House on Haunted Hill (1959)

I lucked out today. While wandering about YouTube searching for classic horror movie trailers, I stumbled upon the full length, free domain copy of House on Haunted Hill. I saw the remake years ago, but I don't remember much other than a haunted house being the location of the film. Because of my poor memory on the matter, I was able to watch the original spoiler free. My main reason for wanting to watch this movie after finding it, was because I knew it starred the great Vincent Price. Feel free to watch it via the link above, and you can see if you agree on any of my points in the review, which you'll find after the jump.


The film opens on a ghostly disembodied head telling us about the titular house. He is the owner, and he tells of many people who have been killed in the house. He himself has stayed in it only a single night before, and he was nearly killed, he claims, by the ghosts that reside there. The house has been rented for the evening by millionaire Frederick Loren, played by Vincent Price. His wife came up with the idea of having a "haunted house party" and so he's put it all together for her. To make it interesting to himself, he's invited a wide variety of guests, and offered to pay them $10,000 if they stay the whole night... and don't die. In the case of their death, their families will get the money. It seems, however, that someone may be planning more than just a party for this night. Will anyone get out of the house alive? And if not, will it be by ghostly, or human hands?

Frederick Loren greets his guests to the party with drinks

After having watched House on Haunted Hill, I've come to a realization that should have been obvious to me before had I bothered to think about it. Older movies rely far more heavily on atmosphere to scare its audiences rather, than blood and guts. These days, special effects allow filmmakers to do incredible things; ghosts and monsters and all manner of gore. Reaching back into these old black and white films (although I watched it in colour) it becomes very clear that while they try their best with some effects, they're much more likely to crank up the creepy atmosphere through the use of music and well timed acting to get most of the tension flowing. It's also interesting what was once considered "horror" and what someone would expect from a modern film of the same genre.

These points were certainly illustrated to me when watching House on Haunted Hill. What would have probably made people jump with fright in 1959, I simply found amusing. I can definitely say I enjoyed the film, but I wouldn't say it was scary. However, there were certainly moments of tension and suspense when you didn't know what was about to happen. It's just that usually what did end up happening wasn't such a big deal as the shrieking woman on the screen would have you believe.

Vincent Price, in all his glory

Probably the most enjoyable part of the movie was getting to see Vincent Price. He doesn't do his classic "creepy" vibe, as it seems this film came out at the start of his rise to fame as a master of ghouls. Instead he's pretty much just playing the role of a suspicious millionaire, and he plays it quite well. He's easily the best actor on the cast, although the rest of the cast isn't terrible. In fact they do an alright job, thankfully avoiding any over-the-top, ham-fisted acting.

If I had to complain about anything in the film, it would be that there are some plot points that never go anywhere. A couple of guests start investigating a suspicious closet in the cellar, only to completely forget about it once the following unrelated scare happens. A character gets locked away in a secret room, for what seems like no other reason than to remove him from the picture. And then there is the pit of acid in the wine cellar. Apparently, people were murdered in that acid, but it was just left there! You're trying to tell me no one ever removed such a dangerous death trap? But while I can point out the absurdity of having an huge open pit of acid now, I realize just kind of accepted it along with the characters while I was watching it. The film is simply from another time, and if you're going to enjoy it, you're just going to have to let your suspension of disbelief take hold.

Terrified by what she sees, she doesn't notice the ghastly hand about to grab her!

This would be a hard film to flat out recommend without knowing what a person's tastes were. If you love old classics where every woman on the cast has a set of lungs that could shatter glass with every scream, you'd probably like this. If you're a lover of old films and like seeing stars of old like Vincent Price, you'll probably like this. If you can't stand little details like a giant vat of acid being left in the floor of a wine cellar for no reason, and they drive you crazy with hatred, maybe skip this one. I, on the other hand, found it simple, yet amusing. It was also nice that I didn't expect how the story would play out, so that's a bit of a bonus too. It's not without its flaws, but if you can get past them, you might find a fun little film waiting for you.