Rating: 
Summary: Nope!
Review: The balance in my checking account is far scarier than this pointless remake of the 1959 horror classic. Geoff Rush looks like he was transplanted into the wrong film; the special effects go into overdrive, and Taye Diggs does little more than show off his Colgate smile. Skip it, and move on to something else.
Rating:
Summary: BAD TASTE
Review: This is not a decent thriller. The is a lesson in inhuman treatment of helpless humans. This is something you might see in a death camp, but certainly not for entertainment. It isn't scary, just SICK. I wouldn't watch this again if they gave it to me. Get the original with Vincent Price. IT was good.
Rating: 
Summary: A great remake, with no strings attached
Review: This effects-loaded remake of the classic 1959 Vincent Price classic The House on Haunted Hill actually succeeds admirably. While the plot diverges significantly from the original movie's premise, this movie reflects and in some ways honors its forbear. The story's quite simple. Millionaire Stephen Price (a scary amusement park creator) invites 5 guests to a haunted house to celebrate his wife's birthday, promising any one who survives the night one million dollars...Although this is in many ways a very different movie from the original version, it does make use of several images and scenes from its predecessor, such as the parade of cars making their way up the hill and the introduction of "party favors" in little coffins. The DVD also includes trailers for the 1959 version and a short documentary comparing both versions of the film. The modern cast is pretty good, especially Geoffrey Rush as Stephen Price and Famke Janssen as his wife. The female characters are a definite improvement on those in the original, and an added bonus is Jeffrey Combs as the deranged Dr. Vannacutt. The makers of the movie can say that it is purely a coincidence that Geoffrey Rush has a strong resemblance to Vincent Price, but I'm not buying that particular argument. The effects are very good for the most part--there's plenty of blood and mutilation. The CGI effects will not please everyone, but I found them to work quite well, further distinguishing this movie from its forerunner--you won't see any skeletons on strings here. I do have a problem or two with the ending, but it does nothing to destroy the integrity of the movie. Although I consider the 1959 version a true classic, I must say I found the remake more enjoyable. This is largely due to the increased gore and effective scare tactics which are introduced very early on. This remake is not perfect by any means, but it is a more than worthy successor to the creepy yet now somewhat campy original version. Best of all, viewing one version does not prevent you from really enjoying the other one. One final point: the movie's not really over until you see the words THE END.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much gimmickry and violence, not enough brains.
Review: I kept my expectations low going into this movie and it pretty much delivered what I'd expected -- oodles of digital effects, erratic pacing, hammy performances and not that much genuine horror. The haunted-house story is really not an easy one to do in this day and age, and this film version suffers by virtue of too little character exploration, too few good dramatic scenes, and too much technical gimmickry and weird imagery -- the same problems that plagued Jacob' Ladder and destroyed Soul Survivors. Geoffrey Rush hams it up yet again as horror-theme-park mogul Stephen Price, and though I can't say it isn't fun to watch him, I had expected more from him. Famke Janssen delivers yet another totally charmless, shallow, and thoroughly annoying bitchy performance -- one of the most consistently bad actresses I've ever seen (move over, Diane Venora). Attractive Ali Larter (offering up her feisty persona as yuppie imposter Sara) and dashing Taye Diggs (charming, if stoic, as ex-ball player Eddie) have some playful chemistry, but mostly shoved to the side in favour of lots and lots of weird images and lighting tricks. Their one good scene together where Sara rewires the lights in the house is easily the best character-building scene in the film. They are completely offset and nullified by the hyper-irritating presence of Chris Kattan, who is never as funny as he thinks, and his bogus attempt at playing a shrivelled, paranoid eccentric sinks every single scene he contaminates. It's too bad, because there are a few cool casting choices here -- ever-watchable horror veteran Jeffrey Combs is relegated to a non-speaking part, James Marsters and Max Perlich (both of whom appeared in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series) are wasted in tiny one-off roles, and Bridgette Wilson is killed off bright and early. And the script...well, there isn't really one, mostly just loud, obnoxious, bloody scenes strung together without much sense of mounting tension. The film starts off with its volume at 11 and stays there for nearly two hours, and by the 50-minute mark, it all feels sluggish and apathetic. One thing I do enjoy -- perhaps a carry-over from the original House on Haunted Hill? -- is the black-humoured tone.
This is where Geoffrey Rush cuts loose and becomes highly entertaining, though he is also impaired by the fact that his comic foils are Kattan and Janssen, who both detract from the scenes immensely. Still, if it weren't for this almost Addams Family touch, the film would be a highly droll affair indeed. Worth a peek, but not much more.
Rating:
Summary: not recommended
Review: I do not care if this is better than the original movie. It's still bad.
Prepare yourself for a predictable movie, with flat characters, boring plot, bad acting and a really really bad ending(think Stephen King, perhaps even worse). There is some interesting scenographics and camera shooting in this movie, but it's all ruined by bad acting and badly chosen music. It would have been better to cut all the good scenes together and make a music video out of it. It has some entertainment value, but I wouldn't recommend spending any money on it.
Instead I'd recommend seeing Session 9, because that one is really worth both the time and the money.
Rating: 
Summary: A creepy yet entertaining movie...
Review: Millionare Steven Price is know for his unpredictable thrills in his theme park buisness. His wife wishes to have her birthday party at an old insane hospital and Steven agrees. Just after Steven has finished the guest list his wife requested, the computer strangly turns back on, and the names on the guest list mysteriously change. At the party, Steven offers anyone one million dollars each who spend the night and get out alive. This movie takes you on a wild roller coaster of horror and suspence and the plot line make the movie even more interesting. I give this movie 5 starts for excellence in plot and acting.
Rating:
Summary: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Madhouse!
Review: Gimmick theme park owner/builder Geoffrey Rush throws soon-to-be ex-wife Famke Janssen a birthday party, with a theme and gimmick of its own: the guests are each given a loaded .45, and a million dollar check in their name - should they survive the night. The party occurs in a locked-down, now-abandoned asylum on an isolated seaside hilltop, where fifty years ago mad doctor Jeffrey Combs performed vivisections on his patients. Funny thing is, neither Janssen or Rush recognize the guests who arrive - each blames the other for some secret shenanigan, which is no surprise since they blame each other for everything else, anyway. Neither they nor their unwitting guests realize that the house has a guest list - and an agenda - of its own. This is a slick, handsomely mounted production. It benefits from excellent atmosphere, augmented by good cinematography, clever tricks and angles, and a terrific soundtrack which includes Marilyn Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams." The plot is often unbelievable, but it's good and gory and scary as hell. The cast is great, including Peter Gallagher, Ali Larter and the underrated Bridgette Wilson among the menaced guests. The shocks are varied, but effective. There's an excellent psychotic break/nightmare sequence involving faceless and indescribable monsters, who multiphase-jitter at undercranked speed a la Jacob's Ladder. Combs' part is small but important as the chief ghost of the haunted house, and he plays it well. What is most prevalent throughout is an aura of evil, fueled more by the current of hatred running between Rush and Janssen than anything else, which infuses and infects everything around it. There's some nice comic relief, and the dialogue is credible and up-to-date. The script is pretty good, overall. This is a great movie for a Halloween party, or just a chilly night indoors.
Rating:
Summary: Stupid and Boring
Review: This is a "in desperate need rental". Many times I have avoided renting it because of that feeling. You know when a movie is just going to fall short of anyting but entertaining. Well it feel very short. Half way through I noticed that my apartment needed cleaning so the movied played as I cleaned and I did not miss much. The plot is predictable. Characters are flat. If you want a pretty good scary movie with a house that's alive rent The Haunting. You will get much better acting and special effects.
Rating:
Summary: Shut up and watch
Review: Why does everybody have to be so critical? It was fun, okay?! And one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. It looks like something out of my nightmares. So, to me, it was scary. Stop trying to sound like some sophisticated uptight film critic (which you know you aren't) and enjoy it!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Well, uh ...
Review: For starters, I found this movie to be .. less scary than a salt shaker. (Which, in its own right, is frightening compared to this movie.) I did, however, enjoy the acting of Famke Janssen (Evelyn) and Taye Diggs (Eddie) and am very very pleased that the "token" black man in this horror flick was not at all the "token". I won't spoil the ending, but I'm pleased that this occurred. Geoffrey Rush as Mr. Price was fun in some scenes, but I think I enjoyed him much more as the dry and witty Marquis de Sade in "Quills". Acting aside, however, which was horrendous enough on its own, the plot was intricate enough. I have a huge proclivity for films that have characters with god complexes. It seems to make the movie a double-movie, which is always ironic. It was Hollywood to a T, however, and the only scares were in the imagery, in the cinematography. One scene with a woman video-camera-ing an empty gurney sees it through the screen as filled with doctors and a patient .. when the doctor turns to stare at her, that was delicious. The roller-coaster at the beginning was also unexpected and fun. I'd like, however, to see the original film, as most Hollywood revivals of older horror (that favour atmosphere and acting over SFX) seem to cater to a specific audience. This was, however, a fun movie.
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