House On Haunted Hill (1959)

House on Haunted Hill (1959)...75 minutes...unrated...starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, and Carolyn Craig...written by Robb White...directed by William Castle

It's hard to throw an entertaining party, I'm told. Still, some ideas seem a little over the top. Try this one: rent out a mansion known for its ghosts and grisly crimes as the setting for a birthday party, invite 5 people you know could use some cash, and challenge them to the following: if each person can stay the night inside the haunted house, he or she will receive $10, 000.00. With that, you have the setup for House on Haunted Hill.

Vincent Price plays millionaire Frederick Loren, who throws the above-mentioned party for his fourth wife Annabelle. Invited are test-pilot Lance Schroeder, columnist Ruth Bridges, psychologist Dr. David Trent, Watson Pritchard, the owner and former victim of the house, and office worker Nora Manning...none of whom know Annabelle or Fredderick socially, and all of whom could use the money. We soon learn that there's no love lost between rich husband and wife...she's wanting all his money and has already tried poisoning Frederick. The house has already claimed seven victims...and according to Pritchard, the spirits are on the move. Nothing could go wrong here, could it?

So, by modern standards of horror movies, this black and white piece may seem dated and dull. Certainly it will seem bloodless, but this movie has a classic performance by Vincent Price. If you have no idea who Price is, well...shame on you! I'll admit, he's one of those actors I would watch if he was reading the phone book. It's also a fun watch to see how much the  genre has changed...as well as the world in general. (A test pilot named Lance? Really?)  You do have to disregard some things...like, who leaves acid in a wine vat, or how can a puppet push someone? Overall, though, it's worth a watch...and it's not even an hour and a half long.

Be sure to check the end credits for another smile. I give it between 2.5 and 3 disembodied heads out of 5.

[ revision on 11/8...why be halfway about a rating? I'm going ahead and bumping the rating up to a full 3...if I can give "The Blob" 3, certainly Vincent Price can get a 3]     ---JD---