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The plot follows a group of strangers who are invited to a party at an abandoned insane asylum, where they are offered $1 million each by an amusement park mogul if they are able to survive the night. Produced by Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver, it is a remake of the 1959 film of the same title directed by William Castle, and features special effects by famed make-up artists Gregory Nicotero and Dick Smith. I think my main reason for liking House on Haunted Hill so much is it’s sense of fun. Yes, it’s a bit cheesey and very commercially designed, but the fun director William Malone gets out of doing his absolute best to scare you shitless is too much to ignore. House on Haunted Hill, for me, is a fun horror with enjoyable characters, impressive sets, wonderful designs and sound effects and a good idea of what it’s audience wants. There is no doubting Malone’s skills, and he went on to direct the incredibly average FearDotCom and the impressive and sadly overlooked Parasomnia after this.
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But Haunted Hill will always be his best, and I will admit that this is one of my ‘comfort’ horrors that I like to put on every now and again so I can experience some horror without having to put in any effort. The theatrical like opening credits pretty much tell you that this film WILL be over the top and will be doing everything it can to scare you. As if Malone hadn’t made his intentions clear, he follows the wonderful credits with a scene looking back at what happened in the Asylum on Haunted Hill.
The house used in the movie actually exists.
Castle would go on to direct over fifty features (and produce several dozen more) and is cited as a huge source of inspiration for filmmakers from Hitchcock to Zemeckis. I’m Gonna Scare the Pants Off America or the 2007 documentary, Spine Tingler! From jump scares to psychological mind games, House on Haunted Hill employs a variety of techniques to keep viewers engaged and frightened. The labyrinthine layout of the house contributes to the sense of disorientation and danger for the characters trapped inside. House on Haunted Hill has gained a devoted following over the years, with fans appreciating its atmospheric horror and memorable performances. In an epilogue, a film is shown with the patients torturing Evelyn and Price in what appears to be "the other side".
It features impressive set designs.
As expected, the patients attack the doctors in a brilliant and rather sick scene of violence and mayhem. What I respect here, and all the way through the film, is Malone is not a director to ponder over scenes, show too much or have things linger too long on screen. To me, this shows a director completely in control of what he is doing, and he does not feel the need to force feed his audience.
House on Haunted Hill effectively blends practical effects and computer-generated imagery to create convincing and terrifying supernatural occurrences. Fans of House on Haunted Hill can enjoy behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and other extras in the DVD release, adding value to their viewing experience. House on Haunted Hill employs well-executed jump scares to startle the audience and create moments of suspense throughout the movie. Screenwriter Dick Beebe drew inspiration from the reportedly haunted Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, to create the chilling atmosphere of the film. The characters’ motivations and the mystery surrounding the mansion delve into the dark side of human nature, examining the lengths people will go to fulfill their desires. The famous Ennis House in Los Angeles was chosen as the filming location for the eerie mansion, adding authenticity and an extra layer of creepiness to the film.
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In Vannacutt's office, Sara and Eddie find a portrait of the hospital's head staff and realize that the party guests are descendants of the five survivors of the 1931 fire. Pritchett deduces that the spirits themselves hacked the guest list on Price's computer. The only exception is Blackburn, whose name does not appear among the staff. Pictures supplied promotional scratchcards to cinemas showing the film, offering ticket buyers a chance to win a money prize, similar to the movie's characters. The film received negative reviews from critics, but was a commercial success, opening number one at the box office, and grossed $43 million worldwide.
House on Haunted Hill features hidden passages and secret rooms within the mansion.
As they are running up the stairs to the attic, Sara trips, and the Darkness uses Melissa's form to try, without success, to lure her to it. Price by then has activated a pulley that reveals an opening in the window of the attic. Eddie and Sara arrive in the attic, while the Darkness seeps up the cracks of the wooden floor. Price sacrifices himself to give Sara time to escape, but when Sara escapes out through the window onto the building's roof, the Darkness then severs the rope holding the iron gate, trapping Eddie inside. The Darkness reveals that the souls that comprise it want to feed on all those "who are responsible".
As The Darkness prepares to assimilate Eddie, he reveals that he is adopted and not a true descendant of the original staff. The Darkness is distracted by Pritchett long enough for Eddie to escape. Pritchett's ghost and The Darkness fade away as Sara and Eddie watch the sun rise. They find an envelope on a ledge, containing all five checks, made out to cash. They are relieved to have escaped and won the money but are stuck on the roof of the house, unsure of how to get down.
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In fact, the deaths in this opening scene are almost blink and you’ll miss them which, understandably and cleverly, leaves the viewer wanting more. Sadly, the violence pretty much ends there for a while as we move forward to ‘now’ and meet our new cast, lead gloriously by the superb Geoffrey Rush as theme park owner Stephen Price. The name is actually a homage to the star of the original film, Vincent Price, and even though it seems Rush has tried to look like the original character, this was completely by accident. Rush wanted to look like film director John Waters, and when he turned up on set, he actually looked more like Vincent Price and so the makers decided to stick with it. Now, for me Rush is one of the main draws of this film, his character fantastically funny, rude and he just steals every scene.
When you click on the name of an actor, actress or director from the movie House on Haunted Hill-cast you can watch more movies and/or series by him or her. The shape-shifting creature, composed of the spirits in the house, consumes Evelyn, killing her and adding her spirit to its mass. Shortly after, Pritchett is also killed by The Darkness, allowing Price to flee. Price opens a window in the attic, then sacrifices himself to give the others time to escape. In 2007, the film was followed by a direct-to-DVD sequel, Return to House on Haunted Hill, which was released in both rated and unrated editions.
The building's security system is mysteriously tripped, locking everyone inside – a stunt which Price blames on Evelyn. Evelyn and Steven are at one another’s throats, each trying to kill the other. Jennifer, Eddie and Pritchett search the basement for the security system's control panel. While exploring the labyrinthine basement, Jennifer confesses to Eddie that her real name is Sara Wolfe, the recently fired assistant to the real Jennifer.
Anyway, moving on from the violent opening, we are welcomed into Stephen Price’s theme park “from here on in it gets really scary! ” The theme park is full of ride’s that trick you into thinking something has gone wrong, it’s awesome but sadly could never legally happen. Evelyn’s birthday is coming up, and the plan is to spend the night in the House on Haunted Hill, the old Mental Asylum, and she has stupidly given the job of sending out invites to her husband.
Its loud, frantic and not somewhere you’d want to end up as we witness the poor fella quite literally loose his mind. In the cinema, every sound effect in the film was amplified, and if you listen closely, there is a whole array of noises going on in the background that the casual viewer just might miss. Dripping water, thunderous hums, static electricity, screams, cries its all there if you listen for it and goes to prove just how well informed Malone is on his horror.
It even finds time to add in some spooky Church choir singing as one character is killed off. It feels like Malone has read the rule book for horror and added everything from it. I’ve spent considerable oxygen defending this film’s creature effects, its shlocky acting, and its oddly paced, tensionless plot. House on Haunted Hill revolves around a wealthy eccentric named Frederick Loren who invites five guests to stay overnight in a haunted house. The production team meticulously crafted every set piece to create a visually stunning and believable haunted mansion.
A few years later, he leased a theater from Orson Welles and painted swastikas all over it to create a buzz around a play he had written in a weekend. Tickets to his first independently produced feature, Macabre (1958) came with $1000 life insurance policies in case audience members died of fright. Most famously, he sent crews to install vibrating motors in theater seats for his 1959 film, The Tingler.
