The House of the Dead is a video game series created by Sega. It started in 1997 with a game of the same name. Many games in the series were first released in arcades and use a light gun to play, but they can also be played with standard controllers on consoles or with a mouse and keyboard on home computers. For the PlayStation Network versions of games III and IV, players can also use the PlayStation Move controller.

There are six House of the Dead games in the main series. These games began as first-person light gun rail shooters. The main games share similar features, such as teams of special agents fighting large groups of biologically engineered undead creatures. These creatures are called "creatures" in most games and "mutants" in the game Overkill. Each game is divided into chapters, and each chapter ends with a battle against a large, scary boss. The bosses in the first four games and the sixth game are named after the Major Arcana of occult tarot. Gameplay varies between games, with different characters, weapons, and types of enemies. Many games include choices that lead to different paths, special rewards, and different endings based on how well players perform.

Other versions of the series include a virtual pinball game, an English tutorial, a typing tutorial, and a film trilogy. Some enemy characters from the first two games were made into action figures by Palisades Toys. However, the second toy line was canceled before it was released because the first line did not sell well. Along with Capcom's Resident Evil, The House of the Dead helped make zombie video games popular again and increased interest in zombie themes in movies and other media starting in the late 1990s and continuing into the 2000s.

Gameplay

The main way players interact with games in The House of the Dead series is through on-rails shooting. Players must defeat all enemies in an area before moving forward. The first two games used pistols, the third used a shotgun, and the fourth and Scarlet Dawn used a submachine gun. Overkill allows players to switch between different weapons. Instructions on the game cabinets state that shooting enemies in the head is the most effective way to kill zombies.

When players successfully clear an area, they face boss battles. Before most battles, the game shows the boss’s weak point. Final bosses do not have visible weak points. If a boss is shot enough times, it will recoil; otherwise, it will take one of the player’s lives. Most bosses are named after Major Arcana cards and are classified by numbers or, less often, Greek letters.

Some games have branching paths that players can access by shooting doors, objects, or by killing civilians. The first two games included civilians. If players rescued civilians from zombies, the civilians sometimes gave extra lives. The fourth game did not include civilians. In the third game, players could save their partner to earn rewards. Extra lives can also be earned by shooting boxes, crates, vases, or destructible scenery. Scarlet Dawn includes civilians from the first two games, the partner rescue mechanic from the third game, and new features like weapon switching and quick time events.

All mainline games have multiple endings based on the player’s performance, such as the number of civilians rescued, shooting accuracy, score, and lives remaining. Every main game except the last one has a "bad" ending, usually involving a character turning into a zombie. In the first game, the character who turned was Sophie Richards. In the second game, it was Goldman. In the third, it was Daniel Curien. In the fourth, it was Goldman again.

Main series

On December 18, 1998, Dr. Curien, a mentally troubled and disappointed man, plans to use his undead soldiers to attack people who are unaware of the danger. AMS agents Thomas Rogan and "G" are sent to his mansion to stop his plan and save Rogan's future wife, Sophie Richards.

On February 26, 2000, Caleb Goldman, a wealthy businessman and scientist, admits he was behind the 1998 events at Dr. Curien's mansion. He funded Curien's work and starts an undead outbreak in an unnamed Italian city while working on his "Emperor" project. AMS agents Harry Harris, Amy Crystal, James Taylor, and Gary Stewart are sent to stop Goldman.

In 2019, after the world has been destroyed by a disaster, Thomas Rogan and his team of soldiers attempt a failed mission at the EFI Research Facility to find the cause of the planet's collapse and its link to Dr. Curien. When contact with Rogan is lost, his daughter, Lisa Rogan, and his former partner, "G," search for him. They do not know that their mission is connected to events from the past and the origin of the undead. They meet Daniel Curien, Dr. Curien's son, who later teams up with Lisa to fight Dr. Curien's resurrected form, "Wheel of Fate," and his undead followers.

In 2003, veteran AMS agent James Taylor (from The House of the Dead 2 Original Remake) returns to Europe with new agent Kate Green to investigate the 2000 Goldman Incident. After an earthquake, they discover that the undead from three years earlier have returned, locked in a lab. The undead break free and cause chaos again. To stop a nuclear disaster, they must confront Goldman once more.

Shortly after the end of The House of the Dead 4, AMS agent Kate Green teams up with veteran agent "G" to destroy the source of the undead outbreak.

On January 14, 2018, Sega announced House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn for arcade machines.

On December 6, 2006, three years after The House of the Dead 4, Kate Green joins Ryan Taylor, the brother of her late partner James Taylor, on a secret mission at a dinner event in Scarecrow Manor. The event's mysterious manager releases his creatures, causing chaos that spreads worldwide.

In September 2019, director Takashi Oda told Sega Interactive that he plans to create three more games for the House of the Dead series and a first-person shooter if there is enough interest.

Spin-offs

The Typing of the Dead is an updated version of The House of the Dead 2. It replaces the game's light guns with QWERTY keyboards. Players defeat enemies by quickly typing words that appear on the screen. The game includes many challenges. It was designed to help improve typing skills and was praised by critics for its humor and creativity. It was released for arcades, Dreamcast, and PC. A later version was released only for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.

Zombie Revenge is a beat 'em up game released for arcades and the Dreamcast. After a zombie outbreak destroys a city, agents Stick Breitling, Linda Rotta, and Rikiya Busujima are sent to stop the threat using guns, fists, and other weapons. They also uncover the truth about a mysterious figure named Zed. The game includes references to earlier games in the series, such as the Curien Mansion from The House of the Dead, which appears as the final stage. Some zombie sounds were reused from the first House of the Dead game.

The Pinball of the Dead is a pinball game released for the Game Boy Advance. Its tables, bosses, and enemy designs are based on The House of the Dead 2.

The Typing of the Dead 2 is an updated version of The House of the Dead III. It keeps the typing gameplay from the previous game. It was released only for PC in Japan.

A game designed to help Japanese speakers learn English was released exclusively for the Nintendo DS in Japan. Players defeat enemies by translating Japanese words shown on the screen into English. The game uses the DS touch screen and speakers.

In 1991, Agent G begins his first assignment by investigating mysterious disappearances in Louisiana. He meets homicide detective Isaac Washington, who is searching for answers about his father's death. Together, they face groups of mutants in Bayou County and discover that the outbreak is connected to a local sugar plantation owner named Papa Caeser. They pursue him through different locations in Bayou County and uncover a larger conspiracy.

The House of the Dead EX is a lighthearted version of the main games. Players control Zobio or Zobiko, two young zombies in love, who try to escape from captivity. Unlike other games in the series, EX uses minigames for its levels. Some sections involve shooting apples with a light gun, while others require using a foot pedal to stomp on spiders. Each level has a goal to complete within a time limit, shown by long hands moving toward each other. The game uses the Lindbergh arcade system and is the first in the series to include a pedal. It was originally planned for release in December 2008 but was released later in 2009.

The Typing of the Dead: Overkill is a sequel to the original Typing of the Dead game, released for PC via Steam. Unlike earlier versions, it does not have an arcade version. It includes a mouse-based version of The House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut. The game replaces the usual shooting gameplay with typing challenges, using a modified version of the House of the Dead: Overkill engine.

Darts of the Dead is an unreleased darts game based on The House of the Dead. It was trademarked by SEGA in September 2017 and shown on the DARTSLIVEvideo YouTube channel in October 2017. However, no official release has occurred since then.

Compilations

The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is a reissued version of The House of the Dead 2 and III for the Wii. It is mostly the same as the original games, but with a few changes. Players can now use a new melee attack to defend themselves, and the game is compatible with the Wii Zapper.

Film adaptations

In 2003, the first film was directed by Uwe Boll and produced by Brightlight Pictures. It had a limited release in theaters and was meant to become a cult film. The movie was a loose prequel to the 1997 video game but received very poor reviews and made little money from ticket sales.

In 2004, a sequel to the first film was approved but released directly to DVD instead of theaters. The original director could not work on the sequel because of other film projects, so Michael Hurst was chosen to direct. This sequel was closer to the game’s story, showing AMS agents trying to stop a zombie outbreak at a school. However, the film was also poorly received.

Another sequel was planned. Mark Altman, a co-founder of Mindfire Entertainment, said the new film would take a different approach compared to the first two movies. It was also noted that the film might not be called House of the Dead 3 because Sega had not released the latest game version for home consoles. Eventually, Mindfire Entertainment made a film titled Dead and Deader, starring Dean Cain, and did not use the House of the Dead name.

In December 2016, Variety reported that Stories International and Circle of Confusion would produce a new House of the Dead film. In late October 2024, it was announced that a live-action version of the House of the Dead video game series, created by Sega and Wow Entertainment, was being developed. Paul W. S. Anderson would direct, co-produce, and write the screenplay based on the third game. Main filming was planned to start in mid- to late 2025. In February 2026, it was reported that Isabela Merced had joined the film project. Sega stated the movie was a top priority after the success of their Sonic the Hedgehog films.

In December 2025, Uwe Boll announced his plan to direct a sequel to his 2003 film. The new movie will be titled 23 Years Later: Return to Zombie Island.

Legacy

The House of the Dead is one of the mini-games in the EyeToy game Sega Superstars, where players use their bodies to attack zombies. The series also appears in Sega Superstars Tennis, where the mansion is a playable court. There is a mini-game where players must aim their shots to avoid a group of zombies. In this game, the series is called Curien Mansion instead of The House of the Dead because the series is not allowed in Germany.

Curien Mansion appears again in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, where it includes three race tracks. Two characters from The House of the Dead: EX, named Zobio and Zobiko (only Zobio appears on the Nintendo DS), are part of the game. During their special move, Zobio drinks a magic potion that makes him grow larger and then uses his strength to hit opponents while Zobiko rides him.

A racetrack featuring zombies and other monsters appears in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Zobio and Zobiko also appear in this game. The series is still called Curien Mansion here.

In Project X Zone, a character named Rikiya Busujima from Zombie Revenge appears, and the game includes references to The House of the Dead. In the mobile RPG game SEGA Heroes, characters from The House of the Dead—Dr. Curien, Agent G, Thomas Rogan, and Ebitan—are playable. This is the only crossover game that does not use the name Curien Mansion.

According to Kim Newman in his book Nightmare Movies (2011), the popularity of zombies increased in the Far East during the late 1990s, influenced by Japanese zombie games like Resident Evil and The House of the Dead. These games inspired many Asian zombie movies, such as Bio Zombie (1998) and Versus (2000). The success of these games led to more zombie films in the West during the 2000s, including 28 Days Later (2002) and Shaun of the Dead (2004). In 2013, George A. Romero said that Resident Evil and The House of the Dead helped spread his zombie idea to a wider audience.

The House of the Dead is also credited with creating a new type of zombie that runs quickly, different from the slow-moving zombies created by George A. Romero. These fast zombies became popular in movies and games during the 2000s, including Resident Evil, The House of the Dead film, 28 Days Later, and Dawn of the Dead (2004).

In the 52nd animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Wreck-It Ralph, a zombie with a hatchet based on a character named Cyril appears in a group of video game villains called Bad-Anon. The zombie tells Wreck-It Ralph that labels do not define happiness and that he should accept himself.