House of 9

House of 9
Promotional poster
Directed by	Steven R. Monroe
Produced by	Sheikh Mohamed Alastair Burlingham Al Khalifa Douglas W. Miller
Written by	Philippe Vidal
Starring	Dennis Hopper Kelly Brook Hippolyte Girardot Susie Amy Morven Christie Peter Capaldi Asher D Raffaello Degruttola Julienne Davis Jim Carter
Music by	Mark Ryder Charles Olins
Cinematography	Damian Bromley
Editing by	Kristina Hamilton-Grobler
Distributed by	Bauer Martinez Studios
Release date(s)	May 20, 2004 (2004-05-20) (Cannes) June 19, 2005 (2005-06-19)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United Kingdom Romania
Language	English French
Budget	$6 million

House of 9 is a 2005 thriller film directed by Steven R. Monroe and starring Dennis Hopper. The film was first released in France at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2004, followed by a limited release in the United States.

Premise

The film commences when nine unconnected strangers realize that they are locked inside a deserted house. As they begin to wonder why they are there, The Watcher (voiced by Jim Carter) who's viewing everything on surveillance cameras hidden throughout, tells the house guests through an intercom that they've been brought there to play a game of survival for The Watcher's entertainment. The last person left alive after this game will receive an award of 5 million dollars.

Each of the nine people captive in the house try different methods of getting out but all attempts are doomed to fail. When they see no way of escape, the house soon turns into a killing fest, until the final survivor remains; unaware of the twist in store for them.

Plot

The film opens up with views of the mansion from camera screens, showing different rooms. These screens alternate with images of the 9 being kidnapped. The film then picks up with Lea (Kelly Brook), one of those abducted, waking up and finding herself in one of the bedrooms. Noticing others in the adjacent bedrooms, Lea begins to panic and runs to the main door, banging on it and shouting to be let out. When nothing happens, she runs to the windows and pulls back the curtains, only to find the windows bricked up. Going into hysterics, Lea runs all over the house, including down in the basement, where she finds a door that is bricked up as well. Going into a panic attack, she runs back to the front hall and breaks down, passing out on the floor.

Lea is woken up by a priest, Father Duffey, who is concerned about her. Lea looks around and sees (in addition to Duffy) 7 other people. As they all wonder what they are doing in the House, the Watcher's (voiced by Jim Carter) voice comes over the speaker, informing them that he has had them all brought them to the House to play a game. The Watcher then tells the 9 that all of their families and friends are being "taken care of" and that they won't be found. The Watcher explains that it is no use trying to figure out where they are, or who he is: he chose them randomly: "not based on who they are, but what they are". Finally, the Watcher announces that they are participating in something of a reality show, only much graver. The Watcher claims that the winner of the game will be the last one left alive. The winner is free to leave the House, and, as "compensation" for their participation, they will receive 5 million dollars.

After The Watcher stops talking, the players start discussing the situation. They first try to use the dining table as a battering ram in an attempt to get out. When that fails, they break up and try to find other ways out. Jay, Duffey, Lea, and another player try to dig when they find what appears to be a hole in the basement, while 4 other players try to break through a trapdoor. Neither attempt works. The players come back to the foyer where they hear a noise from the "kitchen". In it is a small dumbwaiter, which opens to reveal some chicken and potatoes.

Taking the food to the dining table, the players, at first are ready to grab as much food as they can. However, Jay commands that they each only have one piece of chicken and one potato, and save the rest. In order to break the silence, Father Duffey introduces himself, and has everyone introduce themselves in an effort to create a connection, saying that everyone can get through this. Jay introduces himself as cop, and reveals he has a gun, but he says he will not use it. Lea is a dancer.Claire -the player who was drinking - is a tennis player. Francis is a musician and Cynthia is Francis's wife. Al B. is a rapper who insists that he will win the game, wants Jay's gun, and believes everything said to him is intended to be a racial comment. Shona (Morven Christie) is a drug addict with an ankle monitor which the other guests hope might lead someone to find them. Max is a clothes designer.

After dinner, the guests decide to pick bedrooms. There are 5 rooms with 2 beds each. The group decide that Cynthia and Francis, as a married couple, will get one bedroom, and Father Duffey, as a priest, will also get his own room. Later, when everyone goes to bed, Jay and Lea talk about their families. Jay reveals he is divorced and has a 6 year old son. When everyone goes to sleep, an intruder sneaks into Jay's room to try to steal his gun. Jay prevents this, and along with Lea, runs out into the hall shouting. Everyone else runs out and Jay wildly starts shouting and accusing people. As everyone goes back to bed, Jay tells Lea that the only ones he trusts are Lea and Father Duffey: Lea because she was with him at the time, and Father Duffey because he was upstairs praying and would have had no time to run back after. While arguing, they hear a sound they believe to be coming from the main side of the main door.

In order to lighten their spirits, the players, except Father Duffey, open the wine cabinet and begin to have a drink. Lea goes off for a walk, while Father Duffey goes to his room to pray. Jay leaves to sit beside his bed, while Francis also steps out of the foyer, and, having pocketed the stopper to one of the bottles, breaks it in the bathroom, takes some large shards of glass and hides them. Shona, Claire and Max get drunk and leave to go throw up. Meanwhile, Al B. and Cynthia begin flirting and dancing. Francis comes back and sees this, and runs at Al B. The two men fight and as Cynthia tries to stop them, Al B. pushes her. She hits the back of her head on the stone railing - killing her. Francis runs over and begins sobbing, while Jay "arrests" Al B. and locks him in a room by using a pipe found in the basement.

As everyone deals with the shock, Al B. screams in his room, telling Jay to let him out. As Father Duffey goes to give him some food, he bursts out and knocks over Father Duffey and picks up the pipe. As everyone runs over to see what the commotion is about, Al B. hits Jay over and over again, beating him to a pulp. Jay, with his dying breath gives Father Duffey his gun. Al B. slowly backs into the room and shuts the door. The next day, the 6 free players find more food and bottles of wine with a card that says "Good Work". Confused, the 6 players run to Al B's room, find Al B. has hanged himself. Shocked, Father Duffey and Lea stand in horror while the other players run back to grab as much food and wine as they can. Meanwhile, Francis begins to go through a mental breakdown out of sight of everyone else. Shona and Claire get into an argument in their room, and Claire, in a fit of rage, stabs Shona in the neck with a corkscrew, killing her. Meanwhile, Francis(now completely insane) goes to the bathroom and finds Lea washing her face. He rips the light fixture off the wall and throws into the sink, apparently electrocuting Lea.

Claire runs out to the foyer, and tells Father Duffey and Max that she killed Shona in self defense. Father Duffey, fearing for Lea, runs off to find her. Father Duffy first comes across Claire and Shona's dead body. Claire claims self defense because Shona threatened to kill her. Father Duffey goes back looking for Lea and Claire leaves the room as well. Father Duffy finds Lea on the bathroom floor dead. Francis comes in acting surprised Lea is dead. Claire runs for the food and finds Max. She insists that they work together. Max agrees but begins undoing his belt. Francis then attacks Father Duffy, depending on the fact he's a priest means he won't shoot him. Duffy fires a shot at Francis hitting him in the stomach. The sound of the shot makes Claire turn around, which Max uses to his advantage and begins to use his belt to strangle Claire.

Father Duffey runs back to the foyer to find Max strangling Claire, because "she was stealing food". Begging Max to stop, Father Duffey finally shoots Max in the head, killing him.

Back in the bathroom, Lea suddenly wakes up in time to hear the gun go off - she had only been knocked unconscious. Terrified, she barricades the door and runs to the shower to hide, only to find the glass shards Francis hid by stumbling and knocking the top of the toilet off. She grabs one, and tears curtain up to hold it with. Back in the foyer, Father Duffey is asking Claire if she is okay when he is stabbed in the back by Francis, causing Duffy to drop the gun. Francis retrieves the gun, and pulls the trigger, killing Claire. Duffy pleads for his life saying "son, you don't have to do this." Francis in return says "I'm not your son", then uses the last round to shoot Father Duffy in the face point blank range.

Francis begins shouting "I Win! I Win!" over and over.

Lea, upstairs, tries to put the top of the toilet back on, but slips, and drops the toilet's back cover. Francis, realizing that someone is left, begins to go upstairs. Lea hides under the bed and Francis walks in the room. AS Francis searches the room and finds nothing, goes into the bathroom sure she is there. Still finds nothing and turns around to see she is under the bed. He toys with her for a little bit before revealing he sees her and pulls her out from under the bed. They struggle and Lea stabs him in the leg with the glass shard to get away. She runs upstairs to the balcony trying to hide but to no avail. Francis charges her and they both go over the railing and land on the table below. Lea lands on top from the way they spun in the air, and when she gets up it is revealed that the glass shard she had is in Francis's heart as he dies rather quickly.

The front door opens, revealing a bright light with a bag on the floor. Lea walks over, and picking up the bag, walks out the door.

Alternate endings

The film has two endings.

In the first ending, Lea is knocked unconscious by a stranger as she is blinded by the sunlight outside the house. She later wakes up in bed, at her apartment, and confused, she sits up. At first she begins crying, thinking that everything was a dream. She then notices the bag and a small TV set hooked up to the wall, along with a tape. As she looks in the bag in shock, she finds the 5 million. She then plays the tape, and the watcher tells her, over a picture of the foyer in the house (all the bodies are gone and everything is cleaned up), that she just became a member of the world's most exclusive survival club, and he is very proud. The picture then goes to the bedroom, where there are 9 new people lying on the floor. The film ends with Lea staring at the screen in shock, with the watcher saying "Happy viewing..."

The second ending, which is the original ending. As she proceeds out the door she is lead into another House; an exact replica of the last one. In the foyer are 4 people watching her, each with their own large bag of money. The camera zooms in on Lea, a fearful look grows as she realizes that the game is not over yet.

Cast

• Dennis Hopper - Father Duffy
• Kelly Brook - Lea
• Hippolyte Girardot - Francis
• Susie Amy - Claire Leevy
• Morven Christie - Shona
• Peter Capaldi - Max Roy
• Asher D - Al B
• Raffaello Degruttola- Jay
• Julienne Davis - Cynthia
• Jim Carter - The Watcher (voice)

DVD

The DVD was released on February 14, 2006 in the US.

External links

• House of 9 at the Internet Movie Database
• House of 9 at AllRovi