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House on Haunted Hill (1958)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:17
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7/10
Runtime: 75 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Vincent Price has one of his juiciest roles in this haunted-house thriller as millionaire playboy Frederick Loren, who invites five guests out to a genuine haunted house, offering them each $10,000... Vincent Price has one of his juiciest roles in this haunted-house thriller as millionaire playboy Frederick Loren, who invites five guests out to a genuine haunted house, offering them each $10,000 if they spend the night. Elisha Cook Jr. plays one of the guests, a nervous alcoholic who has been in this house before and witnessed some terrible things. Mr. Loren's beautiful but treacherous wife (Carol Ohmart) is also present--and might be out to kill Frederick during the course of the evening; then again, he might be out to kill her. Severed heads, a skeleton, an acid vat, ghostly screams, and a noose that creeps around on its own and strangles unsuspecting victims are just some of the treats in a film that has been spooking delighted audiences on late-night TV for decades. Producer-director William Castle (THE TINGLER) claimed this was filmed in a process called Emergo, which meant that at a key moment a glow-in-the-dark skeleton on a wire was rigged to sail over the audience's heads. The skeleton is long since gone, but the goofy thrills remain in this classic tale, from a script by Robb White. [More]
Starring: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Alan Marshal, Richard Long
Starring: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Alan Marshal, Richard Long, Carolyn Craig, Elisha Cook, Julie Mitchum, Leona Anderson, Howard Hoffman
Director: William Castle
Director: William Castle
Screenwriter: Robb White
Producer: William Castle
Composer: Von Dexter
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Reviews for House on Haunted Hill
William Castle was better known for his gimmicks than for his films, but this haunted house chiller is actually very good.
The film has a genuinely creepy atmosphere and boasts at least one leap-outa-your-seat shock moment.
If one had to pick the best of the campy horror films that made [Castle's] reputation, this 1958 feature would probably be it.
Still a classic after the wretched remake, Price's horror film is still fun, even during the cheesy climax.
As campy fun, this one is timeless, expertly executed and still delivers its fey thrills and worldly laughs.
One of Castle's more atmospheric and modestly entertaining schlock-o-ramas.
A stale spook concoction from the William Castle-Robb White production team.
...a minor cult classic in the haunted-house genre, and while it may not be very scary, it sure is entertaining.
Anyone for goose pimples? If so, there is a plethora of such epidermal elevations in this entry in to the apparently endless cycle of horror plays with which the world's screens are currently being flooded.
Latest News for House on Haunted Hill
June 20, 2006:
Who's Ready for Another Trip to "Haunted Hill"?
Bloody-Disgusting.com (arguably the best horror site out there) is reporting that Dark Castle Entertainment (the guys behind "Ghost Ship," "Gothika," and... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 88% 88% | Ballast |
| 66% 66% | The Merry Gentleman |
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