House on Haunted Hill (1959)

William Castle's gimmick-laden comic thriller is not so much a horror movie as a fairground funhouse come to life. Vincent Price stars as a deliciously silky millionaire married to a greedy gold digger (Carol Ohmart) who refuses to divorce him. When he turns his wife's idea for a haunted-house party into a contest--$10,000 to whoever will spend the night in "the only truly haunted house in the world"--it seems he may have found an alternative to divorce. Five strangers gather to test their stamina, Price hands each of them delightfully twisted party favors (loaded handguns, delivered in their own tiny coffins), and the spook show begins. Blood drips from the ceiling, zombielike apparitions float through rooms, severed heads and skeletons suddenly appear, and then a guest is found hanging in the stairwell. Full of screams and things that go bump in the night, House on Haunted Hill isn't particularly scary and often makes little sense, but, like a Halloween haunted house, the spectacle of spook-show clichés is quite entertaining, and Price makes a sardonic master of ceremonies. The original theatrical presentations featured a typically outrageous Castle-engineered gimmick: Emergo, which was nothing more than a skeleton that appeared to fly out of the screen and over the audience on a guide wire. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

Screaming Is The Best Part! In Glorious Black & White!

Most of the plot's already been plotted by other writers better than I. However, the black & white of this film added a creepiness missing in today's scary films. The beginning of the film has lots of women screaming and a blank screen, followed by a floating head warning us of things to come. Vincent Price is appropriately knowledgable and scary at the same time -- the underlying murder plot, driving one gal so crazy that she'll do anything to get out of the house -- and the caretakers who look like the inspiration for Lurch on the Addams Family. The movie's charm is in its telling.

Director William Castle The Tingler outshines himself with the guests driving up in funeral cars; and loaded guns as party favors. Carol Ohmart Naked Youth as the scheming wife who has already made attempts to off her husband Frederick (Price) and Robert Long, The Long Night a personal favorite, as the fall guy. Elisha Cook, Jr. (whom I remember in an original Star Trek episode) is the creepy guy, likes to drink scotch and tell tales of terror -- the vat of acid in the cellar is especially imaginative as a murder weapon.

The DVD itself is unremarkable. One side for widescreen and one side for standard. No special interviews, no commentary, nothing. There is a trailer which is fun to watch.

Curl up in your sofa on at midnight and watch this film. And keep the sound down on your TV. The screaming may wake the neighbors! October 10, 2008

You're a daisy if you do

If you can read this entire review without nodding off, skipping lines, or becoming irritated, I will pay you 10,000 dollars. Ok, forget that impossible task. This might be an easier one--

Spend the night at the House on Haunted Hill. It has a storied history of murder and madness. If you survive, the eccentric millionaire owner (Price) will grant you a nice fat reward. Sounds like a lovely party.

I actually enjoyed this movie slightly more than the spook classic THE HAUNTING. It doesn't have the beautiful cinematography or creepy atmosphere. But I love the visual freaky gags and the campy frights here. The fear is much more than psychological to these partygoers.

Plus above all else, here we've got Vincent Price. Does it get any better? Even with his friendly mannerisms, you can't help but immediately sense his deceptive sinister ways. He offers the guests some party favors, mini-coffins with loaded guns inside. Get the party started with a Bang!
So the night progresses with roaming zombiesque figures, severed heads, floating skeletons, and other haunted house cliches. Way 2 fun! 4.5 stars.

I'm sure this smokes the remake, even though I haven't seen it. Price is your Huckleberry.
October 8, 2008

ALPHA dvd version!!!

I remember when I was too young to see this movie when it was first released and how an older (by 2 yrs.) boy in the neighborhood was telling everyone that this was the scariest movie ever made and how skeletons came out of the movie itself and attacked the audience!!!
I wasn't too sure that I wanted to see HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL just quite then...However, I will always think of this film as being very frightening!
Watching it again the other day I'm amazed at how really well-made it is and how well it still holds up. Price is just priceless and the acting is fine all around. A good fun time at the old haunted house!
The copy I viewed was put out by ALPHA dvd, a hit or miss company on quality transfers. But I will say that their version of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL is excellent!!! Very clear with no jumpy splices. It was like watching a very expensive dvd. Don't hesitate to purchase this version as it's the best bargain in the lot! June 22, 2008

Greed And Ambition Are The True Horrors

I used to feel that "House of Wax" was Vincent Price's finest moment. After seeing "House on Haunted Hill" though, I feel that award must now go to this outstanding masterpiece of horror. Vincent Price (loaded with millions of dollars) invites 5 very different people (a typist, a doctor, a drunk, an elderly journalist, and a good hearted young woman short of money), to spend one night in his 'haunted mansion.' If they stay the night, he will give them each $10,000. And we have no reason to doubt he will keep his word. As Jet Pilot Lance puts it: "Oh, sure he'll give it to us. $10,000. to him is no more than a nickel is to us." (On a side note, Lance seems to be a forerunner of the Adam West Batman.) One is at least entitled to wonder if this movie was the foundation for Scooby Doo. (Think about it! Scooby Doo episodes and movies usually involve mysteries that APPEAR to be related to ghosts, but turn out to be investigations of some REAL AND HUMAN criminal activity.) We later learn that Vincent Price and his wife have HAD IT with each other. He offers her a tax free $1,000,000. to just go away, but she wants ALL his money. Neither is safe while the other is alive. There are some scenes that make us think that perhaps ghosts are involved, but somehow, we never quite forget that the true horror is that Vincent Price and his wife are having their final war that will have to end in the death of the other. While some of the parties like the young Nora, the Jet Pilot Lance, and the elderly Journalist Ruth are likable and try to remain innocent bystanders, a certain party consents to join Vincent's wife in plotting to kill him. Interestingly, the drunk may APPEAR to be an idiot, but there is usually some ironic truth to what he says. Vincent of course also offers his usual horror laced with scary comedy: "Take the gun darling. You might want to use it on me before the night's out." I could go on and on, but the scenery is phenomenal for its time; the characters are well developed and convincing; the suspense is there; the horror is CERTAINLY there; and the climax DEFINES horror. Throughout the story we are expecting ghosts, and then we realize that it is our own greed and ambitions that are the true horrors in this world. As if I needed another great thing to say about this movie, at the end, the drunk beautifully steps out of the movie and delivers a haunting line to us (the audience). Ever since a friend gave this to me as a gift, I have watched it MANY, MANY times trying to find ONE thing wrong with it. I STILL CAN'T! Thank you Mr. Price for this masterpiece, and enjoy your everlasting peace. Your movie deserves a place right up there with Edgar Allen Poe's "Tell tale Heart" and the writings of John Webster. June 13, 2008

House on Haunted Hill - Vincent Price movie

My kids liked it. Fair story line and special effects decent for the time period in which the movie was made. Love Vincent Price! December 27, 2007

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