Table Of Content
In 2007, the film was followed up with a direct-to-DVD sequel, Return to House on Haunted Hill, with Jeffrey Combs reprising his role as Vannacut and was released in both rated and unrated editions. Evelyn seemingly dies in front of the others, strapped to an electroshock therapy table. Price pulls a gun on the guests, demanding to know who killed his wife. Eddie knocks him out and they lock Price in the "Saturation Chamber", an archaic zoetrope device that Vannacutt used to treat schizophrenics. When the others leave, he turns the chamber on, leaving Price to be tortured by the moving images and ghostly hallucinations, resulting in a seizure.
Blu-ray Review: HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, a Fun Product of Its Time - ScreenAnarchy
Blu-ray Review: HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, a Fun Product of Its Time.
Posted: Fri, 19 Oct 2018 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Video
The climactic house-versus-humans scenes were so ludicrous that I half expected Kattan to revert to his Mr. Peepers persona from SNL and start battling the evil inkblot with spat-out chunks of apple. House on Haunted Hill is the remake of a 1959 horror classic and has some impressive visuals at times, that are in stark contrast to the rest of the movie that often plods along. The theme of the party is survival and the five guests are offered 1 million dollars each if they can live out the night. Price and Evelyn’s marriage is on the rocks with either suspicious of the other. The 5 guests appear to be randomly chosen but as the night wears on, the mysteries of the house and the identities of the guests opens up more questions and doubts.
Ratings and reviews
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. House on Haunted Hill is the kind of horror movie that’s not a bit scary and quite a bit gross. But the most upsetting thing about this is that they signed Jeffrey Combs and then gave away the perfect part for him to Chris Cattan of all people. As if this would be the movie to jump-start Cattan’s SeRiOuS AcTiNg CarReEr.
The Saturation Chamber Sequence In 'House On Haunted Hill' Is One Of The Scariest Scenes Ever - SlashFilm
The Saturation Chamber Sequence In 'House On Haunted Hill' Is One Of The Scariest Scenes Ever.
Posted: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Producers
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.
Storyline
While exploring the labyrinthine basement, Jennifer confesses to Eddie that her real name is Sara Wolfe, the recently fired assistant to the real Jennifer. Shortly after, Sara is nearly drowned in a tank of blood by a ghost impersonating Eddie, but the real Eddie arrives in time to save her. Melissa subsequently disappears, leaving behind a massive trail of blood and a camera that shows a little footage of what happened to her. Price visits his assistant Schechter, who is supposed to be managing the party stunts, but finds him horribly mutilated. On the surveillance monitor he sees the ghost of Dr. Vannacutt walking around with a bloody saw. House on Haunted Hill marked the producing debut of Dark Castle Entertainment, a production company that went on to produce numerous other horror films, including additional remakes.
Cast
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. An amusement park mogul offers a random group of diverse people $1 million to spend the night in a decrepit former mental institution.
Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes
Sara gets out, but The Darkness closes an iron gate, trapping Eddie. To compensate for any real spooks, there are some solid gore effects and stellar set pieces. House on Haunted Hill is a sorry reincarnation of the 1950s William Castle horror film. In a black-and-white post-credits scene, the spirits of the 1931 patients are seen torturing the Prices forever in the afterlife, presumably doomed to eternal damnation. In 1931, the patients at the Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane revolt with a prison riot against the staff, headed by the sadistic Dr. Richard B. Vannacutt. The patients start a fire which engulfs the building, killing all of the inmates and all but five of Vannacutt’s staff.
Cast and Crew
This movie would be even more epic and forever have locked in its cult status if they’d just let Combs do his thing. 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 tells Sara and Eddie that the only escape is through the attic. Price opens a window in the attic, then sacrifices himself to give the others time to escape.
They have faked Evelyn's death, plotting to frame Price for the murders, hoping one of the guests will kill him in self-defense. Evelyn heartlessly kills Blackburn, adding another victim, then releases a delirious Price from the chamber. Sara finds Price, covered in blood and with Blackburn's severed head nearby, and shoots him. Eddie and Pritchett arrive and bring Sara upstairs, after which Evelyn approaches Price to gloat. Price, protected by a bulletproof vest and posing as dead, attacks Evelyn. As they scuffle, Evelyn is thrown through a decaying door, revealing the evil entity of the house – The Darkness.
All three deleted scenes from the film were included on the 2000 Warner Bros. Home Video release of the film on DVD in the bonus features section. 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.
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. House on Haunted Hill has a great first act and a handful of decent moments making it worth a watch, especially if you were weaned on '90s horror.
House on Haunted Hill was the first film produced by American production company Dark Castle Entertainment. Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis had discussed remaking William Castle's 1959 film as early as 1997. Director William Malone was a fan of the original film, which he had seen in his childhood, which served as the impetus for his directing. Malone and producer Dick Beebe worked on the film's screenplay for a year and a half. According to Malone, he wrote approximately twenty percent of the screenplay, though he did not take a writing credit on it.
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.
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