John Saxon. Why else wouldn't you watch it? Not only does he star, but also directs. "Zombie Death House" was a modest horror b-grade cheapie that I wanted to like more than I actually did. Sure it was amusing and rather oddball, but the threadbare execution doesn't gel with its cartoonish ideas and mangled plot involving many genres / themes. It starts off like a systematic crime joint (interesting montage in the opening credits), finds itself turning into a prison yarn and then hell breaks loose as a genetic virus (from an experimental drug) turns inmates into unstoppable zombies while innocent people find themselves under siege in the prison. Sounds crazy as it throws in everything but the kitchen sink, however in the end it's rather monotone in its developments and a lack of directorial flair (although Saxon enjoyed using slow-motion) really does show it up. Little atmosphere or tension arises from the repetitive situations and the editing is clunky, but still there's a certain raw, brutal edge to it and some moments of pulsating graphic make-up FX offers creatively icky surprises. It's tacky and primitive, but Saxon does a decent job making it tight even though its slow to get going and with the dreary prison surroundings a suffocating strangle hold is constructed. Where it actually surprised though was the performances; mainly those playing the bad guys; John Saxon, Tony Franciosa and Howard George as the head guard. Saxon gives a typical conniving turn as some sort of ice-cold patriotic CIA agent who likes to preach, but it's Franciosa who's the life of the party as a mafia gangster. The rest are acceptable even with Dennis Cole's wooden persona in the lead and the ravishing Tane McClure looking professional. Also appearing is Alex Courtney, Michael Pataki and Ron O'Neal. Formable, junky low-grade entertainment. "Don't touch my twinkies"!

Actor John Saxon graduated to the rank of director with this grisly splatter-gore, exploitation mash-up "Zombie Death House" about a virus that turns death row inmates into ravenous, flesh-eating fiends. Dennis Cole stars as decorated Vietnam veteran Derek Keillor, a driver for murderous mafioso Vic Moretti (Anthony Franciosa of "Across 110th Street"), who has him framed for the murder of his girlfriend and sent to Death Row. Actually, the jealous Moretti drowned his girlfriend Genelle Davis (Dana Lis) in his own bathtub because she was having an affair with Derek. Anyway, after Derek is shipped up the river to Townsend State Prison, he finds himself in real trouble when Colonel Burgess (John Saxon) gives the prison medical team the green light to administer a genetically altered version of a virus called HV8B. Saxon knows a little about horror movies since he starred in the cannibal classic "Cannibal Apocalypse," the seminal 1974 slasher flick "Black Christmas and Dario Argento's "Tenebre." This is good, ghoulish, gory fun.

When I heard about Zombie Death House I was intrigued about it, the one thing that interested me was that John Saxton had not only stared in this but also directed this, he's a great actor that's been in some classic movies like Enter the Dragon, Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street. So I decided to order it because I'm a fan of Zombie movies like the Dead Trilogy, After Death, Zombi 2, Zombi 3 etc, also being a fan of John Saxton was another reason I ordered this film. This film came with a $1000 dollar shock insurance, I thought that was kind of interesting since the box said that this film has been chosen to have this shock insurance since the movie is supposed to contain some really shocking scenes, I've seen Zombi 2 and that movie was extreme with the graphic violence so I thought that this movie must be like that but a little bit more extreme. When I was watching it I didn't find anything that shocking, it was entertaining but not shocking like that DVD said. One thing I found about this movie was, it's called Zombie Death House but there's hardly any zombies in it. There's hardly any screen time where you see loads of zombies, only a few and the scenes are quick. The film manly focus on the main characters in the prison, the film does have gore but it feels tame compared to the George A Romero movies and the Italian Zombie Movie. Zombie Death House actually felt more like a prison movie than a zombie movie, remove the zombie plot and this film could easily work as a prison movie. Maybe that's why it was just called Death House in some places so people didn't think the main focus was the zombies.Zombie Death House was entertaining though, the acting was fine but nothing amazing. John Saxton did a great performance, it was interesting to see him to handle the film has a director and actor. The gore was okay but it wasn't has graphic as the other zombie movies out there.The film sees a man named Derek Keillor who works has a driver for a mob boss named Vic being wrongly accused of murder after being found sleeping with the boss's wife. Derek is sent to Death row for what he's done, meanwhile a government agent is testing an experimental drug on the inmates to see the effects. One of the Inmates starts acting crazy and is sent to the medical bay to see what's happened to him. They find that his skin is starting to fall off, they then inject another inmate with it to see the effect of the drug. During the infected prisoner's execution he breaks out and beings to attack the security guards and soon the infection spreads. The inmates break out and start a riot holding the Warden, his family and a few officers hostage so they can escape, outside the army have the place surrounded so they can contain the infection before it spreads outside the walls of the prison since anyone who has contact with someone infected can catch it. The prisoners try to find a way out since the military won't allow anyone out. With the help of a woman who helped create the virus Derek tries to escape from the prison and clear his name.Zombie Death House is an entertaining zombie movie that may disappoint some who was expecting this to something be like Dawn of the Dead or Zombi 2. Fans of low budget zombie flicks, prison movies and John Saxton may want to check this out. It is a gem of an 80's horror flick. Check this out.

Why watch this? There is only one reason and that is for the greatness of John Saxon. I love his acting. My most favorite appearances by him are in Nightmare On Elm Street 1,3, and 7 as Nancy's father a cop, Black Christmas as a cop, and From Dusk Till Dawn again as a cop. When I was rummaging through my local mall video outlet I came across the film Zombie Death House and I quickly tossed it back but before moving on I noticed that John Saxon was not only an actor in this film but for the first time that I have ever heard of a director. This intrigued me (Also the cheap $9.00 price tag) and I and I had to have it. Upon coming home I realized that this film did not live up to Saxon's other work even his acting, which may have been muddled by the added pressures of directing. But it was not just him the other actors sucked too. It seemed as if they had all been pulled out of a recent porno shoot and told now guys you really have to act. The film even looks of 80's porn quality. I cannot in good faith recommend this film to casual viewers, but if you are an obsessed fan of the 80's who missed out on the culture that came from that era by being born to late, or a fan of crap films than this one is for. Also if you dig John Saxon as I do.