The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes features several famous actors such as Nick Tarabay, Ashley Tisdale, and Clare McConnell. Some of the actors are not as well known, while others, like Tisdale, are breaking into the horror genre for the first time. House of Ashes has an intimate cast of talented, recognizable actors that make the game interesting and the morally questionable choices that much more difficult to make.
Along with a brand new cast for this installment in The Dark Pictures Anthology, Pip Torrens returns as the curator in the enjoyable tale of House of Ashes. Each of The Dark Pictures Anthology games has included Torrens as the curator, who acts as a guide to players as they move through each chapter. Torrens is the only returning character in House of Ashes, but he's far from being the only famous face in the game.
Saving everyone in House of Ashes is even more rewarding when considering the performances given by each actor. The characters are flawed but relatable, and their strong need to survive comes through in their believable personalities and the intense moments that threaten to end them. House of Ashes wouldn't be as enjoyable, emotional, or thrilling without its talented cast.
House Of Ashes: Ashley Tisdale As Rachel King
Although new to the horror genre, Ashley Tisdale has had a long and successful career. She is most known for her Disney Channel roles in such as Sharpay Evans in all three High School Musical movies, Candace Flynn in Phineas and Ferb, or Maddie Fitzpatrick in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Her role as Rachel King in House of Ashes is far from what fans are used to seeing her in, but she does an excellent job of making her character dynamic and enjoyable to play as.
House Of Ashes: Alex Gravenstein As Eric King
Alex Gravenstein portrays one of the playable characters in House of Ashes, Eric King. Gravenstein has played a variety of minor roles, including a NASA tech in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. He was also a voice actor for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, so he has some experience voicing video game characters. In House of Ashes, he plays Eric King, an Air Force officer, and estranged husband to Tisdale's Rachel King. The conflict between Eric and Rachel is well executed throughout the game thanks to the performances given by Gravenstein and Tisdale.
House Of Ashes: Clare McConnell As Clarice Stokes
Clarice Stokes isn't a playable character in House of Ashes, but Clare McConnell makes her one of the most memorable characters in the game. She plays a physicist that eventually falls ill, and players must decide how to handle her being infected. The choices surrounding Clarice are some of the hardest decisions to make in House of Ashes.
Clare McConnell is most known for her role as Dennas in Star Trek: Discovery, and she appears in a variety of additional television series such as Murdoch Mysteries and American Gods. McConnell also has some experience voice acting for video games as she provided her voice in 2015's Rainbow Six: Seige. Her role in House of Ashes showed that she is able to stand out even as a non-playable character.
House Of Ashes: Pip Torrens As the Curator
The curator has been featured in every installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology, including Man of Medan and Little Hope. Pip Torrens acts as both a guide and a chronicler of all the choices players have made while moving through the story in House of Ashes. Torrens is recognized for his roles in films such as Pride & Prejudice, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. In House of Ashes, Torrens constantly makes players second guess their choices and often suggests that players approach each new situation with caution.
House Of Ashes: Nick Tarabay As Salim Othman
House of Ashes' Salim Othman, played by Nick Tarabay, is a playable high-ranking soldier in the Elite Iraqi Republican Guard, and he gets trapped with the American soldiers. The conflict between Salim and the others creates intense situations and difficult choices that can potentially lead to an unexpected, and somewhat strained, friendship between Salim and other characters. However, the conflict can also lead to early deaths if players aren't careful.
Nick Tarabay has been featured in titles such as Star Trek: Into Darkness, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and the widely popular DC television series, Arrow. Tarabay also has video game roles as The Butcher in 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Haluk in Anthem. Salim Othman is an interesting, conflicted character in House of Ashes that Nick Tarabay brings to life.
House Of Ashes: Paul Zinno As Jason Kolchek
Jason Kolchek is the squad leader of Mailman 2-1 in House of Ashes and is played by Paul Zinno. Jason is one of the playable characters and initially has a big problem with Salim, but the two can resolve their issues if players make the right choices. Zinno's portrayal of Jason fits well as players uncover the truth about his personality and beliefs. Zinno has had minor roles in several television series such as Future Man and Transplant.
House Of Ashes: Moe Jeudy-Lamour As Nick Kay
Nick Kay is one of the five playable characters with several unique deaths in Hosue of Ashes. Kay is voiced by Moe Jeudy-Lamour who has recently appeared in Ted Lasso and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. Moe Jeudy-Lamour has also had small roles in popular movies like X-Men: Days of Future Past and Immortals. Nick Kay in House of Ashes is part of the squad commanded by Jason Kolchek, and he is also secretly seeing Rachel King behind Eric King's back.
House Of Ashes: Alex Mallari Jr. As Merwin Lazarus
Merwin Lazarus isn't playable in House of Ashes, but he has a major role in the game, and a few important decisions revolve around saving him. Merwin is played by Alex Mallari Jr., who has prior video game experience as a voice actor in the large-scale PvP game, Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Mallari also appeared in a variety of television series, including several in the horror genre.
In House of Ashes, players need to make important decisions revolving around Merwin. Although he isn't playable, Merwin is one of the more important characters and is under the command of Jason Kolchek as a squad member to Nick Kay. Keeping Merwin alive as long as possible can potentially save others, and Mallari's performance makes Merwin a likable character that players want to save anyway.
House Of Ashes: Nabeel El Khafif As Captain Dar Basri
Captain Dar Basri is one of the antagonists in House of Ashes and leads the Iraqi patrol, which includes Salim Othman. Basri is voiced and motion-captured by Nabeel El Khafif, who appeared in films like The Mist, and X-Men: Apocalypse as well as Assassin's Creed: Origins and Watch Dogs. Khafif's prior experience shows in his performance as the ruthless Captain Dar Basri.
House Of Ashes: Sammy Azero As Joey Gomez
Sammy Azero, who recently played Enrico Marini in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, portrays Joey Gomez in House of Ashes. He is another Mailman 2-1 squad member along with Nick Kay and Merwin Lazarus, making his connection to the other characters strong. Gomez generally acts as the voice of reason for the squad and his personality is conveyed through a strong performance by Sammy Azero.
House Of Ashes: Zaydun Khalaf As Balathu
Zaydun Khalaf plays Balathu in the prologue of House of Ashes. Balathu is the first playable character in the game, and players must make a few decisions regarding his fate and the fate of those around him. Zaydan Khalaf is known for his roles in Wonder Woman 1984 and A Hologram for the King, and he also did voiceover work for the 2013 game Total War: Rome II.
House Of Ashes: Waleed Hammad As Kurum
Kurum is another character that appears in the prologue for House of Ashes, and he is played by newcomer Waleed Hammad. His brief but convincing performance may lead to larger roles in future games, films, or television series. Hammad recently appeared in an episode of The Great as Molotov, but it is unclear if he is currently working on any new projects.
House of Ashes features many recognizable names and a few relatively new actors. The performances in House of Ashes make for an intense survival game with difficult choices and potentially heart-wrenching death scenes. Between cast members like Pip Torrens who constantly questions the player's choices, and Clare McConnell, who can be very difficult to save in House of Ashes, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes offers players an exciting experience with memorable performances that should excite those looking forward to the Dark Pictures Anthology season one finale.