Review of House on Haunted Hill (1959) by Sean L — 19 Apr 2012
In this oft-referenced pseudo-horror classic, Vincent Price lures five strangers to stay overnight at a notorious abandoned mansion, promising ten grand to those who make it through to the next morning.
Price is perfectly in his element as the shifty, flamboyant playboy who's somehow able to deliver his lines with a straight face, especially when he breaks out a charming, housewifey set of party favors: a cute set of tiny coffins containing loaded pistols.
His ultimate reasoning for gathering this spooky little house party doesn't make very much sense, though, and the gotcha scenes are worse than I'd expect to find in a run-down amusement park's old haunted house.
About as hammy and silly as it gets, it's tough to imagine anyone ever getting spooked out by this wacky form of the genre, but that doesn't mean it can't be entertaining for the wrong reasons.
Even in the late fifties, I have to imagine it was better suited to laughs than it ever was to screams.
This review of House on Haunted Hill (1959) was written by Sean L on 19 Apr 2012.
House on Haunted Hill has generally received mixed reviews.
Was this review helpful?
