The House on Tombstone Hill (1989) User Reviews

The House on Tombstone Hill is not a bad little horror movie.

[tarbosh22000 · 5/10 · 17 April 2013]

When a group of constantly-squabbling young adults drive out to a creepy old house for an attempted renovation job, they don't realize they are in for a night of horror. It turns out the house was owned by the Leatherby family, the matriarch of which was a cold-blooded murderess back in the 40's. When one of the moronic kids breaks her tombstone which lies on the property, the malevolent old lady comes back to life and begins not just killing the kids, but turning them into some sort of zombie that will do her diabolical bidding. And, they're trapped in the house. Will any of these one-dimensional house-flippers make it out alive? Dare to find out...

The House On Tombstone hill is a nice low-budget regional effort that's a little bit better than you probably think it is. It was released around the time when AIP had some sort of deal going with Troma. So the tape under this title was a joint release from the two companies. Later, when it was wholly owned by Troma, they changed the name to Dead Dudes In the House and found a picture of unrelated homies to put on the front cover. Just why they thought misleading people into thinking there are homies involved in this movie when there clearly aren't any remains a mystery. Where are the promised homeboys today? Were any viewers disappointed when said homies never materialized? Why did they think that (of all approaches) was superior to the movie as it was? All unanswered questions. But back to the movie at hand...

So despite being an AIP/Troma co-release, the whole venture feels very CITY LIGHTS, and anyone who has seen their horror output such as Epitaph (1987) or Hollow Gate (1988) would likely agree. One of the main highlights of THOTH are the makeup and gore effects. They were created by Ed French and his team, well-known in the practical effects world. And they are indeed effective. Without these high-quality gore effects, the movie as a whole would greatly suffer. So while the whole "Old Dark House" theme is certainly well-worn ground, French spices up the proceedings sufficiently enough. Director Riffel does pull off some intense moments, but the pace overall is slow, and there are way too many scenes of characters banging on doors and windows attempting to get out of the house.

The fact that the entire movie was shot at one location - the house - does provide some claustrophobic moments, but it also leads to unneeded repetition. A couple other settings would have been welcomed. As for the cast, they get absolutely no character development or backstory whatsoever. For those keeping track, Bob is the jerk who smokes and drinks and isn't likable, Mark is the blonde nerd, Steve is the redhead nerd, Jamie is the dark-haired girl, Linda is the blonde girl, Ron is the "normal guy", and Joey goes out on a beer run. That's literally it as far as character development goes. If we knew these people just a bit better, we might care about their plight more than we do. But the moments of horror are what THOTH is all about, and they are duly delivered.

The House on Tombstone Hill is not a bad little horror movie and worth picking up if you can find it cheap. But where are the missing homies...? For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

Sweet bloody memories

[dead_dudeINthehouse · 6/10 · 1 July 2003]

The title of the film shouldn't influence you at the time of deciding whether to rent it or not. DEAD DUDES IN THE HOUSE is a good slasher zombie flick, better than the average. It's one of those horror films where you can't say what's gonna happen even when the movie it's about to end. I watched this film for the first time back in 1993 on cable, those where the days where the slasher era was dead. This movie tried to bring to life a more than dead genre.

What it seemed to be an average fun weekend for eight friends turned into a carnage that could be described as one of the most freaky and horrible massacres ever seen. These dumb dudes buy and old house to have a place to chill out, have pre-marital sex, and drink some beers. While fixing and cleaning the old house one of these dumb teens smashes the headstone in the backyard just to immedieately awaken the owner of the house from the dead.

The owner is named Abigail, a woman who murdered her husband back in the 1940's (as seen in a flashback). Now 100 year old or so Abigail is very pi**ed off and she will murder these teens one by one with no mercy.

After getting murdered, these dudes return as zombies just to wander in the house and increment the horror atmosphere. To make things worse, the house seems to have own life and it won't let these dudes escape; in fact the house will provide help to Abigail in order to kill them. You have to watch to believe. Ms. Abigail Leatherby seems to be wiser, and stronger than these dudes. Who will survive from this weird carnage? What's going on with the dead daughter of the owner? Follow the dudes and the dead dudes in this slasher film that starts with a terrible murder and ends a la Evil Dead.

DEAD DUDES IN THE HOUSE provies lots of slasher fun! it's your average slasher to watch on midnight. The movie contains gruesome murders, creepy settings, a creepy atmosphere, and an effective score. As a hard core horror fan I plenty recommend this movie to any horror fan. The body count is ok and maybe unexpected. I wonder why there wasn't a sequel to this hidden gem.

6.5/10

A unique low-budget horror comedy!

[markovd111 · 6/10 · 2 December 2023]

"The Dead Come Home", "Dead Dudes in the House" or "The House on Tombstone Hill" is a unique horror movie. It doesn't really have characters that are all that interesting, but what it does have is a an interesting premise that is done really well, style, humour, gore and a surprising amount of physical fights between the characters. It's a good movie for the genre lovers that clearly had thought and love put into it and I think it deserves at least a 6.5/10, a whole point+ more than the rating currently is. The whole thing could have been even better if the characters were more interesting and the budget was higher. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a good movie that will provide you with 90 minutes of fun, especially if you are a genre fan! If you are a casual though, you won't find anything deep here. It's a fun movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and that's pretty much it...

I finally found it!

[Rio Babe · 23 July 1999]

Like one of the others who commented, I saw this movie years ago on Cinemax (I believe it played back to back with Meet the Applegates)... For the longest time, I have been trying to figure out what it was, because I could not remember the name, only pieces of the plot. Strangely enough, I am not a horror fan, but I just *had* to know what movie this was. And through searching here, I finally found it. Also being titled "The House on Tombstone Hill" really threw me... I could have found it years ago if I knew they were one in the same. And now that it is coming to video to own, I just have to pick up a copy. I just remember that this movie was such a cheesy riot (but I honestly can't recall whether it was purposely bad or not). I can't wait to see it again, a lot of questions will be answered.

lame film on the screen

[movieman_kev · 2/10 · 27 May 2005]

Six friends plan to fix up an old house that one of them bought. But after one moron breaks the husband murdering previous owner's tombstone in half, she comes back to life and starts killing them. They in turn become zombies themselves. But they don't act like typical zombies in the least. Just the opposite some of them are positively chatty. Woulds like "low-budget" or "indy" or "can do spirit" does not translate into a good film. I don't care if someone spent all his money, or shed all his blood to make a film. If said film is a turd. I'll call it a turd. This isn't a total awful film, but it's damn near close to it.

My Grade: D-

Slow and Dumb

[TeenVamp · 3/10 · 3 December 2020]

This movie is waaay too long at 94 minutes. Someone should chop the 15 minutes of nothing out and then ADD the boobs IN! Yep it even robs you of the one chance to see booby lol. Beware.

Flavorless 1980s cheese...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 7 April 2024]

When I sat down to watch the 1989 horror movie "The Dead Come Home", it was actually labeled "The House On Tombstone Hill", for whatever reason I don't know. Regardless, I had never watched the movie, and with it being a horror movie, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.

Writer and director James Riffel had every chance to entertain me, as I had never heard about the movie, so I had zero expectations to what I was in for.

Well, the storyline didn't really appeal much to my liking. I found the narrative to be rather moronic and pointless. So writer James Riffel didn't manage to entertain me with the contents he conjured up for the script. It was a rather sluggish narrative, and it was just oozing with thick 1980s cheese, and not in a good way. There was very little of anything interesting happening as the narrative moved ahead at the pace of a snail, making it a very difficult movie to sit through.

The acting performances in "The Dead Come Home" was not particularly great. The performances were sort of okay, if you can get past the cheesy dialogue. But the actors and actresses weren't really given all that much to work with to begin with. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list.

Visually then "The Dead Come Home" was not a great movie, not even by 1989 standards. And I love how the exterior of the mansion that the people ventured into changed throughout the course of the movie.

As it turned out, then I hadn't been missing out on a particular outstanding horror movie experience here by not watching "The Dead Come Home" before 2024.

My rating of "The Dead Come Home" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

I was the stunt coordinator on this.

[phantom-20 · 7/10 · 11 February 2006]

Bob Griffith (AKA Scott Rhodes) here. Glad to see that many of you have found this film and enjoy it. This was the first feature film that I stunt coordinated almost 20 years ago!!!!!!!!!!! I had a great experience shooting this film. A fun time up in Cherry Valley NY at a great location shooting a low budget horror flick. It was a very tight cast and crew. I remember doing some horseback riding and going to the Baseball Hall Of Fame with some of the cast and crew...And we had a gourmet cook who did all of the cooking and deserts(Some of the best food I have had on ANY set since...OK'Buffy The Vampire Slayer" was close behind!

I have seen it...

[Parca · 4/10 · 2 February 1999]

Nothing impressive. An OK late nighter, especially coming from Troma. Set your hopes low and your satiric spirit high and you will enjoy it, although not that much. So many things are laughable in it, yet it is not annoying, or not that much anyway...

Condemned "House"....

[Mister-6 · 7/10 · 17 May 2002]

Way back when Troma would release anything (okay...they've ALWAYS released anything), this film came out of their vault o'horror with an interesting premise: dudes renovate haunted house, some get possessed by evil spirits, end up trying to kill each other. ...as if you couldn't guess the plot from the title.

Yep, "Dead Dudes in the House" is about as low budget as possible and makes no apologies for what it is. In fact, it revels in its origins and goes for the shock, gross-out and gore from frame one to frame last. Gotta appreciate that; not all movies have that kind of conviction.

But in the end, it all is just kind of left there on the screen. Having seen multitudes of similar films in my day, I hadn't seen anything here that I hadn't before. What I did appreciate, however, was the fact that a bunch of guys with cameras, little money and an idea got something filmed, produce and distributed.

Bless 'em. And bless Troma, too.

Six stars for the "Dudes", plus a star extra for making it this far. Way to go, blood!

Dumb dudes in the house

[Inque · 2/10 · 27 January 2001]

I think the title of the film about says it all. The plot is more linear than "Touch of Satan," but that's not saying much. Main villain is a decrepit old lady played by the lead (male) actor. Whatever bombproof plexiglass the windows of this house are made of, I'm sure the Secret Service is looking into acquiring some.

Long story short, this is one godawful film. That does not mean it cannot be enjoyed. It will ensure that you never undertake a home restoration project as long as you live .Watch out for falling hands.

Finally

[tallman-89796 · 8/10 · 18 May 2020]

Finally found this movie on DVD bluray from Vinegar Syndrome. Saw this movie years ago on VHS and couldn't remember the name but happily stumbled upon it.

Not Your Usual Troma Flick

[lindsaykeaton · 7/10 · 12 June 2019]

While released by gross out distributor Troma, The House on Tombstone Hill (or Dead Dudes in the House in some circles) is pretty different from most of their regular output. It's still low budget and there's a nice helping of gore, but it's a bit more mature and ambitious than expected.

There's a bit more emphasis on creepy atmosphere and mood than on slashing or gore effects. When the gore does show up, it packs a punch, but it's refreshing to see a Troma film that embraces more than just blood, boobs, and silly gross out humor to tell a story.

Speaking of the story, it's your usual "people want to fix up a haunted house and creepy things happen" saga, but these ghosts seem like they might still be alive, including one creepy homicidal granny.

The effects work are better than usual and some moments reminded me a bit of Sam Rami's Evil Dead films. It's definitely a movie worth checking out.

Well made, but still lacking

[udar55 · 5/10 · 19 November 2010]

4 guys and 2 girls arrive at a dilapidated mansion to help fix it up. The house traps them inside and they are all slowly stalked and killed by an old lady from the 1940s. Man, I have no idea how films like this get made. It isn't bad at all as it has lots of gory FX (courtesy of NY staple Ed French) and nice camera work. Plus a cool, atmospheric location. But how did director James Riffell convince so many people to finance and work hard on something so poorly thought out? I mean, some of the staging and early dialog is so awkward and bad. Like they get trapped in the house and everyone tries the doors.

Person #1: "Hey this door is stuck" *fails to open it*

Person #2: "Let me try" *fails to open it*

Person #3: "Here, let me try" *fails to open it*

Person #4: "Let me try" *fails to open it*

I'm terrified when I see scenes like this. I mean, I hope and pray that wasn't written out in script form. Another example: you have a scene where the group is walking together and one person stops to see their missing boyfriend in the room. They stand there and talk and the person never says, "Hey, I found Joey." Yes, I actually want consistency in a movie with DEAD DUDES in the title. The title is a typical Troma tacked on mess as it was original called THE DEAD COME HOME.

They're Dead, they're Dudes, they're in the House!!!!

[cma42 · 30 March 2001]

During my sophomore year of college, my roommate and I rented just about every video from the shlock-horror section of Oasis Video in Salt Lake City. (I hope Oasis is still there). Run back to back with movies like Reanimator, Basket Case, The Evil Dead trilogy and Dead Alive, (plus ALL the Troma we could eat) I thought Dead Dudes was remarkably good. Low budget, funny, kinda creepy, and the best kind of ending:unhappy! I recommend viewing this with a 976-EVIL for maximum horror movie pleasure.

it was a strange one!

[atinder · 5/10 · 29 March 2012]

Now I have just seem it. have no idea what to say about it!

Did not think it was a funny or even that fun to watch ( which I thought it would be) , it was a strange one.

I though it wound be a lot more gory then it was however there were some good gory scenes.

Evil old lady killing teens and then teens come back from dead acting like normal humans and kill there friends.

Acting in this movie was suitable for these kinda of movie.

The evil old lady was A little creepy

I have no idea what to rate this movie at all.

Very amusing gore cheapie.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 7/10 · 24 November 2003]

James Riffel's "Dead Dudes in the House" has to be one of Troma's best.There is plenty of gore,some scary scenes plus a lot of cheese.The plot involves a group of young people going to fix up an old secluded house and falling victim to the murderous 100 year old lady named Abigail who proceeds to slash them up and bring them back as zombie-like killers."Dead Dudes in the House" is loaded with plenty of gore and violence.The script is pretty mediocre and there are some dull spots,but overlook that and you have an enjoyable low-budget gorefest.The scene,where one guy is cut in half by window is a hoot.Check it out,if you can find it.7 out of 10.

On it's way to become a cult b-movie..-

[insomniac_rod · 7/10 · 20 December 2004]

I used to watch "Dead Dudes" almost every month on USA NETWORK. It aired on Fridays at 12 a.m. I regret for not taping it.

The early 90's craziness is present all the way in the movie. Funky music, colorful clothing, cursing, premarital sex, etc. are the basic elements plus Troma's style. Where else could you find a movie about a defunct old lady killer?! Now, this is a whacked up slasher with zombie movies elements. Bizarre is the word to describe this Troma effort.

There's nothing much to know about the plot. Eight friends buy a house for a very low price but they have to fix it in order to set on it. Soon after they arrive, before getting beers and music; one of these idiots smashes a gravestone on the backyard for no reason and suddenly awakens the owner of the house.

The owner is a blood thirsty 100 year old woman named Abigail Leatherby. We are first introduced to her in a very creepy scene where one of the dudes watches her upstairs walking slowly and entering a room. The dude follows her and becomes the first victim.

Then, one by one the dumb dudes get killed by Abigail but later return as zombies! (Evil Dead style). Seven dudes plus an intruder are violently slaughtered by Abigail. One of the dudes decapitates Abigail and that's when the nightmare seems to be over but the ending (obviously copied Evil Dead) set the chance to a sequel.

The deaths are original and fun to watch. The now infamous "window" kill is a perfect example. Not satisfied for cutting a guy in two, Abigail impales his chest and laughs wickedly. There are some creepy scenes that fit perfect with the movie's dark atmosphere. There's plenty of gore, black humor, and cheesy dialogue. It's your typical horror B-movie that has no intentions to become a classic in the genre but still delivers expectations and somehow it generated a small cult.

A year ago i mailed one of Troma's execs. and he replied that a future DVD release it's on it's way... probably in early 2005. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

6/10 A sentimental favorite.

Much fun, better than it looks

[stevenfallonnyc · 9/10 · 26 July 2019]

It's a simple premise - four dudes (and two chicks) go to an old house which one of them rented or bought, where there was a brutal killing a long time ago, and they all get trapped in the house with an old dead woman out to kill them.

The movie poster is funny (I saw the film and poster as "Dead Dudes in the House") - none of these "dudes" are in the movie. And actually, only one of the guys is like a corny "dude" at all - he's a hard-edged California tough-guy type who needs beer, hates when people whistle and is sarcastic to everyone.

The dead old lady killer pops up every now and then to kill one of the gang, and the film almost runs like a videogame, with her being the "boss" of a round - if you don't kill her, you sneak around more, finding and making weapons, and eventually confront her again. And the ones she kills come back to life not as traditional zombies, but as talking and rationalizing undead, who are also out to kill the remaining friends.

The gore is pretty good, and of course this being Troma, there's some laughs in between the scares, but it doesn't get insultingly silly. Two characters in the house actually just kind of disappear without being mentioned again, and we never really understand why the dead old lady is super-strong or why she seems to control the house's actions, but that's all part of the mindless fun.

There's decent suspense, lots of cheesy horror cliches and dialogue, and pretty girls, a decent way to spend some horror time.

This is how actual horror movies should be

[Insomniac_moviefan · 7/10 · 29 April 2002]

Yay! I can still remember watching this movie on a Friday night on USA Network. After watching the opening credits I thought this is gonna be a crappy zombie flick... I was wrong.

The plot is creative : A bunch of teens settle for a weekend in an old house where -accidentally- an old lady awakens from the dead. And that's when things start to get ugly, and I mean UGLY. One by one these dumb teens get killed by the old lady, and them become zombies... Sounds nice eh? Well you should see the ending then. I won't tell more, because you should see this movie if you are a horror fan that appreciates low budget.

This movie is something you've seen, but it has some creative scenes and a primitive direction that will make you wonder "why movies like this are so underrated?"... Recommended for the horror genre fans.

I actually have this movie, now that's scarry !!

[chilli-3 · 18 April 1999]

Eight friends go to fix up an old house that Mark has purchased. Upon arriving they find the grave of Annabelle ( the former owner) in the back yard. She had killed her husband back in the 40's. Bob ( one of Marks friends ) smashes the headstone and awakens Annabelle, this begins the carnage. But the dead don't stay dead and the living can't escape as the house locks down tight to keep them in. Lots of blood and guts right from the start. A must see for the true "B" movie fan , so if you get the chance watch it.

An underrated horror movie!

[insomniac-rod · 7/10 · 24 July 2001]

This movie is pure horror! The plot is simple : A group of teens have to repair an old house, but when one of them hits a grave in the backyard, and old lady awakens from death, and one by one, these teens get killed by the old lady.

Well, you have to watch the movie to understand it. This movie has plenty of gore, and some scares. Any horror fan should watch it.

Surprisingly effective

[Zod-2 · 6/10 · 31 October 2001]

This is how low-budget horror movies should be made. While the story could have used a bit of tweaking for the most part the film was creepy and suspenseful. The old lady is particularly effective. One drawback is the acting, it is a bit below par and detracts from the suspense as does much of the dialogue. There are a few plotholes, some of the dead that return don't go on the hunt for the living humans while most do...why? Also a bit of reason as to why anybody comes back could have been added. Other then that for the budget involved it's quite enjoyable. A silly 30 second introduction to the old lady at the beginning of the movie could have been left out as it does nothing for the film and only made me laugh. If you are looking for a film to scare you this just might do it, but don't expect anything too glossy. Especially good to watch with your girlfriend as she will be clinging to you almost right from the beginning. Rating 6 out of 10. Not too bad.

Enjoyable, low-budget fun!

[mizziah74 · 9/10 · 8 February 2000]

I found this little gem on the video rack under the title of "The House On Tombstone Hill". It sounded interesting enough - a group of people get trapped in a old house with something nasty, which is usually a sign that I might see some cool gore. However, when I read on the video box that this was a Troma movie, I almost passed on it. I was kinda burnt out on Troma's cheesy approach to horror. This movie has it's share of cheese too, but this film was acquired by Troma, not produced by Troma, so there's not as much of it. Actually, I was quite surprised by this film. It's very low-budget, but like most horror films, the low-budget adds to the creepiness of the film. Good gore effects, some decent acting, a cool location (kinda reminded me of Night of the Demons) and a warped sense of humor adds up to one bizarre little film. It's got some boring parts, but for a Troma movie, it was very enjoyable!

Her name is Abigail (Might possibly contain a spoiler)

[Access Sanctuary · 7/10 · 30 April 2000]

Seven friends buy a creepy old house in hopes of fixing it up and having some cool place to hang out. But, they have no idea the history of unpleasant and messy events that occurred in the house. So, in an "out-with-the-old" method of clearing a headstone from the yard, they wake the (late) former owner and her daughter from their eternal sleep. The former owner, Abigail then proceeds to barricade them all inside with no way out and re-paint the house... in blood. And, in the grand tradition of THE EVIL DEAD, they come back (from the dead) to party. Chilling and gory low-budgeter from TROMA is a crowning cut above almost anything else the independent cinema company has to offer. But, be warned, watch at your own risk.