House on Haunted Hill is a classic 1959 horror film directed by William Castle and featuring all-time great horror movie star Vincent Price. In this film, an eccentric billionaire rents out the titular haunted house and invites several others to attend an all-night party therein; anyone who can stay the whole night in the most haunted house in the world gets 10,000 dollars (a lot of money at the time, go with it). And that’s only the beginning of the madness.
I dare not say much more about the plot, as that is the best thing the movie has going for it. By far the most enduring and well-done part of the movie is its mystery. The plot is riddled with a variety of twists and turns that keep you guessing at the true nature of the situation all throughout. The performances, as well, are solid, with Price, in particular, being charismatic enough to steal almost any scene he’s in.
Even the visuals are relatively solid; as the film relies very little on special effects, save for one or two incredibly cheesy moments. Since even those parts are unintentionally hilarious, I can’t bring myself to take that many points off for them. In spite of the limited filming technology and different sensibilities of the time, House on Haunted Hill holds up surprisingly well. That’s why I rate it four pools of acid out of five.
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