Creatures

Main series
(Sega AM1's universe)

Creature
Johnny, a creature from The House of the Dead 2.
Species	Human, animal, or plant
Weapon	Teeth, claws, power tools, blunt objects, parasites, knives, axes
Appearances	The House of the Dead The House of the Dead 2 The House of the Dead III The House of the Dead 4 The House of the Dead 4: Special House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

Yes!... these are the kinds of breakthrough results that are possible when experiments are carried out scientifically, without undue mushy sentiment for the human test subjects or other ridiculous ethical qualms...

Dr. Curien's journal entry

A creature (クリーチャー, Kurīchā) is a hostile lifeform that is the result of DNA experimentation. Creatures serve as enemies and bosses in the House of the Dead video game franchise.

They have been produced by multiple parties to orchestrate world-threatening incidents, leading to investigations by the AMS. Varying in appearance, species, abilities, and weaponry, creatures pose an immediate threat to the living.

Because of their scientific origins, creatures are never referred to as zombies in the House of the Dead universe.

History

In 1880, an organization was formed by the ancestors of Dr. Curien, a genetic engineer; Caleb Goldman, the head of a world-famous financial group; and Thornheart, the survivor of a disease and the owner of Scarecrow Manor. Curien, Goldman, and Thornheart would each produce creatures for varying reasons.

In 1998, Curien served as research director of the DBR Corporation. Curien invented the BioReactor system and sought controlling life and death--a goal mainly to cure his son Daniel's terminal illness. Goldman financially backed his project. Curien's obsession and abandonment by his own research team drove him mad.

On December 18th, 1998, Curien unleashed his creatures upon research staff in his mansion; the AMS dispatched the threat. Curien himself died at the hands of his "masterpiece", Magician.

Believing that mankind posed a threat to nature, Goldman used Curien's research to produce newer, more powerful creatures and slaughter human populations with two more incidents: one on February 26th, 2000, and another 3 years after the AMS responded and Goldman committed suicide. These incidents resulted in the collapse of civilization.

Thornheart sought completing Curien and Goldman's legacy, devising a scheme called "Noah's Ark" using creatures to eradicate mankind. Sometime after Goldman's second incident, Thornheart unleashed more creatures upon guests of Scarecrow Manor. The AMS battled the threat, but Thornheart escaped.

In 2019, AMS agents deduced that the EFI Research Facility -- a mysterious building in a desert wasteland -- was the source of the humanity's downfall. Daniel, who was now cured, revealed that his father was to be transformed into a creature named Wheel of Fate. While Wheel of Fate was destroyed, Thornheart took the gene which cured Daniel, hinting at a "true purpose" that Curien did not understand.

Behavior and abilities

Creatures consist not only of humans, but also other organisms like plants and animals; frogs, bats, birds of prey, and insects are often encountered. Humanoid creatures may be agile and wield weapons. They feast on human flesh, but it is unknown if a creature bite will transform living prey, although people killed by creatures have reanimated some time after being attacked.

Lists of creatures

All creatures are named either in game files, print media, or a combination of the two. Kageo, Devilon, Murrer, and Ebitan are so far the only creatures to appear in every main House of the Dead game.

• List of Creatures in The House of the Dead
• List of Creatures in The House of the Dead 2
• List of Creatures in The House of the Dead III
• List of Creatures in The House of the Dead 4 and 4 Special
• List of Creatures in House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

Terminology

The House of the Dead series director Takashi Oda has described the term zombie as "trite", preferring the term creature because the enemies are copied and created. Despite this, some websites and print media erroneously refer to them as "zombies", "monsters", or other terms.