House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Vincent Price and the wife are creepy. Elisha Cook is freaking everyone out with this ghost stories. It's a house of murder. The old lady (caretaker?) popping out of the shadows made me jump. There's a nice plot twist. But then the movie drove itself off a cliff. That skeleton. C'mon. I've seen scarier skeletons at the chiropractor's office. And then a semi-confession and boom, movie pretty much ends. It's like back in in the VCR days when you'd tape a late-night movie and your tape would run out before the movie ended. Maybe they ran out of money before they filmed a proper 3rd act.

This is an old classic available on nearly every old horror film multi-pack in various restored conditioned.A "party" is being held and 5 strangers are invited to spend the night with a reward of $10,000 in 1959 dollars. It is hosted by Vincent Price and his wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart). Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig) is set up as the "Final Girl" except that formula didn't exist. Special effects include doors closing by themselves, still used today in found footage films. It also has a floating head effect using a black background, common in 50's films. The sound track would be considered over-the-top camp by today's standards, but how else can you make this stuff scary? The feature includes Elisha Cook Jr., who would later defend Capt. Kirk when he was accused of neglect in the death of Finney. He always creates a great character. TV star Richard Long had the classic slick "Brylcreem" hair of the era with a big part on the left side, a style I was forced to wear until adulthood...scarred for life. Worth the flashback.

This is a classic even though I didn't see the reboot of it (The Dark Castle one). I like it like I'd enjoyed like I don't care if it's black and white like back then they're no colors back then for movies like this. I'd enjoy this film like it's fun to watch in my opinion. This is truly a classic like I wish they sell it in stores. I'd recommend this film for people who like classic films.

A melodramatic and wildly entertaining example of both fear and of camp, William Castle's 1959 release "House on Haunted Hill" is an indisputable classic of the horror genre. Feeling like both a loving tribute and even occasionally like a self-aware send-up to classic haunted-house tales, the film is nothing less than ghoulishly amusing and wickedly fun. With a low-budget charm, phenomenal performances from the likes of Vincent Price and some of the greatest old-school scares ever committed to film, it's still well-worth checking out for horror fans old and new alike.We follow eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price), who at the urging of his spoiled wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart), throws the most peculiar of parties late one night. He rents out a supposed haunted house where seven people have been murdered, and offers a small group of guests $10,000 each if they can "survive the night." As the hours dwindle by, things begin to take a dark and twisted turn as doors open and close on their own, mysterious body-parts begin to appear... and death comes looking for the guests at the House on Haunted Hill...One of the more charming old-school horror releases, "House on Haunted Hill" is just a blast from the past. While it does have some of the greatest scares I've seen (including possibly the best jump-scare ever, which I will not spoil), it's never too frightening, and there's plenty of dark humor and fun character beats to lighten the mood. It knows when to ratchet up the tension perfectly, and I think it would make for a really great "access" film to show to older children who are interested in the genre. I know this spooked me half to death as a child... and I loved it for that!The film oozes some really nice atmosphere and quirky low-budget style that accents the story quite well. Without much money to play with, director Castle and writer Robb White make the most of what they have, with some really simple yet imaginative sequences that will keep the audience at the edge of their seat. There's even an acid-bath! How charming. White's script also gives each and every character their moment to shine- in particular Price and Ohmart, who are at their absolute best here. There's also a really fun, hammy performance by the delightful Elisha Cook as a wide-eyed, petrified man who had nearly been a victim of the house in the past. It's written deliciously over the top, and Cook is clearly having the time of his life in the role.A part of me wishes they still made great, old gimmick-fests like this. (A film that was notorious like many Castle productions for audience-participation gimmicks- in this case "Emergo"... a system that would swing skeletons on wires over the audience during key moments.) While I do adore some modern horror releases, it's rare you see something that mixes classic ghostly chills with amusing camp so well. Horror films these days seem to take themselves a little too seriously (well, when they aren't just shameless cash-grab remakes that is.), with only the rare example of a film like this coming every once in a great while. We need a "William Castle" for the modern age.In the end, the film might not quite be perfect. It's got a few wonky moments where the tone doesn't quite jive and a few scenes feel out of place. But it's another fine example of a William Castle classic. Say what you will, but he knew how to put on a show! I give "House on Haunted Hill" a very good 8 out of 10.