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Stash House
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEduardo Rodríguez
Screenplay byGary Spinelli
Story byGary Spinelli
Produced byMoshe Diamant
StarringSean Faris
Briana Evigan
Dolph Lundgren
Jon Huertas
Music byLuis Ascanio
Production
company
Distributed byAfter Dark Films
Release date
  • May 11, 2012 (2012-05-11)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[1]

Stash House is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by Eduardo Rodríguez and starring Sean Faris, Briana Evigan, Dolph Lundgren, and Jon Huertas. The film is part of the After Dark Action films.

Plot

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The film begins with a man going into a church. He enters the confessional booth where he tells the priest he would like to make a donation to the church, but before the father can accept, the man shoots himself in the head.

The film then turns to Amy Nash (Evigan) and her husband, David (Faris). It is Amy's birthday, and David buys her a house. Amy, who seems to hate the house, quickly turns to an upset David and tells him she loves it. A happy David shows his wife the security cameras, that watch over 360 degrees of their premises. Amy's friend, Trish (Alyshia Ochse) stops by and congratulates them for being homeowners. She then gives Amy a gift, and quickly leaves for a date with her boyfriend. After Trish leaves, an officer stops by, and identifies himself as Ray (Huertas) and welcomes the couple to the neighborhood before leaving. Amy and David are celebrating when they hear a noise coming from a stove that is somehow in their room. They dismiss the noise as being rats, and continue their celebration.

They proceed to make out in their bedroom, and Amy scratches herself on the wall and goes to the restroom to freshen up. David inspects the wall and finds it to be loose. He takes the walls off and finds heroin stashed in them. Amy comes back, and David quickly lets her know about the situation, and they decide to leave. As they are about to take off, they run into Ray, and tell him about the house. Ray laughs, and reveals to them, that he bet $20 with his buddy that they would not find the stash, before pointing a gun at them. David quickly hits his car, which makes their bikes fall on Ray. The couple quickly takes refugee on the house, as Ray begins to terrorize them. He enters through the back door, and shoots David. As he is about to shoot Amy, she falls on a switch that puts the house on lockdown. Amy then quickly goes to David's aid. Meanwhile, outside, Ray's buddy, Andy Spector (Lundgren) gets to the house, and argues with Ray, for now they must keep the couple alive. As the couple watches the men, David decides to put the stash in trash bags, and give it to them. Amy agrees, and they give it to the men, who throw it on the trash, stating they "do not want that poison". David then comforts a hysterical Amy and shows her that the whole house is designed for drug dealers. The house has bulletproof windows, and is made of metal under the walls. The criminals begin to circle the house, and set up a booby trap. Amy decides to make a run for it, while David distracts the criminals in the front, but David makes a run for it, not wanting Amy to get hurt. Amy looks through the cameras, but before David can make it to the fence, he trips over a rope Spector put. Ray hears David fall in the pool and goes after him. Amy quickly gets in Ray's way, and begins to shoot at her. Ray then immediately puts his attention on David, who has now exited the pool. Amy goes back in the house, and finds Spector inside, who attacks her. Amy grabs a spray for animals, and sprays it on Spector's face, before hitting him with it, and quickly puts the house on lockdown. Spector threatens to kills David if Amy does not open the door. Ray shoots David in the hand, and finds David to be in the outhouse. He shoots through the door, thinking its David, but finds out he only shot a raccoon. David, who was in the other side of the house, runs off. Amy, who thinks David was shot, begins to mourn her husband, as she thinks it is her fault David was killed. David attracts Ray into a line of gas, before setting fire to Ray's leg. David then goes to Amy, who lets him in, and covers him in hugs and kisses.

Later that night, the couple begins to hear something in the roof, and find Ray has climbed to the roof, and is trying to break into the chimney. David tries to close the chimney, but before he can, Ray drops a grenade that gets stuck on the door. The couple runs for cover, but the grenade still affects the couple's ears. Amy, who has become affected by the loud blow, sits and mumbles random things, while David finds and shoots a flare gun at Ray, who gets burned on his neck, and falls from the roof. An angry Ray then begins to shoot at them, and threatens to kill them, before leaving. The couple then sits down, and Amy confesses to David that they never should have left Ohio. David begins to look around the house to find possibilities of what the criminals might want. Amy finds a switch, and it opens to a hidden room. They begin to hear noise, and go to the stove in their room, where they find a hidden basement, and find a man, who is unconscious.

Meanwhile, Spector and Ray find a tunnel that heads into the house. Spector decides to distract the couple, while Ray goes through the tunnel. Spector begins to try to trick the couple into letting him in. He reveals to Amy that David knew the last owner was known as a drug lord who committed suicide in a church (revealed to be the man from the beginning of the movie). The couple then hears Ray climbing through the floor, and they hold him down. Amy also gets Trish's birthday present, and stabs Ray's hand with it. An angry Ray begins to shoot through the floor, which causes the couple to hide in the hidden room. Ray lets Spector in, and they begin to saw through the floor, looking for the man. Dave looks through a peephole, and finds the shotgun all alone, and decides to go for it. As he approaches the shotgun slowly, the man wakes up, and begins to freak out, but Amy calms him down before Spector and Ray hear them. David reaches the shotgun; at the same time that Ray and Spector find the man is gone. A police officer then knocks on the door, and asks Ray, who says he lives in the house, if he knows anything about the flare gun. As Ray is about to answer, David points the shotgun at Spector, and makes the officer think David is an intruder, as the two argue, Ray kills the officer, and then attacks David. Ray is about to kill David, but instead, Spector kills Ray.

A few seconds after, Trish enters the house, telling David she and her boyfriend broke up. She quickly realizes what is going on, but is killed before she can react. Spector then forces David to open the hidden room, but finds it empty. Amy then shoots Spector with the shotgun, and they close the door, leaving Spector inside. While Amy calls the police, David finds the front door with a bomb, which he does not know how to disarm, and then finds the switch, that can unlock the house, has been broken. They remember the tunnel, and try to open it, for Spector jammed the lock. Meanwhile, Spector, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, blows up the wall, and goes after the trio. The old man tries to run, but is shot in the process. The couple is unable to open the tunnel, and as Spector is about to kill them, they hear the police, and Spector makes a new plan. He tells David that he will pretend to be Amy's father, while David hides, for he is the criminal. He tells David that if he is caught before Spector can flee the country, he will kill Amy. David hides, and Spector pretends to be Amy's father. The police buy it, but suspect something, when Amy seems to be hiding something. The two then see paramedics taking the old man, who is still alive, causing Spector to get distracted a few times.

Meanwhile, a police officer unjams the lock, and David knocks him out, and escapes through the tunnel, while a few officers pursue him, but he is able to lock them in, and goes after his wife. The chief of police asks to interview Amy alone, and right when she leaves Spector's side, she tells the chief to shoot Spector, but instead, he tries to calm her down, causing Spector to kill him. David then gets to the scene, and threatens to shoot Spector, causing the other police officers to come, and they shoot David, before he can shoot Spector. Spector then drags Amy to the side, and knocks her out, before turning his attention to the old man. Amy wakes up, and goes after Spector, and wounds him, before Spector can kill the old man. He hits Amy, and is about to kill her but the police get there, and kill Spector. Amy then goes to David's aid, and tells him that Spector's last words were that next time, she should pick the house. The film ends with them going in the ambulance.

Cast

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Release

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Theatrical

[edit]

The film was released in the United States both in select theaters as well as on Video on Demand on May 11, 2012.

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Stash House is a American action thriller film directed by Eduardo Rodríguez and starring , , , and . The film follows a young couple who discover a hidden stash of in their new home and are by criminals until they retrieve more drugs. It was released on May 11, , in select theaters and on , as part of ' Action series.

Synopsis and characters

Plot

The film opens with a man entering a church confessional in Los Angeles, where he confesses his deep involvement in trafficking operations before placing a to his head and committing , splattering blood on the confessional wall. David and Amy Nash, a young married couple eager to start fresh, purchase a foreclosed luxury home in at a bargain price and move in immediately, thrilled by its modern amenities and serene setting. As they unpack and celebrate their new beginning on their first night, they accidentally uncover a concealed compartment behind a bedroom wall, revealing stacks of bricks valued at millions of dollars. Unbeknownst to them, the house had previously served as a secret stash site for a criminal ring. Shortly after the discovery, a group of armed intruders led by the ruthless Ray Jaffe and the imposing Andy Spector bursts into the home, having tracked the property through the former owner who had taken some of the drugs. The criminals hold David and Amy hostage at gunpoint, torturing them for information on the missing stash and revealing the house's dark history as a storage hub for their operation. Desperate to survive, the Nashes activate the home's sophisticated security system—featuring surveillance cameras, remote-controlled locks, bulletproof glass, and a fortified panic room—to barricade themselves inside and turn the tables on their captors. The conflict escalates over the course of the night through intense chases in the confined spaces of the house, attempts at brutal interrogations, and the couple's use of improvised weapons like household tools and environmental hazards to fend off the intruders. In the climax, David and Amy launch a fierce counterattack, leading to a chaotic shootout and hand-to-hand combat that results in the deaths of several criminals, including fatal confrontations with Jaffe and Spector amid the house's destruction. Amy manages to trigger a silent alarm from the panic room, summoning the police who arrive just in time to neutralize the remaining threats and apprehend or kill the leaders. The surviving Nashes, both severely injured from the ordeal, are rescued as the once-pristine house lies in ruins. The 99-minute film maintains a tight, tension-building pace centered on the single night's events within the home's isolated confines.

Cast

Stash House stars as David Nash, the resourceful husband and who drives much of the action. plays Amy Nash, David's wife, a determined survivor who uses intelligence to counter threats. portrays Andy Spector, the ruthless, enforcer-type criminal leader with a scarred implied through . appears as Ray Jaffe, the calculating representative who orchestrates the invasion. Richard is cast as Millard Hanson, the corrupt who sold the tainted house to the Nashes. Alyshia Ochse takes on the role of Trish Garrett, a minor accomplice involved in the criminal operation. The film features a supporting ensemble including Don Yesso as Benz, a thug henchman; William Scharpf as Cop with Crew Cut; and , along with others in brief cameos as cops or victims. The principal cast comprises 10 notable actors, highlighting the low-budget ensemble approach.

Production

Development

The screenplay for Stash House was written by Gary Spinelli as a spec script, which was acquired by and in February 2011. The script centers on a couple trapped in their new home amid a search for a hidden drug stash, thereby emphasizing drug trade elements within the confined thriller format. Eduardo Rodríguez was selected as director for his background in action-horror projects, including his 2005 supernatural thriller and an episode of the Fear Itself. This marked one of Rodríguez's early opportunities to helm a U.S.-distributed . Production was spearheaded by Moshe Diamant as lead producer, alongside executive producer Dolph Lundgren, whose dual role as star and producer shaped the film's action-oriented sequences. The primary production companies included After Dark Films, Autonomous Films, and Signature Entertainment, positioning Stash House within the After Dark Action slate as a direct-to-video extension of the After Dark Horrorfest series. With a budget of $2 million, the project capitalized on financial incentives available for low-budget genre films to facilitate its greenlight. Key creative decisions focused on a single-location narrative set primarily inside the house to minimize production expenses, while incorporating real-time home security technology as a central plot device to drive suspense and isolation.

Filming

Principal photography for Stash House commenced in spring 2011 and spanned 25 days, from May 9 to June 2. The production was primarily shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, selected for the state's generous motion picture production tax credit program, which provided up to 40% rebates on qualified in-state expenditures; the film received $237,234 and $974,638 in such incentives. A single residential house served as the central set, encapsulating the entire narrative environment of the protagonists' confined ordeal. Cinematography was led by Matthew Irving, who captured the film's visuals in color to heighten the story's tension within the limited space. In , editing was overseen by alongside director Eduardo Rodríguez, resulting in a tight 99-minute runtime. The $2 million constrained the production to minimal , relying on practical techniques for depictions of violence. coordination for the action sequences, including fight scenes featuring and , was managed by William Scharpf as stunt coordinator, with Matt Thompson serving as Faris's stunt double. The original score was composed by Luis Ascanio, incorporating suspenseful elements suited to the thriller genre. A compact crew of approximately 50 members was assembled, drawing heavily on local talent to support the low-budget execution.

Release

Theatrical release

Stash House was released theatrically in the United States on May 11, 2012, as a limited run alongside simultaneous availability on (VOD). The distributor, , focused on urban markets and horror/action circuits to reach niche audiences interested in thriller genres. There was no major premiere, with the strategy emphasizing broad VOD access to enhance initial visibility for this low-budget production. Marketing campaigns highlighted the film's home invasion thriller elements through trailers that showcased intense confrontations and suspenseful sequences within the confined setting. Posters prominently featured star in a menacing pose, underscoring the action-oriented tone, and positioned the movie within the After Dark Action lineup as a direct-to-limited-release title. Internationally, the rollout was limited to home media and VOD in select markets starting in 2012. The film carried an MPAA rating of R for violence. Its theatrical debut occurred on a single screen initially, with only minimal expansion thereafter, aligning with the modest scale of its $2 million production budget.

Home media release

The home media release of Stash House followed its limited theatrical and VOD debut on May 11, 2012. , the film was issued on DVD and Blu-ray on October 16, 2012, distributed by Warner Home Video. The releases featured a of 2.35:1 and audio, with standard editions including a trailer as a special feature. Digital availability began concurrently with the theatrical run, with the film offered on platforms such as and Amazon starting May 11, 2012. By later years, it expanded to additional streaming services. Internationally, the DVD and Blu-ray premiered in on August 22, 2012, and in the on September 3, 2012, with subtitled versions provided for non-English markets including , where the release occurred in February 2013. for these editions typically emphasized the foreclosed house and elements of the drug stash plot. As of November 2025, Stash House remains available for free streaming on and for rent or purchase on Prime Video, with no 4K upgrade released.

Reception

Critical reception

Stash House received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with a focus on its formulaic storytelling and limited scope, though some acknowledged its modest thrills as a low-budget thriller. On , the film holds a Tomatometer score of 33% based on 3 critic reviews, indicating an overall unfavorable reception among professional reviewers. The audience score stands at 21% from over 250 ratings, reflecting similar dissatisfaction among viewers who often cited the film's predictable narrative and confined setting as detracting from engagement. Key critiques highlighted the film's reliance on familiar home invasion tropes without innovative execution. In a 2012 review for Variety, Dennis Harvey described it as featuring "pedestrian execution and uninvolving characters," deeming it a passable but ultimately forgettable time-filler despite a decent premise. Conversely, Terry Staunton's 2023 assessment in Radio Times offered a slightly more positive take, calling it a "perfectly serviceable drama with a handful of pleasing jolts" and awarding it 3 out of 5 stars, though noting the plot's lack of originality. On IMDb, the film has a user rating of 4.7 out of 10 based on 3,062 votes, with many users echoing concerns over weak scripting and character development. Critics commonly noted a clichéd plot and subpar writing that undermined the tension in its single-location setup, while some praised the sequences for providing occasional excitement and Dolph Lundgren's commanding presence as a highlight in an otherwise unremarkable ensemble. Audience feedback frequently pointed to pacing issues exacerbated by the confined setting, making the runtime feel protracted despite the thriller's brevity. The film received no major awards or nominations and was overlooked in genre categories such as those from the .

Box office

Stash House opened in limited release on May 11, 2012, earning $787 during its opening weekend across one theater. The film's total domestic gross reached $3,409, reflecting its extremely restricted theatrical rollout. Internationally, Stash House saw negligible earnings with no , contributing to a worldwide total under $10,000. Produced on a , the film incurred significant financial losses at the , with much of its recoupment coming from home media sales rather than theatrical performance. The limited theatrical run was part of a broader VOD strategy typical for low-budget horror films under the After Dark banner, allowing it to outperform some niche competitors in targeted markets but ultimately failing to achieve wider commercial appeal. Distributor Anchor Bay Entertainment noted modest ancillary revenue from DVD sales following the brief theatrical window.

References

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