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The House on Haunted Hill

The House on Haunted Hill

List Price: $9.97
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Fun Thrill Ride
Review: A big haunted insane asylum sits upon a hill that rests high above the ocean. In the dark, it looks exactly like the perfect haunted house. And of course, the asylum has a story behind it. Every place like that does. That's why theme park tycoon Steven Price (Geoffrey Rush) plans his wife Evelyn's (Famke Janssen) birthday party there, with a twist. But when the array of guests show up, not knowing each other nor who Steven or Evelyn is, but that they were invited to survive the night for one million dollars cash, things get a little scary. The house comes alive, and it's a fight to survive.

I never saw the 1950s original House on Haunted Hill, but I know it was nothing like this tense scare-ride. William Malone knew what he was doing when he directed this. His use of dark, soft colors and how he set up suspenseful scenes (the camera / operating scene, the blood tank) truly made the movie what it is. Geoffrey Rush is a true twin to Vincent Price when it comes to this movie. Famke Janssen plays the part of the rude wife to a tee. She's great. The film's heroes, Ali Larter and Taye Diggs do well. Chris Kattan is here for comic relief, and he did just what he had to do. Very funny guy. I must note that Bridgette Wilson is highly underused here. But her dismise (Sorry for that spoiler) is a great one and plays highly in the film. Horror icon Jeffrey Combs cameos in this movie, and plays the creepy Dr. Vannacutt.

The DVD is a sure treat! The menus outline the opening foyer of the house, and it's many different rooms. Very neat idea. The audio and video transfers are great. The supplements found on this disc are awesome. There are deleted scenes that are all worthy of catching. There's especially one that I wished they'd kept in. The audio commentary is great, and there is also some featurettes that give deep insight and relations with the 1950s version and this updated version. There are many more bonus features to keep you busy.

House on Haunted Hill is a sure way to keep you entertained if you're in for a fun horror movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best Horror Movies Out There!
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this clever horror movie. This has to be one of the best horror movies that I have seen in a long time. I was starting to get sick of those stupid teen slasher films.

It's all supposed to be a game, and it starts out as an innocent party in an abandoned insane asylum. Whoever can make it through the night without leaving, or dying, gets to take home a million dollars. The only question is will they be able to live long enough to enjoy it? Weird things starts to happen when the house itself starts to come alive. I wish I could tell you more, but this is one of those movies that you cannot explain without giving it away. Just know this: this movie will scare the hell out of you!

This film was brilliantly directed, leaving each scene to be more darker and more sinister than the other. The picture and sound quality is awesome. The music soundtrack also makes the movie seem that more terrifying. "Sweet Dreams" by Marilyn Manson was the perfect song for this movie. The acting was very good, (not to mention Geoffrey Rush). It would've been nicer to have a few more extras, but the movie alone is worth the price.

Be warned; this is not for the squeamish. This is a very violent, disturbing, and terrifying gut-wrenching horror movie that does not let go of you until the very end. Then, you have to see it again! Filled with deadly twists and terrifying surprises, "House on Haunted Hill" delivers as being one of the best horror movies out there.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Horror Flick!
Review: Of all these old films CASTLEROCK (Robert Zemicks company) are taking and remaking, this is the best one so far! The 50's version with "Vincent Price" in Black and White was a small hit back in its day, and it probably shouldve been included with this film as i think theyd both fit! This new version is not the same as the original, and thats not a bad thing!

You shoudlve read reviews by now that explain the plot, so i'll skip that and just tell you this is a decent horror movie set in a haunted ex hospital that ....well, if your like me and see horror movies as funny, then youll be amused with the humor of the horror they make in this film! But of your easily scared like my girlfreind, then there a few scenes and FX that may sacre you :D

The bonues features are worth a glance at, the deleted scenes are not too bad, and if you want my advice , get this with the original version....and you will see the great diffrence they made in this film, in improving the movie! It was better then the original IMO! and is one of my fav horror flicks, and I hope it would become one of yours too!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better the second time around.
Review: In my hasty review that appears before this one, I truly misjudged the 1999 film "House on Haunted Hill," pawning it off as a cheap teenage horror flick comparable to "The Rage: Carrie 2." However, I was gravely mistaken, for this movie is full of all the elements that make a horror movie great. Based on the 1959 film of the same name starring Vincent Price, the 1999 version updates characters and storyline to suit modern audiences with lavish special effects and superbly filmed horror sequences. The film begins during the house's years as a mental institution for the criminally insane, as Dr. Vannacutt is performing experiments on his patients as a way of eliminating them. The inmates soon take over the sanitarium, killing all but five members of the staff, who escape as the place burns down. Skip ahead to 1999, with Steven Price (Geoffrey Rush) honoring his wife Evelyn's (Famke Janssen) wishes for a birthday party at the Vannacutt Psychiatric Sanitarium, newly remodeled into a residential home. When they arrive at the house, they discover that the guests are not the ones they invited, and both of them deny inviting the people present. The thrills begin when the "lockdown" occurs, a mechanism that encloses all windows, doors, and other means of exit, trapping Price and his guests inside. What truly makes this movie enjoyable is the fact that for the duration of the film, we do not know whether Price or the house itself is wreaking the havoc experienced by those left alive. Geoffrey Rush is terrific as Price, giving the original character, played by Vincent Price, his due justice. Famke Janssen gives sass and haughtiness to the script as Evelyn Price, and her stance and attitude make her character's moves very unique and believable. Taye Diggs (Eddie Baker), Bridgette Wilson (Melissa Marr), Ali Larter (Sara Miller), Peter Gallagher (Donald Blackburn) and Chris Kattan (Watson Pritchett) are brilliant as the five guests invited to the bash, each one with their own style and ability. Sound effects, lighting and set design add creepiness and terror to the house itself, which never fails to scare its inhabitants. The ghostly apparitions seen by those in peril are fantasticly crafted, and increased camera speed and thundering noises set the tone for terror. The ending of this movie, while tying the plot together and giving the answers as an ending should, may come as a letdown to some. The special effects and CGI used to create the "smoke" that permeates throughout the house in search of its last victims isn't authentic enough to scare people, and one might stop to think, "Why didn't they just use real smoke altogether?" But the rest of this film is enough to make up for it end, and remains as one of the better creepy films of the horror genre. The DVD edition of the movie is a big plus, with a dual-layered widescreen format that hosts brilliant colors, solid blacks and natural fleshtones. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is excellent, and if you have a Pro Logic receiver like I do, it still delivers room-shaking sound. Special features are all the craze, with a comparison of the old and new versions, trailers for both versions of the films, audio commentary by the director, deleted scenes (including a very funny sequence that hosts Debi Mazar as Sara's boss), and interactive menus. Another winner from Warner Bros, and one of the better examples of movie remakes in this day and age.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Funky Old House, Ain't It?"
Review: This movie was very entertaining and scary at the same time. This just happened to be one of the scariest movies of the 90's. Why? Because it didn't rip off a book to become a teen slasher film (I Know What You Did Last Summer), it didn't come up with a lame plot (Idle Hands), and it isn't a bad remake like Psycho. All in all it's a great film with an entertaining and exiting plot.

Steven Price (Geoffrey Rush) is a famous theme park owner with a very spoiled and snobby wife Evelyn (Famke Janssen). After she demandes a birthday party from him, he decides to have it at the House on Haunted Hill. Now, they both hate each other, so he decides to shred her guest list and invite his own friends. But as it turns out the people that show up aren't the people he invited in the first place. The people that do show up are, Dr. Blackburn(Peter Galleger), former pro baseball player Eddie (Taye Diggs), Television reporter Mellisa Marr (Bridgette Wilson), assistant reporter Sara (Ali Larter), and the house's owner Pritchett (Chris Kattan).Both husband and wife have no idea how these people got here, but don't really seem to care.

After introductions, the glass skylight mysteriously falls almost killing Evelyn. We soon find out that Price has rigged mysterious things to go off during the night, like the skylight. Price now tells all of his guests that there is a contest that they are now in. If they make it through the night, without being killed, they win a million cool ones. This would all be fine and dandy if the house didn't have a mind of it's own. After Price has explained all of the this the house closes up (with huge metal plates) and all are trapped inside. Now we just happen to find out that the house used to be an asylum for the criminal minded. Now the fun begins, stabbings, ghosts, shootings, dismemberment and psychotic disturbance are around every corner. Evil Loves to Party...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Simply not worth watching
Review: Being somewhat of a horror buff myself, I expected a lot more out of this film.

House on Haunted Hill is a remake of the original 1958 film, and it seems that 41 years later the movie still proves to be nothing more than a complete, utter disaster.

Don't waste your time on this cheap, poorly acted, mediocre attempt at horror.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Boy, Does Evil Party or What?
Review: An amusement park owner gathers five guests to attend his evil wife's birthday party. They were sent an invitation to go to the old insane asylum where many years before, patients went even more crazy and killed doctors and nurses. Hamanee? Many. The place was sealed off and everybody was burned alive. Only five people got out of the mental hospital alive. But, now five strangers are going to a party where they will be awarded one million dollars each if they survive the night. Geoffrey Rush is the head honcho and hates his wife played by Famke Janssen. They both want each other dead. The other guests include Ali Larter, Taye Diggs, Brigitte Wilson-Sampras, Peter Gallagher and Chris Kattan! What a cast! Little do they know the house is haunted. You'll have to watch it to live it. Geoffrey Rush plays a good slimeball and Famke Janssen plays a good she-devil. Oh burn! Chris Kattan is particularly funny with his foul language and facial expressions. Ghosts' faces split and shake around like they're doing hokey pokey dance. It was comedy. A big black cloud of smoke sucks people's souls and you need to see it. This movie is pretty fun and "Thirteen Ghosts" is pretty fun too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply The Best...
Review: If there were ever an award for "Best Remake of a Horror Film", the winner would be this. Unlike the original, it offers *THRILLS* that are very important in a horror movie like this. In this truly scary remake of the 1958 B horror flick starring Vincent Price, theme-park owner Steven Price (played wonderfully by Geoffry Rush) plans a birthday party for his twisted wife Evelyn (Famke Janssen in a role she did perfectly) at the old "haunted" Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute. Four people come to the party, but they are not the guests of either spouse's list. The four that happen to be there are former pro baseball player Eddie Baker (Taye Diggs), executive VP Jennifer Jenzen (Ali Larter), celebrity Melissa Marr (Bridgette Wilson) and serious doctor, Dr. Blackburn (Peter Gallagher). Rounding out the cast is overly-nervous Watson Pritchett, the owner of the house. When lockdown is set upon the house and there is no way to get out, strange things start happening. Is it Steven? He is, after all, Mr. Amusement Park. Or is it Evelyn? She seems twisted enough. And of course, their "loving" relationship is always a motive. Or is it Richard Benjamin Vannacutt, the doctor that tortured his patients and experimented on them with things like electroshock and the saturation chamber?

Fantastic shocks and thrills all throughout the movie. Beautifully done by William Malone. Best work I've seen by Geoffry Rush. It'll bring thrills and chills to you every time you watch it! Five stars is too little.. :)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of THE Best Horror Films of the 1990's
Review: House on Haunted Hill, a remake of a 1950's Vincent Price film, is one of the best horror films to come out of the 1990's. The story is simple enough: An amusement park mogul with a reputation for scaring the daylights out of people invites five strangers to attend his hated wife's birthday party thrown at an abandoned insane asylum. Once there, they attendees are told that anyone who stays the night (and survives) will receive $1,000,000. However, things start to go wrong, and the entire group is trapped inside the apparently haunted building with all kinds of supernatural phenomena occuring. The people strive to find a way out as well as try to figure who (or what) is behind the bizarre happenings.

From the superb creation of a dark atmosphere of decay surrounding the asylum to top-notch acting and special effects, HOHH succeeds in making a very creepy experience. The only problem that I had with the movie was that I felt that the film makers wimped out a bit when they finally revealed the cause of the supernatural goings-on. However, I still classify this as a four star film and a must-have for any horror buff.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This is a Impressive but Different Remake of the Original.
Review: A Cold Hearted Wife (Famke Janssen) of a Twisted Theme Park Bigshot Steven Price (Oscar-Winner:Geoffrey Rush) decide to thown a Party at an abandoned Institute for the Criminally Insane for his Wife`s Birthday Bush but Steven had something else in mind by hosting a Scary/Jokey Birthday Party Instead at that House. When Five Strangers (Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Chris Kattan, Peter Gallagher and Bridgette Wilson) are mysteriously assembled for the event. Steven promises to give them One Million Bucks, No Question asked if they spend the night could marked them a very rich or profoundly dead but that abandoned institute is a Murdering Way of Life at the House on Haunted Hill.

Directed by William Malone (Creature, Feardotcom) made a well made Horror Film that has little resemblance of the Original 1959 Cult Classic. The Film has a few chills and good performances from the cast (Especially by Ex-Saturday Night Live Comedian Star:Kattan). Some will dislike the remake but for those, who enjoy the remake will have a Good Time. This Remake is Certainly Alot Better that the Flawed and Undercooked-The Haunting (1999). The Visual Effects might be a bit Heavy-Headed towards the end but it`s a enjoyable jolting fun film. DVD has a sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and a terrific-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an entertaining commentary by the Director, Behind the Scnes Documentaries, Deleted Scenes with Intro by the Director and more. This film won`t start the Party without you, Horror fans will have a Blast and Certainly has more Plot that the 1959 Version. Don`t miss this trashy but creepy horror remake. Grade:A-.


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