Movie Review - House on Haunted Hill

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Starring Vincent Price and a bunch of unknown television actors from the 1950s

Directed by William Castle

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

I don't think I've ever seen a William Castle movie, but I knew prior to watching House on Haunted Hill that he was known as the master of low-budget B-horror flicks in the 1950s and '60s.  I certainly wasn't expecting anything from this one, and, if I'm being completely honest, I only watched it because it was the shortest movie in my Instant Watch queue (clocking in at 74 minutes).  Little did I know that this flick was an absolutely solid low-budget horror flick with a surprisingly enjoyable conclusion.

Millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) and his wife invite an odd group of five people to the eerie house on Haunted Hill, daring them to stay in the supposedly haunted abode overnight with the promise that anyone who lasts the evening will walk away with $10,000.  Why they've been invited is unknown to them, but it's fairly obvious to the group right away that something is quite awry in the titular house and it may take all that they can muster to stay alive through the evening.

Unlike its 1999 remake (which, if memory serves me correctly I also liked [although I get it mixed up with the similar in tone Thir13en Ghosts]), this is a bloodless affair, but it's not without its interesting eerie moments.  While there aren't any jump out of your seat moments, there's an overall creepy tone throughout the film.  It certainly helps that all the actors (while overacting at times in that 1950s tone so common in that era) were game for the whole affair, playing into the schlocky horror moments with unwavering aplomb.

The RyMickey Rating:  B