User reviews

William Castle liked to promote his films with gimmicks, and the gimmick for THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL was Emerg-O: at the peak of the action, a glowing skeleton "emerged from the screen" and flew out over the audience on a wire. By most accounts Emerg-O caused more laughter than chills, but fortunately Castle never relied on gimmicks alone: he also liked bona fide stars, and for HAUNTED HILL his star of choice was none other than the legendary horror star Vincent Price.

Like most Castle films, HAUNTED HILL's plot reworks a well-worn theme. Millionaire Price and his wife Carol Ohmart give a "haunted house party" for five strangers chosen at random and promised ten thousand dollars if they last the night. The catch: the doors lock at midnight, after which there is no escape until the caretakers return in the morning. While the story itself doesn't hold many surprises, the script is unexpectedly witty, and Price plays it in a slightly prissy, very high-camp manner with a tremendous dose of the black humor for which he was so famous--and the little-known Carol Ohmart is every bit his match, snapping out memorable lines ("Darling, the only ghoul in the house is you!") in every scene. Together they elevate the film well above what you might otherwise expect, and when combined with the largely wooden supporting cast and some of the silliest this-is-supposed-to-scare-you effects imaginable the result is a cult classic with plenty of camp appeal.

In addition to Price and Ohmart, the film is also surprisingly atmospheric. Shot in and around one of Frank Lloyd Wright's more famous structures, the grainy "late show" look of the film (due more to accident and age than deliberate intent) is very entertaining, the cinematic devices (everything from disembodied heads, irises, and jump-cuts) are very appealing, and the sound track (which sounds like a mix of piano bass keyes, synthesizer, and soprano vocals) is exactly what you'd want for this obvious but extremely entertaining flick. Of all the Castle films, THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL is my personal favorite, and it should rate very high with fans of cult, camp, and Vincent Price. And I'll go further than that: of all his memorable appearances, I do believe this was among Price's best. A great choice for both family movie night or a sophisticated Halloween howl--very recommended! Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Vincent Price plays Frederick Loren, an eccentric millionaire that invites five very different people to a haunted house for a party, and offers them $10,000 if they can stay the night... This film benefits emphatically from the presence of the legendary Vincent Price. As usual, Price gives a commanding performance and completely steals every scene he's in. Price is undoubtedly the star of the show, but he's not the only star in the show; Elisha Cook in particular gives excellent support playing the wimpy owner of the house; much the same character that he played in the Kubrick masterpiece; 'The Killing'. The rest of the cast is largely made up of unknowns and b-grade actors, but they also all perform to relatively high standards in their respective roles.

House on Haunted Hill's best feature other than the legendary Vincent Price, is undoubtedly the atmosphere of the house. Throughout the movie, there is an abundant sense of dread that is perpetually present and it serves the film well in that it brings the house to life; at every point in the movie, the audience is made to believe that there is something unseen in the house that will cause bad things to happen; and this is obviously exactly what a haunted house film needs. The film is very creepy in that way. That's not to say that this film is without its flaws; at times, the plot meanders and as the film only has a 75 minute running time, that's not good. It can also become a little dull at times as there isn't always a lot going on. This is, however, somewhat combated by the acting performances and defined characters as they usually manage to keep it at least interesting, if not enthralling throughout. House on Haunted Hill is topped off by a brilliant double twist, and it is also given certain originality by that also, although the twists do beg the question of whether or not the film has an appropriate title. The walking skeleton is hilarious, though and worth watching film for alone.

Overall, House on Haunted Hill is a lovely little b movie; it's creative, it's atmospheric and it stars Vincent Price. Highly recommended viewing, especially for horror fans. Definitely not recommended for anyone though, is the dire 1999 remake of this film, and the equally appalling remake of William Castle's other ghost story; '13 Ghosts'.

William Castle has made several wonderful horror films; some obviously better than others, but at the top of the list are "Thirteen Ghosts" and "House on Haunted Hill." This movie might though have been all but forgotten if not one plucky guy recently remade this movie in to a much more gory movie. That movie is a remake in name only, but this one is obviously more superior because it has the incredibly creepy presence of Vincent Price and the nervous tick of Elisha Cook. The ghosts aren't very scary, nor do we see anything really supernatural, but the atmosphere and uneasiness of this film makes for an incredible who done it story as you wonder who will get it. The set is intoxicating inasmuch as you never really see all of it, nor is it really explained what such a dangerous pit is doing in such a precarious spot in the basement. Such a matter isn't important. On the other side of the coin, the music and the special effects are rather hokey, but then when this was in the theaters, a lot of the teenagers would have been making out to have really bothered to pick this movie apart. It is only in recent years that movies have turned away from gore and back to movies with style and substance that we appreciate films like this.

This classic version of "House on Haunted Hill" is one of the most entertaining examples of the low-budget, black-and-white horror films that used to be such a mainstay for movie fans. It has few frills, but it does have some thrills, and in particular it has a cleverly written story that is told at a brisk pace, with a good deal of interesting and pleasingly macabre detail.

Horror legend Vincent Price is in his element as the mysterious millionaire who invites a houseful of guests to spend the night in a supposedly haunted mansion, and his performance will give his fans everything that they expect. The supporting cast is solid, led by Elisha Cook, who is very good as a nervous, tipsy character whose rambling proclamations of doom add the right touch of offbeat suspense. The settings are given plenty of detail that makes the characters' explorations of the house even more interesting.

The story is nicely written for the genre, making very good use of the possibilities in the setup, throwing in some good turns, and resolving everything in a resourceful fashion. And it's not without some real suspense - even those who normally watch low-budget horror features solely for the camp factor might get an actual start once or twice as everything plays out. And even if you don't find anything scary, there is plenty here that makes it enjoyable to watch.

I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid and how scary it was to me, especially the scene where Nora sees the old lady ghost for the first time. I haven't seen this movie since I was 6 years old and I remember watching with my mom recently the "100 scariest movies" on BRAVO and this movie was mentioned, I figured since I had the opportunity to see it again, why not? Like I said, it's somewhat lost it's edge, but still 'till this day, House on Haunted Hill will always remain a great movie to watch any stormy night.

Five strangers have been invited to a house on Haunted Hill, they are being offered by Vincent price $10,000 each, the catch? They have to spend the night at that house that has been cursed, thinking it's just a good old fashioned haunted party that Vincent's wife is throwing, they go along with it, especially since they could easily have $10,000. But things start to go a little crazy when horrible things happen to the guests, including the sights of ghosts. But questions are brought up when the wife seems pretty up on loosing her millionaire husband.

The story was great and the ending was one of the first great twist endings of our time. Again, I could always easily laugh at some scenes now a days, but I think it is because of the fact that I've seen so many horror movies. Because I still remember those horrible nightmares this movie gave me as a kid and that's what makes this movie special to me, it will remain as the greatest sleepover flick!

7/10

This movie is a very good tale of a house that may or may not be haunted. This version is better than the newer one, mainly because Vincent Price is so good here, much better than anyone in the new version made in 1999. It is also relatively short and goes by quickly. This movie has some of the same plot elements of the one from 1999, but thankfully the ending to this one is a lot better. I really enjoyed it, as I was hoping the one character would come out on top. This one is about a party being held in an old house that is supposed to be haunted. The people were invited by Price's character and offered $10,000 dollars if they were to stay the entire night. There is tension between Price's character and his wife, there is a girl who is very nervous and wants to leave immediately, and then there is the doctor who does not believe in ghosts. There are three others as well who are invited to stay the night. During the night strange things happen as one of the guests is murdered and there seems to be supernatural things happening. A very well done movie that for me ended perfectly.

House on Haunted Hill is both a murder mystery while also poking fun at the cliched haunted house genre that was already getting tired out by that point in time. As far as it's murder mystery aspect goes it's pretty underwhelming in its plot development. There's no clues or hardly any buildup to keep the story very engaging & your left feeling alienated from it most the time. All leading to an ending the doesn't feel too impactful.

However where it does succeed is it's spooky charm and camp factor. Some viewers may watch it and take it too seriously at first but it's meant to be playing around with the old school haunted house tropes. One example is two ghostly looking beings popping out of nowhere and scaring the character Nora to death. But it later turns out to just be the house's caretakers and they're never seen again. Vincent Price is the star of the film & like always he's excellent. His intro to inviting the guests really feels like he's talking directly to us as if we're one of them along for this ride. The scenes with him and his wife talking about murdering each other are the best parts & it's pretty interesting to hear such dark macabre humor in an early horror film like this.

The film is essentially like classic Halloween decorations. They're not that scary but theyre traditional & very amusing to look at. A fun spooky time as long as you don't expect too much from the story.

I have watched my share of horror movies, altho I am not an expert on the genre, and I have seen different settings. Of course, there can be mixed settings: a film about Dracula may take you to the Transylvanian outdoors, to streets or graveyards, as well as into the castle or mansion or whatever. But one way horror movies can be categorized is by whether most or all of the film is within a residence, or not. Bearing this in mind, I think something special about horror films is having the victim(s) enclosed inside a mansion or home, with escape difficult or impossible, and terrorized by anything one can imagine -- moving furniture, metamorphosing paintings, spooks in the attic, odd remnants, lights on and off -- as part of the buildup for a real or expected attack, by a person or whatever. The terror, suspense, is believing someone or something is or may be there, but where, and when, will it strike? "The Shining," "Die! Die! My Darling," "Beyond the Door," Behind Locked Doors," "The Haunting." Although claustrophobia might generally be a negative for me in a movie, such as "Rear Window" (unlike most people, I do not really like it), in horror movies it is great, it makes the day. If one looks at things this way, "House on Haunted Hill" can be seen as the quintessential horror film.

Start with having Vincent Price in it, hopefully no arguments there. He plays Frederick Loren, the affluent host of a "party" in which he invites five people, not including himself and his wife, to a haunted mansion on a hill in a challenge for each person to win $10,000 (at today's value, about $100,000) if that person stays in the mansion all night. Among the five are Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook Jr.), an alcoholic, whose endemically spooked countenance sets the tone for what everyone is getting into. Frightface or not, he bears an (eerie?) resemblance to evangelist Pat Robertson, whether or not he is actually as scary. Altho Pritchard owns the house, he has spent little time in it, but he is nevertheless the expert on the circumstances surrounding seven deaths, including that of his brother, on the premises over many years. Quickly, the other four get the message: they may be facing trouble. And trouble begins quickly. Part of the idea is that there is no escape out of the mansion after midnight, when the caretakers leave, and barricades ensure this.

Price's wife, Annabelle, is played by Carol Ohmart. She is striking blond, gorgeous, with very fair skin. In several scenes that I will not specify, her lightness is artfully contrasted against surrounding darkness by Director William Castle -- very beautiful, no special effects needed. Price has a jealous rage toward her and she in turn wants to get rid of him, as she has tried to do in the past. What will happen tonight?

Of the other four characters, the two with the stronger presences in the first half are Lance Schroeder (Richard Long), a handsome pilot, and Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig), a pretty typist for one of Loren's companies and the early lead screamer. The other two are newspaper writer Ruth Bridgers (Julie Mitchum), who has a gambling problem, and Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal), a psychiatrist interested in the subject of scared people. A plot twist brings one of these latter two to greater prominence in the second half.

The creaky doors, the body parts, the unexplained incidents all do their part in a movie in which black & white is such an essential. The black & white cements the atmosphere we need for the "house" (mansion): from a distance, from a close-up at the start of the movie, and then inside the mansion, everywhere. For those who profess love for "Casablanca" and cry "sacrilege" when they see the colored version, I say, OK, the true version to me is the original, but the colorized version is just the colorized version, what's wrong with watching it too? The movie still works in color, doesn't it, even if it is preferable in black & white? To me, anyway. But as to "House on Haunted Hill" -- even if I similarly would not cry "sacrilege" to a colorized version, I ask, can you think of any other movie in which black & while is so essential, in which a colorized version would lose so much? Maybe you can, but I can't.

Loren, with his ulterior motives, has a smug, rather commanding aura, knowing that each of the five needs the $10,000. There can be skeletons in people's closets, yes. And as Loren's plans are threatened with derailment, keep this in mind.

I personally think that 1958's "House on Haunted Hill" is one of Vincent Price's best scary movies that he made over his long and storied career. Directed by the incomparable shock master, William Castle, it has all the elements for a good scary movie.

Vincent Price portrays Frederick Loren, a wealthy businessman who has rented out a haunted house that has been the scene of several murders for an all night party for several people. He offers $10,000.00 to anyone who stays in the house overnight.

Without giving too much away, there are several chilling moments in the film. Ghosts, an old woman who looks like a wicked witch, a walking skeleton, an acid pit in the dark and creepy basement and a suicide by Loren's beautiful wife Annabelle (played with frosty efficiency by Carol Ohmart) or is her death really a murder? There are several good supporting actors such as Richard Long and Carolyn Craig who help keep the movie entertaining.

The 1999 remake of this classic film simply cannot hold a candle to the original. This is a great movie to watch while snuggled under the covers on a stormy night.

William Castle, the Master Promoter of Low Budget Horror films of the 50's and60's , takes a step closer to immortality with this tasty little thriller starring Vincent Price and Elijah Cook Jr. Not a great movie by any means, but the performances and screen presence of the top two are well worth your time. Price, a ritzy wealthy bon vivant , suspects his unfaithful wife ? might be attempting an early demise for him.

He invites 5 people to spend the night at his house,to flesh out the possible killer. (The Historic Ennis Brown Mansion), now in disrepair, irony. The character Watson Pritchard(Elijah Cook Jr.)is the catalyst that helps promote the spookiness of the film. The subplots provided by Richard Long and Carolyn Craig , are just filler. As fate would have it, there are ironic twists , and lessons to be learned about having vats of acids in your cellar. Newer generations may be bored by lack of violence or gore, or the fact there isn't much action, but this is just an innocent date movies from the 50,s. Something to occupy a few hours on a Fri.nite in the dark. Most people in the audience provided their own entertainment. William Castle graduated to bigger and better films such as "Rosemary's Baby" later in the 60's.

So, in the context of the film world, this will never make the top 1000, but if you need a film to watch in the dark with your significant other, then you might look at this one...Enjoy...Even the Skeleton gets Credit...Ha..Ha...Haaaaaa..........

Just having Vincent Price makes this film worthy of viewing it. He offers $10,000 to his guests if they will stay a night in his house on haunted hill. There is a love triangle that Price must deal with as his wife is carrying on with a Doctor. In the house there is the closing doors, especially in one room as the lights go off, one by one, with the door slamming and creepy music. A funny looking woman appears and then appears to melt away. Poor Vincent, little does he know that the point of the party was to kill him, and they do, or do they? Will Vincent have the last say? Enjoy!

Vincent Price asks five strangers to spend an evening in a haunted house for ten thousand dollars a piece. With his estranged wife in tow, the seven house guests begin a nocturnal odyssey of mayhem, murder, and the macabre. This film is a great vehicle for Price's unique talents as an actor, and is also a very atmospheric film due in large part to the direction of William Castle. Castle gives us all kinds of horror in the traditional vein...a severed head, a skeleton, the screaming-without-end hysterical young woman, the plot twists and turns, and the firmly planted tongue-in-cheek. The cast is very good, with Carol Omhart, as Price's elegant and gorgeous wife, and Elisha Cook, as a drunken sot who continually rants about all the evil that has happened in the house, as standouts. This is a great Halloween film, or one that you turn off the lights to watch.

This is a film that doesn't just lean into the "ghost" story tropes, but wallows in them, from starting with just a black screen and the now cliché sound FXs of screens, chains, evil laughter to having a vat of acid, skeletons that walk, secret doors, monster arms reaching for damsels in distress, thunder and lightning, high contrast shadowy lighting, severed heads etc, etc. But the best part of this film is Vincent Price, a great character actor who became firmly associated with the horror genre in the latter part of his career thanks to the films of Roger Corman et al. This film is worth seeing because of him.

There is some nifty camera work, following in front of people as they walk down the corridors without any dolly tracks visible, pre-steadycam, which I was surprised to see in a 1959 film.

There's something to be said for a society that could be scared much more easily than they are now. These late fifties and early sixties horror movies always filled the bill. There was always a hand reaching from behind a curtain to touch a young lady's shoulder, there was always a room where we shouldn't go, there was always Vincent Price. In addition to the introductions at the beginning which I love, especially Elisha Cook, there are all the dark wonderings put forth for us to chew on. Right on cue, something would make us jump, a few minutes would pass, and there it was again. I remember when skulls and skeletons could drive anyone to hysterics. They are tame now; we want more gore, dismemberment, disfigurement. This is a nicely paced mystery story. It could be pretty average but for Price's consistently eerie presence. He is so pained all the time. I imagine he has been seen as the villain in almost every film in which he appears, but we always wonder. The young woman in this movie supplies enough screams for everyone, and well she should. She seems to be the one that is being used over and over. We have the handsome Richard Long who is consistently skeptical as his young romantic lead tells him story after story. She is being set up to shoot Vincent. And then the house, which looks from the outside like a sports museum, has the secrets. Cook keeps reminding us that seven have been killed. He is an absolute mess but we need someone to keep the ghostly element involved. Did anyone think it might be a good idea to do something about that vat of acid in the basement. Did anyone stay in their rooms when all mayhem was breaking out. It doesn't matter because this movie is what it is. A spook show for a Friday night in the late fifties.

Vincent Price, with the fabulous name of Frederick Loren, invites a disparate group of people to his spooky estate, offering each of them $10,000 if they can withstand one night of his (rather juvenile) demented tricks. Reconceived (poorly) in 1999 as a full-throttle horror show, this version was probably meant to be scary but today can be viewed as ghoulish camp, light on its feet and mindlessly enjoyable. William Castle production was originally released in "Emergo", a gimmick that set loose a skeleton above the theater audience. Fun for enthusiasts, and featuring a colorful supporting cast including cult-actress Carol Ohmart as Price's wife, Elisha Cook, Jr. and a very green Richard Long. **1/2 from ****

this is probably one of the best black and white horror movies ever made in my opinion,, top 50 material. Vincent Price does his usual over the top great performance,, his is witty, and charming,, his wife on the other hand is cold , calculated , and cunning,, plot goes like this 5 strangers are invited to spend the night at an eccentric millionaire's house, if they survive they will be paid 10,000 dollars, not a bad offer, but apparently the house is very haunted, and people seem to have a bad habit of dying there,, each of the house guests are given one last chance to leave , but the caretakers take off a few minutes early so the house is thoroughly locked down,, the windows even have bars on them, and you just have to love all of the doors in the house,, and the acid pit,, that is just the cream of the crop ladies and gentleman.

Multimillionaire Price offers a group of people a surprisingly light handful of cash to stay the night in his supposedly haunted house. And so begins the bat-on-a-string effects, as someone begins trying to scare them to death for their share of the money.

This is one of Price's best roles, suave and silkily dangerous ("Do you remember the fun we had when you poisoned me?") The house itself, while it isn't exactly *haunted*, does have a wonderful film noir look about it, elegantly and stylishly dreadful looking, complete with candelabra chandelier, an acid bath in the basement, and an old bat being pulled around on a cart while making faces at the camera.

Is it scary? Not in the least. It's about as scary as a sock puppet, but it's a lot of fun to watch, especially in a cinema, as I had the opportunity to do this past Halloween.

House on Haunted Hill was a surprisingly good movie. I wasn't expecting what I got out of the movie. It kicks off with the introduction to the characters. I don't remember their names. Right from the beginning the movie reeks of conspiracy and once you get inside the room with just Vince and his wife mystery only builds. Through a tour of the house the drunk shows where all the people had died and makes the comment that no one was just simply killed in the house, all of the murders were very brutal. As the movie progresses one of the girls continues to see things in the house and becomes hysterical according to the psychiatrist. The overall movie is a great watch for Halloween, or those who just love horror movies in general. It'll keep you guessing on weather or not the ghosts are real. The ending is really good, I really don't wanna spoil any of that for you. Just watch it, you'll wish you were invited too.

Released in 1959, "House on Haunted Hill" stars Vincent Price as the host of a "party" at a mansion where several people are invited (e.g. Richard Long and Elisha Cook Jr.) and offered $10,000 to stay the night. Ghostly and spooky things start happening. Will they make it out alive?

Some old horror movies stand the test of time even though they're extremely dated, like 1953's "House of Wax," but "House on Haunted Hill" isn't one of 'em. This is just a bad movie. It has one or two effective scares, but that's about it. Thankfully, there are some positives: Price is his entertaining self, Long is a quality protagonist and Carol Ohmart is palpably sultry, but there are way too many lame elements, like parts of the dialogue and the overall script. But there's more:

The corny floating heads; the overacting and over-screaming (mostly by Carolyn Craig); the fact that the house (actually a veritable castle) only has one door; and the ridiculous skeleton at the end that was shorter than Annabelle and was supposed to be the remains of Price's towering character. Then there's the obvious questions the story provokes: Since the guests were only there for the night why not just stay in one room together and wait it out, making sure you're not sitting under a dubious chandelier? What was the purpose of the well of acid in the cellar? How did they possibly pull off Annabelle appearing outside Nora's window? How about the rope encircling Nora's feet and then going back out? Why didn't Nora simply step away from the rope? I could go on and on.

Still, it's worth watching for the few positives and to roll your eyes at the rest.

Shot in B&W, the movie runs 75 minutes and was shot Ennis-Brown House, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California.

GRADE: D