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House on Haunted Hill

House on Haunted Hill

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: awsome classic!!!!!
Review: Iam 15 years old a big horror movie fan..This movie combines all the elements that make a great horror movie..The acting in it is classic and unique...From an unhappy marriage to a suicide hanging...The special effects though not impressive now show great effort on the production designers part..overall a great movie to watch if your into classic horror

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Classic Horror
Review: I am a fan of horror movies. And once you get sick of all the gore in the modern ones. You have to go back to the classics, because you know they will always be the best ones. I have always been a big Vincent Price fan, and this is definatly one of his bests. This is a great classic horror film to watch. You can watch this film over and over and not ever get sick of it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A must-see for Vincent Price fans
Review: I saw this movie as a young girl in the 60s. I have my own copy now and watch it with my 10 year old son! Price is excellent with that expressive,menacing face of his. The special effects are crude, but entertaining.The acid bath scene is a highlight!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my all time favorites
Review: If you are looking for a classic horror movie this is definately the best. I have seen the movie 1000 times and still love it

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The classic that's fun and scary.
Review: This movie is over all scary, the opening scene sets the stage for a film that was way ahead of it's time. It was fun moments, and moments that wil send you acrost the theater, The scene with the old house ceeper is one of the most effective jumps in all of horror, a must see for any horror fan, and beable for those who aren't that big of horror fans, see if you can solve the myster before the films done.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: William Castle takes his turn at a Haunted House movie
Review: William Castle's 1958 film "House on Haunted Hill" is another one of his fun filled rides that deserves to be seen in a theater on a Saturday afternoon with your friends, muching on buttered popcorn and gulping giant sodas. The greatest schlock master in horror film history, Castle's works invariably lose a little something on video-tape. The film begins with an inhuman chorus of ghostly sounds will the disembodied head of Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook, Jr.) tells us the history of the seven strange murders that happened in the house he now owns. Enter eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price), who invites a group of peopel despearte for cash to the house, promising that whoever stays in the house overnight will receive $10,000. The merry little group consists of Pritchard, test pilot Lance Schroeder (Richard Long), beautiful young Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig), Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal), and newspaper columnist Ruth Bridgers (Julie Mitchum). Loren gives each guest a gun (presented in a tiny coffin) and then the fun begins.

The creepy happenings that scare the houseguests are certainly good for a jump or two, but ultimtaely there are two things that keep "House on Haunted Hill" from being an outright classic. The first is that the payoff is not worthy of a first-rate ghost story (I will not give it away but you will see what I mean when you check this one out). The second is that we are denied "Emergo," one of Castle's most famous gimmicks. This was the one where the giant plastic skeleton lept from the screen at the film's climax. Sure, there were technical problems with Emergo, but you have to admit that the little kid in your thinks it is a totally cool idea. Not as good as "The Innocents," "The Legend of Hell House" or even "The Haunting," but certainly the best "" movie" haunted house flick.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Slumber Party...
Review: Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) is throwing a little party, a sleepover at his ultra-spooky mansion on the hill, complete with barred windows and bolted steel doors! You are invited to spend the night with his seven other guests. Will anyone be alive by morning? Join the fun as our host does his best to scare us to death! The fabulous Carol Ohmart (Spider Baby) is Annabelle Loren, Frederick's fifth wife, as the first four all died or disappeared mysteriously. Her beauty cannot hide her contempt for her husband! Will she make it 'til dawn? Among the guests are Elisha Cook jr. as Watson Pritchard, former owner of the house and revealer of it's dark past. He's basically a nut with one mean case of the haunted house blues. His droning voice will get under your skin and on your nerves! More of a mystery / thriller than a horror movie, HOHH takes us on a ride through the carnival spook-o-rama, with plenty of things jumping out, but never quite grabbing us. This is family fare (unlike the re-make). Watch it on a halloween night with the kids...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Mystery Movie, Not a Horror Movie.
Review: Fredrick Loren (Vincent Price) is an eccentric millionaire that people have never seen. On a dark and stormy night, Loren invites 5 different people to the house on Haunted Hill for a party and to spend the night. Supposedly no one has ever been able to spend the night in the house and Loren is offering each person that does $10,000. Each of the 5 guest he has invited have never met before, but in some way they have all had contact with Loren, though they have never seen him. Things take a somewhat spooky turn when a chandelier falls from the ceiling almost killing one of the guests. Then they discover that the servants have left early and that they are locked in with no way to escape until morning. A vat of acid in the cellar, secret passages, and shrunken heads all have their place on THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

The movie is often categorized as a horror film. However, it's more of a mystery than anything else. There are moments that are kind of spooky and the eerie tone of the movie makes it easier for one to get the chills. However, there isn't a whole lot that is scary about the movie. When a key character is involved in an "accident", the audience is not frightened, but is intrigued, wondering how it happened, why did it happen, and what is the purpose behind it all.

Most of the actors are relatively no names, with only Price and Elisha Cook, Jr. (as Watson Pritchard) being the only truly memorable actors. The rest of the cast does a decent job and it's a shame that so many of them died early deaths (often from heart attacks). It would have been interesting to see what kind of career Richard Long might have had, for instance.

THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL has become a cult classic, largely because the movie stars Price and also because the film was directed by William Castle, a director who used gimmicks to get people into the theatres to see his movies. In THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL a device called "Emergo" was used--which was basically a skeleton in a box that emerged and hovered across the audience on a wire as the skeleton in the film appeared. The movie is also notable because of the Ennis Brown House in Los Angeles, which was used for all the movie's outside shots. The Ennis Brown House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and build in 1924 and is now on the National Historic Register. It is also rumored that the success of THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL inspired Alfred Hitchcock to create his own horror mystery, PSYCHO.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A TIMELESS SPOOKFEST CLASSIC...
Review: I was 4 yrs. old in 1959 when this film was first released. When I was 7 my parents with caution introduced me to "things that go bump in the night" allowing me to view "House on Haunted Hill" on network TV. It scared the hell out of me! I didn't care who the actors were, the atmospheric black and white ambiance was enough for me. Not long after I became a Vincent Price fan, admiring his deliciously sinister talents. Later my Brother born in 68, by the time he was 5 we were sitting munching snacks enjoying this film together. That is the kind of longevity this movie has had. I now own the DVD and enjoy it for different reasons, as I matured I began to see the humor in it. I just viewed it again this past Halloween and to me it is as fresh as ever. Pure and simple; Millionaire invites a few finacially stretched guests to spend a night in a supposedly haunted house he rented. He'll pay'em $10k grand if they can make it through the night. This simple premise inspired me to a life time of great Horror/ScFi/Mystery/Adventure/Film Noir and even classic comedy. Whether you pay 15 bucks or 5 this is sure to make an impression!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: House On Haunted Hill (1959)
Review: Vincent Price has been known to be one of the most brilliant actors alive. He has appeared in many great horror films, such as "The Fly", "The Return Of The Fly", "House Of Wax", etc. But his role in "House On Haunted Hill", was his best by far.

Vincent Price plays millionaire, Frederick Loren. One particular night, Frederick's wife, Annabelle Loren (played by Carol Ohmart), has decided to throw a haunted house party and has planned to have it in the house on haunted hill. While Annabelle may have come up with the idea, Frederick has come up with the deal of having their guests spend the night. He has said that if each guest stays the entire night and is still alive by morning, he will pay them $10,000 each. He has also taken care of the guest list. He has invited five guests and they are: Lance Schroeder (played by Richard Long), a test pilot who has a fear of many things. It seems as though his greed has helped him be brave enough to earn his $10,000. Second, we have Ruth Bridgers (played by Julie Rodgers), a columnist, who has accepted Frederick's offer, for she is gathering information to write a newspaper article on ghosts. Ruth has also claimed she is also doing this for the money. Thirdly, we have Watson Pritchard (played by Elisha Cook), the man who now owns the house on haunted hill. Watson has already risked his life after spending a night at the house. Watson knows more about the house than anybody else. He knows that seven people were murdered in that house, including his brother and sister-in-law. Frederick had asked Watson why he is risking his life to spend another night at the house. Watson responded with: for the money. Fourthly, we have David Trent (played by Alan Marshal), a psychiatrist, who seems to have no belief in ghosts. He also seems to have just a touch of greed around the eyes and mouth. Lastly, we have the young and beautiful, Nora Manning (played by Carolyn Craig). Nora works for one of Frederick's companies. Frederick has chosen Nora because she needs the $10,000 Frederick is offering. Nora is the only one that supports her immediate family, after her parents died in a car wreck. The guests are arriving and you have until midnight to decide if you are willing to earn your $10,000. The ghosts are awaiting, but the ghosts are not the only ones planning murder. Annabelle is too. Turns out that Annabelle is Frederick's fourth wife. His first wife simply disappeared, the second and third died. As, I said earlier, you have until midnight to make up your mind: will you stay and earn your $10,000? Or will you be smart enough to walk out now and live the rest of your life in peace? Help make your decision by watching William Castle's cult classic.


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