House on Haunted Hill (1999)

Directed by

William Malone

Genre

horror film, thriller film, ghost film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 29m

Rated

R

Rating

5.6 of 10 from 968 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A millionaire invites strangers to a party in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. He offers them one million dollars each to survive the night. The guests face terrifying supernatural forces.

tensecreepyviolenteerieunsettlingfast-pacedmoodydark

What happens

House on Haunted Hill is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by William Malone and starring Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Peter Gallagher, and Chris Kattan. The plot follows a group of strangers who are invited to a party at an abandoned psychiatric hospital, where they are offered $1 million each by an amusement park mogul if they are able to survive the night. Produced by Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver, it is a remake of the 1959 film of the same title directed by William Castle. The film marked the producing debut of Dark Castle Entertainment, a production company that went on to produce numerous other horror films, including additional remakes. Screenwriter Dick Beebe adapted the film's script from Robb White's 1959 original, updating elements of the story and introducing a significant supernatural component which was absent from the original film. Filming took place in Los Angeles in early 1999, with famed make-up artists Gregory Nicotero and Dick Smith providing the film's special effects. House on Haunted Hill was released on Halloween weekend in 1999. In the tradition of William Castle's theater gimmicks, Warner Bros. supplied promotional scratchcards to cinemas showing the film, offering ticket buyers a chance to win a money prize, similar to the movie's characters. The film was a commercial success, opening at number one at the U.S. box office, and grossing $65 million worldwide. It received largely negative reviews from critics, with some deriding its use of special effects and gore, though it did receive some praise for its performances and horror elements. In 2007, the film was followed by a direct-to-DVD sequel, Return to House on Haunted Hill, which was released in both rated and unrated editions. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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