Underplayed Gems

House on Haunted Hill (1958)

House on Haunted Hill poster
Directed by
William Castle
Genre
drama film, comedy film, horror film, independent film, mystery film, crime film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 15m
Rated
NR
Rating
6.8 of 10 from 616 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A wealthy man and his wife invite five strangers to spend a night in a supposedly haunted house for a cash prize. As the evening goes on, the guests find themselves locked in and facing various spooky scares.

campyspookyplayfultensetheatricalsuspensefulwhimsical

What happens

House on Haunted Hill is a 1958 American horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig, Julie Mitchum, and Elisha Cook Jr. Price plays an eccentric millionaire, Frederick Loren, who, along with his wife Annabelle, has invited five people to the house for a "haunted house" party. Whoever stays in the house for one night will earn $10,000. As the night progresses, the guests are trapped within the house with an assortment of terrors. House on Haunted Hill was first released in a limited number of cities on December 17, 1958, before premiering in San Francisco on January 14, 1959. In February, 1959, it played on a double bill with The Cosmic Man (1959). This film is famous for employing one of Castle's promotional gimmicks, "Emergo," a skeleton that was flown over the audience during screenings to frighten patrons. In the years since its release, the film has developed a cult following and was remade in 1999. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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