The House on Haunted Hill

Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Director: William Castle

Release Year: 1959

Watch Date: July 14, 2021

My Rating: 8.9

They just don’t make movies the way that they used to. Compare the 1959 version of The House on Haunted Hill to the 1999 film. The basic story line is the same, but the execution is completely different. In 1999 the director had special effects, CGI, and a host of modern inventions to work with. William Castle didn’t have any of that in 1959, but he worked with what he had and brought forward amazing results.

While the 1999 film scares you with jump scares, gore, and eerie music, the 1959 film uses psychology to keep you in suspense. This movie centers around a dinner party at a haunted house. Guests will be given money if they can make it all the way through the night. The ever amazing Vincent Price plays the host Frederick Loren. His wife attempts to use the party as a means for convincing everyone that Frederick has killed her. In the end, he does……but he is able to make it look like an accident. Guess you should be careful what you wish for.

Let’s take a moment to talk about William Castle. While Alfred Hitchcock is often called the master of suspense….I think that William Castle did a better job. That’s really saying something since my favorite movie Rebecca (1940) is a Hitchcock film. Castle directed a total of 67 films and produced 25. Among those films are Macabre, The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, The Night Walker, and Rosemary’s Baby (Producer). Castle had a way of capturing the audience with mystery and suspense.

Photo Credit: imdb.com