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A truly remarkable, sensational poster in riveting colors for William Castle's House on Haunted Hill
Eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren and wife Annabelle have invited five guests to a haunted house party: Whoever of the five guests survive the night will win 10,000 $.
House on Haunted Hill is written by Robb White (13 Ghosts (1960)) and directed by William Castle (The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)).
It is a very well-made horror that gets few characters together on a mysterious castle-like estate for a thunder-filled night, - something that's been seen countless times before. But this fresh foray has Vincent Price (Climax! (1955-57)) as the inimitable game master host, who casually drops lines with a catty tingle in his eye such as; "Hasn't every man thought about killing his wife?"
No one is who they appear in this Gothic, homicidal mystery, which is something very special. The rest of the cast are also fair, and the film has survived in beautiful condition. The classic, well-made score (by Von Dexter (Mr. Sardonicus (1961))) features organ and theremin, and the film's special effects include torn heads, an acid bath and walking skeletons!
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: Estimated 0.2 mil. $
Box office: 2.5 mil. $
= Mega-hit (returned 12.5 times its cost)
[House on Haunted Hill premiered 14 January (San Francisco) and runs 75 minutes. Shooting took place from July - September 1958 in Los Angeles, California. The film is famous for the 'Emergo' gimmick devised by Castle for its theatrical release, which involved especially accommodating theaters' installing a pulley system near the screen, which allowed a plastic skeleton to fly over the audience near the end of the film. The system has been re-installed in a few theaters for enthused re-releases of the film since. Alfred Hitchcock was reportedly inspired by the film's success to devise Psycho (1960). It has since fallen into public domain and can therefore be seen free and legally right here. The film was remade with the same title by William Malone in 1999. Castle returned with The Tingler (1959). Price returned in The Big Circus (1959). House on Haunted Hill is fresh at 88 % with a 7.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of House on Haunted Hill?
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