There’s no question about it; Gunnar Hansen left us entirely too soon, and we miss the big guy and his even bigger heart every day. Death House was his passion project. Something he held very dear. Thankfully he’s going to get to be a part of it, and we don’t just mean in spirit!

Director Harrison Smith joined us on Brainwaves this week, where he broke the news to us Gunnar WILL appear in Death House.

“Thanks to the wonders of digital technology, this is Gunnar’s last official appearance onscreen in the film he worked so long to get made,” said Smith; and we’re sure wherever he is, Gunnar is smiling that wonderful warm smile.

About Death House:

Two federal agents fight their way through nine levels of Hell inside a secret prison known as the Death House. A facility-wide prison break turns their flight into a tour of horrors as they push toward the ultimate evil housed in the lowest depths of the earth.

Dubbed the “Expendables of Horror,” the film blasts an ensemble of legendary genre names such as Dee Wallace, Barbara Crampton, Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman, Debbie Rochon, Sid Haig, Bill Oberst, Jr., and a number of other official surprises.

Produced by Entertainment Factory’s Rick Finkelstein and Steven Chase, Death House is directed by B. Harrison Smith (Camp Dread, Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard, 6 Degrees of Hell, The Fields). Smith wrote the screenplay based on an original story by Texas Chain Saw Massacre legend, the late Gunnar Hansen.

The film is NOT a monster mashup of iconic characters. It is an original story revolving around federal agents Cody Longo (Piranha 3D) and Cortney Palm (Zombeavers, Sushi Girl, Silent Night) fighting their way into the bowels of a federal prison that holds the worst prisoners on earth.

The film is a nod toward classic horror but presenting a fresh, new story inspired from Lovecraft and Dante. Practical effects are mastered through the wizardry of Roy Knyrim’s SOTA FX (Gods and Monsters, Ed Wood).

The film’s release is slated for late 2016/early 2017 depending on distribution scheduling.