Movie References in VCD's House of Horror

A list of the movie references found in the Viscera Cleanup Detail level "House of Horror."

About This Guide

Welcome to the Adams house, where all the famous slasher flicks of the 1980's are getting together on Halloween night and having a party. You're invited too!

This guide attempts to list all of the references to movies and movie franchises in the "House of Horror" level for Viscera Cleanup Detail. There are a few non-movie references too.

Only the first movie in a franchise is listed, even though some of the references (like Jason Voorhees' hockey mask) don't appear until subsequent movies.

Note that, in addition to containing big spoilers for the "House of Horror" level, this guide may also contain spoilers for the listed movies. Particularly spoilery movie spoilers have been put under spoiler cuts. (How many times can I say 'spoiler' in one paragraph?)

Psycho (1960)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

• The woman's body stabbed to death in a shower (found in the 2nd floor bathroom) may be a reference to the same in the film.
  
  Thanks to Icarus for the tip.

The Exorcist (1971)

Directed by William Friedkin

• The name Father Lankester Merrin (the signature on a letter found in the back yard), referring to the character Father Lankester Merrin

The Omen (1976)

Directed by Richard Donner

• The name of victim David Warner (found in the altar room), referring to the character Keith Jennings played by David Warner

Halloween (1978)

Directed by John Carpenter

• Violent murders at a suburban home on Halloween
  
• The Steam achievement "Harroween"
  
• The white mask (found in the garage)
  
• The butcher knife (found in the garage)

Friday the 13th (1980)

Directed by Sean S. Cunningham

• The Steam achievement "Thursday the 12th"
  
• The hockey mask (found on the way to the cabin)
  
• The machete (found on the way to the cabin)
  
• The first name of family member Jason Adams (mentioned in letters found in the kitchen, dining room, and attic), referring to the character Jason Voorhees
  
• The name of a camp called Crystal Lake (mentioned in letters found in the kitchen and attic)
  
• The team name "Crystal Lake Bobcats," on all of the red-and-white letterman jackets and cheerleader outfits (found on victims throughout the level)
  
• The name Pamela Vorhees (the signature on a letter found in the cabin cellar), referring to the character Pamela Voorhees
  
• The name of victim Jack Bacon (found in the stairs from the first to the second floor), referring to the character Jack (no last name) played by Kevin Bacon
  
• The name of victim Steve Christy (found in the master bedroom) and the name of victim Ron "The Bullfrog" Brouwer (found in the kitchen), referring to the character Steve Christy played by Peter Brouwer
  
• The date that Mr. Adams' subscription expires is Friday the 13th (mentioned in a letter found in the cabin cellar)

The Shining (1980)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

• The Steam achievement "The Shimmering"
  
• The axe (found in door to second floor bathroom) and its bathroom door location
  
• The word "REDRUM" (found on the wall of the unfinished basement room)
  
• The name Jack Nicholson (the signature on a letter found in the dining room), referring to the character Jack Torrance played by Jack Nicholson
  
• The name of victim Wendy Duvall (found in second floor bathroom), referring to the character Wendy Torrance played by Shelley Duvall
  
• The name of victim Rick Hallorann (found in second floor bathroom), referring to the character Rick Halloran [Note that to avoid obscenity filters, I've had to change his name to "Rick" in this guide, but it's the other common nickname for Richard.]
  
• The name of family member and victim Johnny Adams (found in the attic and mentioned in kitchen and master bedroom letters), possibly referring to the famous "Here's Johnny!" quote
  
• The name of family member Danielle Adams (mentioned in letters found in the kitchen, master bedroom, and attic), possibly referring to the character Danny Torrance played by Danny Lloyd

The Evil Dead (1981)

Directed by Sam Raimi

• A cabin in the woods [Not originally in the back yard of a suburban home, but hey.]
  
• The Steam achievement "Wicked Unliving"
  
• The chainsaw (found in the cabin cellar)
  
• The shotgun / boomstick (found in the cabin main room)
  
• The cursed hand (found in the cabin main room)
  
• The evil book / The Necronomicon (found in the altar room)
  
• The canned food "Ash Williams Gourmet Range Meatballs and Cream Sauce" (found throughout the level), referring to the character Ash Williams
  
• The book "Troubleshooting Corrupt Limbs & Appendages" by Mr. Spruce Cramwell (found in the living room and master bedroom), referring to the possessed hand belonging to Ash Williams played by Bruce Campbell
  
• The whirling portal (found in the cabin cellar)
  
• The deer head (found above the fireplace in the cabin) that starts laughing maniacally if you get close

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Directed by Wes Craven

• The Steam achievement "Bad Dreams on Helm Street"
  
• The clawed glove (found in the master bedroom)
  
• The name of victim Nancy Langenkamp (found in the master bedroom), referring to the character Nancy Thompson played by Heather Langenkamp
  
• A bed as the location of victim Nancy Langenkamp's body
  
• The name of victim Tina Gray (found in the bedroom with the door to the attic), referring to the character Tina Gray
  
• The name of victim Rod Lane (found in the closet of the bedroom with the closet), referring to the character Rod Lane
  
• The team name "North Elm Botflies," on all of the blue letterman jackets and cheerleader outfits (found on victims throughout the level)
  
• The book "How To: Invade Dreams" (found in the living room and master bedroom)
  
• The canned food "Craven Finest Baked Beans" (found throughout the level), referring to director Wes Craven

Re-Animator (1985)

Directed by Stuart Gordon

• The book "Re-Animating the Dead" by Dr. Herbert West (found in the living room and master bedroom)

Witchboard (1986)

Directed by Kevin Tenney

• The "Voodja" board (found in the attic)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Directed by Jonathan Demme

• The book "Cooking for Two: A Cannibal's Guide" by Dr. H. Lecter (found in the living room and master bedroom), referring to the name and culinary habits of Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Dead Alive (1992)

Directed by Peter Jackson
(Also known as "Braindead" outside of the United States.)

• The lawnmower and the state of one of the bodies found near it (found in the shed)

Thanks to O'Nesix for the tip.

Fargo (1996)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

• The wood chipper (found in the back yard) and its use in disposing of bodies

Scream (1996)

Directed by Wes Craven

• "Two (2) Ghostface masks," mentioned in a letter (found in the cabin cellar) [noteworthy that there are two]
  
• The canned food "Craven Finest Baked Beans" (found throughout the level), referring to director Wes Craven
  
• The specific location of Samantha Morgan's body (found in the garage) reflects where Tatum was killed. Thanks to Agentdezar0 for the tip.

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Directed by Peter Jackson

• The ring (found on the wood pile near the cabin) and the special effects when it is picked up. The wearer is invisible in multi-player mode.

The Ring (2002)

Directed by Gore Verbinski

• The name of victim Samantha Morgan (found in the garage), probably refering to the character Samara Morgan

Thanks to LLF Llamas for the tip.

H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos

While H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos isn't a movie, there are enough references to it in House of Horror that it gets its own category.

• A book that appears to be The Necornomicon (found in the altar room) as seen in the movie The Evil Dead [see above]
  
• The idol of Cthulhu (found in the altar room)
  
• A Cthulhu version of Leonardo DaVinci's painting "The Last Supper" (found in the dining room); get too close and the painting changes
  
• The book "Re-Animating the Dead" by Dr. Herbert West (found in the living room and master bedroom), referring to the story "Herbert West, Re-Animator" by H.P. Lovecraft and the movie Re-Animator [see above]
  
• The drawing with tentacles coming out of the sea (found on the refrigerator)
  
• "One (1) hooded black robe w/ green 'Elder God' embossing," mentioned in a letter (found in the cabin cellar)

Miscellaneous

The one-off little references to things other than movies.

• The family name "Adams" (victim Johnny Adams and mentioned in several letters) likely refers to The Addams Family, a 1964 - 66 TV sitcom based on cartoons by Charles Addams (the theme song described them as "creepy and ... kooky")
  
• The painting in the dining room is Leonardo DaVinci's "The Last Supper" [see screenshot at right]
  
• The name of the company "The Cask of Amontillado" (mentioned in three letters) is the title of a short story by Edgar Allan Poe
  
• The name of victim Greg Fairbanks (found in the main basement room) might refer to the character Greg Fairbanks in the comic book series and TV series The Walking Dead - thanks to Festive Maximus for the tip
  
• "The tall man with the white face at the playground" (mentioned in the letter in Jason's bedroom) is a possible reference to the Slender Man, an internet-created bogeyman - thanks to KILLAKAN10 for the tip
  
• Allison Crowley, author of the book "26 Years on Ministry Without Suspicion", refers to real-world occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947)
  
• The name of victim Peter Carroll (found by the front porch) might refer to real-world occultist Peter J. Carroll (1953 -)
  
• The name of victim Alice Parker (found in the living room) might refer to real-world Salem Witch Trials victim Alice Parker (? - 1692) - thanks to Festive Maximus for the tip
  
• The name of victim James Sunderland (found by the back porch) refers to James Sunderland, the main character in the video game Silent Hill 2 - thanks to Brain Problems for the tip
  
• The name of the Holy Ghost Ministries church (mentioned in a letter found in the back yard) might refer to one of several real-life Holy Ghost Ministries - thanks to Festive Maximus for the tip
  
• The name Joanna Vamprus of VHS Palace (the signature on a letter found in the master bedroom) might refer to horror hostesses such as Vampira and Elvira
  
• The Rook's Keep poster (found in the bedroom with the closet) and bedspreads (found in both back bedrooms) refers to the video game Rook's Keep, also developed by VCD's developer Runestorm

Missing References

Not everything in the level has to be a movie reference. The sofa in the living room is probably there because living rooms usually have sofas. And that's okay.

But it's likely that I missed some references too. So if you spotted something that I didn't, drop a note in the comments and I'll add it to this guide.

Looking for a place to start? Take a look at some of the names listed below and see if they seem familiar. (They're the victim names I couldn't spot a reference for.) Or the next time you're cleaning the Adams house, take another look at the paintings on the walls to see if you recognize them. (There's one in the second floor hallway that looks familiar.) Or re-watch your favoite '80's horror movies to see if the car comes from one of them. (It's not Christine.) However you want to help, I appreciate it.

Victim Names (Reference Unknown)

• Mark Bartram (found in main basement room)
  
• Ron Brouwer [The Bullfrog] (found in the kitchen) (also mentioned in attic letter)
  
• Edmond Crosby (found in the unfinished basement room)
  
• Sarah Hayes (found in the back yard)
  
• Howard Larson (found in the cabin cellar)
  
• Alfred Marlow (found on the way to the cabin)
  
• James Nelson (found in the dining room) (also mentioned in attic letter)
  
• Adrian Oscar (found in the tool shed)
  
• Andrew Palmer (found in the garage)
  
• Tony Peters (found in the cabin main room)
  
• Mathew Robertson (found in the tool shed)
  
• Lara Shaw (found in the altar room)
  
• Jacob Stevens (found in the cabin main room)
  
• Kevin Taylor (found on the left side of house)
  
• Jeanna Thompson (found in the attic) (also mentioned in kitchen and attic letters)
  
• Heather Tierney (found in the living room)
  
• Fred Turner (found in the altar room)
  
• Rufus Turner (found in the living room) (also mentioned in attic letter)
  
• Samuel Walters (found in the altar room)
  
• Edgar Watch (found in the altar room)

Other Unknown References

• The team name "Valley High Ducks," on all of the yellow-and-white letterman jackets and cheerleader outfits (found on victims throughout the level)

Helpful Links

These pages were particularly helpful when compiling this guide:

• Here on Steam, Vic=HKC='s "House of Horror: Map" is so much more than a map. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=548351422
  
• The Viscera Cleanup Detail Wiki's House of Horror page
  
  http://viscera-cleanup-detail.wikia.com/wiki/Viscera_Cleanup_Detail:_House_of_Horror

[6lancmange]

It might be a stretch, but Andrew Palmer's last name coooould be a reference to Laura Palmer, who was killed in Twin Peaks!

[6lancmange]

I think the Voodja board might just be a reference to the Ouija board, without needing a movie for that.
Great guide!

[yabramble]

I'm surprised there isn't a Jennifer's Body reference in there

[Hamboy]

There's a paper that contains a list of fake VHS movies, one of the titles is "Valley of a Thousand Corpses" which is probably a reference to Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses. There's also a paper that says "Those damn 'Botflies' are sure to come and crash the party with their shit" which reminded me of the "Fireflies" from the same movie, could be a loose reference, that one is probably just a stretch though.

[silverfistpugilist]

May be a stretch but the bathroom downstairs reminds me of the poltergeist face peel scene?

[Aibohphobia]

Nice catch, Agentdezar0! Added. (Sorry it took so long.)

[Agentdezar0]

The position of Samantha Morgan's body (in the garage) could be a reference to the death of the character Tatum in Scream, but i could be wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYmIIbYoH0 (a clip of the scene)

[Aibohphobia]

Excellent, three references! Thanks so much for your help, Festive Maximus!

[Kuro Max]

Oh, and one last thing.
The "Holy Ghost Ministry" is a real thing. It's an actual church in real life.

[Kuro Max]

Alice Parker was a victim of the Salem Witch Trials.
Would probably just be coincidence, seeing as how it's a common sort of name.