites the horror community got bigger and bigger. And that helped to convince the studios to produce more horror movies. And that is a good thing, too.

Once again, thank you so much for your time and we look forward to seeing House of the Dead 2, as well as more of your work in the future.

Thoughts or comments? ( Comment's ) We encourage our readers to react to the news, not just read it. Leave comments and be a part of the news! You can also keep up to date with all the latest using our RSS feed. Got some Horror news? Send it in

In Related Horror News

Producer Mark Altman talks Hou...
Haig and Foree Together in Bro...
George Romero : Submit Questio...
George Romero Video Interview
House of the Dead 2 & 3 on WII
Christa Campbell Interview, Da...
First Photos of Ken Foree from...
Excl. Sean Bean Interview
Exclusive Disturbia Clip
New Brotherhood of Blood Photo
Dawn of the Dead Bluray Exclus...
Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud on Sci...
House of the Dead WII Screensh...
Exclusive Diary of the Dead Cl...
Movies Online Exclusive Interv...