Being a re-make of the orginal 1958 film by Williiam Castle, this is obviously not a unique storyline, but at the same time, it offers something quite different from the recent horror films which have saturated the market with Scream and its many sequals, as well as a plethora of teen/college ... Read review
The house has a second story, even more terrifying than the first! When a new group of ... more
unsuspecting visitors enter the legendary House On Haunted Hill, they come face-to-horrifying-face with an unimaginable, unrelenting evil. Trapped with the spirits of the sadistic Dr. Vannacutt (Jeffrey Combs) and the insane asylum inmates who died there, the newcomers discover one by one that this time the house won't let anyone leave alive.
The house has a second story, even more terrifying than the first! When a new group of ... more
unsuspecting visitors enter the legendary House on the Haunted Hill, they come face-to-horrifying face with an unimaginable, unrelenting evil. Trapped with the spirits of the sadistic Dr. Vannacutt (Jeffrey Combs) and the insane asylum inmates who died there, the newcomers discover one by one that this time the house won't let anyone leave alive.The welcome mat is out. Do come in.
Unspeakable things happened at the Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally ... more
Insane - experiments that brought human torture to new depths of depravity. Secrets that died with their victims and the practitioners of the demonic acts that masqueraded as medicine. Now there are no living witnesses, nothing remains apart from the building in which they occurred. Decades after the Institute was shuttered, five strangers are invited to spend a night there. their reward is a million dollars each. All they have to do is stay alive. It's going to be a long night. A spine-tingling remake of William Castle's 1958 classic horror tale, combines white-knuckle terror with dark humor and cutting-edge-special effects.
Advantages: Good, gruesome effects, interesting storyline Disadvantages: unbelievable ending, not for the faint hearted.
...This story centres on a house that is genuinely haunted, and these ghosts are looking for revenge! The house on haunted hill used to be an insane asylum back in the 1920’s, owned by a Dr Vannicutt, who liked to try out experimental treatments on his patients, including electrocution and surgery without anesthetic (nice!). The beginning of the film shows that the patients don’t like this torturous treatment too much, and start a mad rampage ... ...they can stay in the house all night! Led into the house by the current owner, and descendant of the original owner, Watson Pritchard is highly agitated and in a hurry to get away from the house, but before he can leave, the house mysteriosuly goes into lockdown, and everyone is trapped inside. Things take a turn for the worse, when one of the guests goes missing leaving behind grisely clues as to what happened, and everyone starts to realise that ... more
Being a re-make of the orginal 1958 film by Williiam Castle, this is obviously not a unique storyline, but at the same time, it offers something quite different from the recent horror films which have saturated the market with Scream and its many sequals, as well as a plethora of teen/college kids/slashers that seem to be everywhere you look. Refreshingly, there isnt a teenager in sight in this, nor is the killer some psycho with a knife, who convienently is always stood right behind you.
This story centres on a house that is genuinely haunted, and these ghosts are looking for revenge! The house on haunted hill used to be an insane asylum back in the 1920’s, owned by a Dr Vannicutt, who liked to try out experimental treatments on his patients, including electrocution and surgery without anesthetic (nice!). The beginning of the film shows that the patients don’t like this torturous treatment too much, and start a mad rampage on the doctor and his staff, using the same methods on them, and causing some gruesome muders (lots of gorey effects at this point, you pretty much get to see all the details). Back to the present day, and enter Steven Price, a rich, eccentric themepark owner, who loves to thrill. Next up is his beautiful, but money grabbing wife, Evelyn, who is only interested in her husbands money and what it can get her. When Evelyn sees a documentry on the old asylum, she decides it will be the perfect place for her birthday party (as you do). But things start to go wrong when the guest list is mysterously re-written by the computer, and neither Steven or Evelyn know who’s going to arrive.
As the 5 guests are arriving at the house, Marilyn Manson’s version of Sweet Dreams kicks off and the deep bass and haunting chords start the chills running down your back as you see the guests looking at their invitations, confused as they don’t know their hosts, but eager for the 1 million dollars promised in the invite if they can stay in the house all night! Led into the house by the current owner, and descendant of the original owner, Watson Pritchard is highly agitated and in a hurry to get away from the house, but before he can leave, the house mysteriosuly goes into lockdown, and everyone is trapped inside. Things take a turn for the worse, when one of the guests goes missing leaving behind grisely clues as to what happened, and everyone starts to realise that all is not what it seems………………..
I don’t want to give this film away completely, but there are some really good twists in this which keep you guessing as to what exactly is going on. Most of these I didn’t see coming, which really livened the film up for me. As the mistrust between the guests and hosts grows there are some fantastic character interactions, most notable perhaps is the hate-hate relationship between the the Price’s, which has secrets of its own, and the highly believable hysteria of Pritchard, whose agitation and fear soon start to rub off on the other guests.
The rock/metal soundtrack works really well with the Dolby 5.1 surround sound, setting off an atmosphere of real evil, and it kept my pulse rate fluttering way above normal! The effects, as I’ve mentioned, are fantastic, and there is no shying away from all the nasty details, good if you ofton feel dissapointed by films that leave out the best bits.
The special features on this DVD are also worth a mention, as there are quite a few of them and they are of good quality. My favourites were the mini documentary “A tale of two houses” which looks at the similarities/differences between the original and re-make, as well as giving more of an insight to the ideas behind the film, and the deleted scene involving zombies, which definatly shouldnt have been cut out. The interactive menu is well put together and in keeping with the spooky atmosphere of the film.
Overall I loved this. The film is fantastic, its only low point being the slightly unbelivable ending, but this was only a minor niggle in an otherwise excellent film. Everything about this was well put together and I have watched it several times since buying it. If you like your horror horrible, then this is for you! My advice? Go out and get yourself scared!
Advantages: None! Disadvantages: Too many to list - see op!
...of the patients. The house has been restored (WHY?!) to its original state, but is uninhabited as it is believed to be haunted.
Wifey decides she wants to have her birthday party there, and faxes off the guest list to hubby. He makes some changes, but then unbeknown to him, his computer makes more changes, and when he and his wife arrive, 4 strangers are there, waiting for the party. The one other character is a kind of caretaker, whose father and ... ...survive a night in the house without doing a runner, or dying. Then, the security shutters close over all the doors and windows, and they realise there is no way out. Still promising, still believable. Unfortunately this is where that ends!
A serious of strange, confusing and unexplained events follow - people disappear, die and are mutilated and we are left guessing as to who or what the cause is. The caretaker still maintains that the house is ...
Pumpkin 07.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of House On Haunted Hill (DVD)
Advantages: Has many twists that keep you guessing. Disadvantages: None.
...we find is actually the house from the title, originally run by a mad surgeon.
The inmates escape and a mass killing and mutilation spree follow. This is how and where the rumours of ghostly goings on come from. But are they just rumours?
Enter the real cast starting with Price, a man with the need for speed so to speak. He runs an amusement park that is second to none with outrageous special effects designed to scare the pants off of anyone.
... ...of 5 strangers to the house begins the tale of terror where Price is supposedly throwing a party for his wife, Evelyn, who apparently rearranges the guest list.
The bottom line is that Price offers One Million dollars to anyone who can survive the whole night in the house. All is not as it seems. LOCK DOWN!!!!!
After numerous bloodthirsty scenes and a little humour for good measure, everyone has come to believe that the house really is haunted ...
Trev1000 26.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of House On Haunted Hill (DVD)
Advantages: frightens you at first, great acting, fresh horror Disadvantages: not frightening once viewed again
...turning up at the haunted house with her husbands
and some random hasbeens.
The catch to the whole HAunted House is not a
simple, 'person dies now haunting' storyline, but it
was an old asylum for the mental and they had a really freakish doctor who tortured them with several methods such as one machine which screws up your brain
which is quoted,
'makes a sane man mad and a mad man sane.'
However at the beginning of the film you see what
... ...mad
people assault every nurse and doctor, creating one
huge massacre. And they return the 'favour' of
putting through all the doctors and nurses through
the same methods that they did.
However, once Mr and Mrs Price and the owner and
the several hasbeens are gathered, they are proposed
a deal/game to hotten up the party. They are written
a check each for 1 million dollars .... but only if
they stay the whole night. And at first they are ...
GrUnGe_GaL 28.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of House On Haunted Hill (DVD)
...stay alive in this haunted house for one whole day, so they all go to the house not noing what to expect, but everything is not as it seems, the house is alive!!!!!!!!!!! and it wants the people!!!!!!!!!!!!
the house used to be a house for the insane, but was shut down because everyone suddenly disapeared!
i personally dont think this is scary at all, infact, i think its really funny in places, which is all the way through the film. they tryed ...
Roden 09.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of House On Haunted Hill (DVD)
Advantages: A couple of good ideas, good soundtrack Disadvantages: Not scary
Well this film was not scary in the least usually in a good real horror movie i jump at least once this film however i did not.
so i fell that this film had no real motive or storyline, very unoriginal, but none the less not boring i was very interested to see what happened next i thought that maybe i would get a scare but dissapointed. I feel that there was only one point where i thought cool, but was still not chilling because it was an unoriginal ... ...would be fine with this film, this is because i sometimes think about things in the film when i go to sleep or when i look in the mirror or something but this film didn't bother me at all. Oh and i wrote this 1 hour after i saw the film.
Its one of those films that you want to like but you can't bbecause you were expecting more! ...
littlegit 03.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of House On Haunted Hill (DVD)
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Advantages: scary gorey good story good looking girls get nude Disadvantages: non
available in hd dvd
my out of 10
sound effects 10-10
surround sound 10-10
cast 9-10
story 9-10
gore 15-10 its gorey as hell
nudity 10-10
scare 9-10
visual effects 15-10
nudity quality 10-10
actors 9-10
cast
Amanda Righetti ... Ariel Wolfe
Cerina Vincent ... Michelle
Erik Palladino ... Desmond
Tom Riley ... Paul
Andrew Lee Potts ... Kyle
Jeffrey Combs ... Dr. Richard Benjamin Vannacutt
Steven Pacey ... Richard
Clyta Rainford ... Harue
Gil Kolirin ... Norris
Andrew Pleavin ... Samuel
Chucky Venice ... Warren
Tatina de Marinis ... Ariel's assistant
Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity
George Zlatarev
Stilyana Mitkova ... Sara's Ghost
Laia Gonzàlez ... Nurse Ghost
Oksana Borbat ... Beautiful Woman ghost
Xeniya Ferenko ... Beautiful Woman Ghost ...
Advantages: A good remake of the 1959 cult classic Disadvantages: Not many special features
't that many special features on this DVD besides some interesting Behind-The-Scenes Documenteries and deleted scenes there isn't that much, Filmographies, Trailers and that's about it really.
Shame really but saying that, not everyone buys the DVD for it's special features, they are really just a bonus with the film, that's my point of view anyway.
OVERALL
I would personally say that 'House on HauntedHill' is the best of the Dark Castle movies so far, it's going to take a bit for Dark Castle to top this one as the other movies, 'Thir13en Ghosts' & 'Ghost Ship' seemed to have gone a bit lame compared to this one, but overall I highly recommend 'House on HauntedHill' for horror fans everywhere, even if you not a horror fan 'House on HauntedHill' is a fun, scary, jumpy roller coaster (no pun intended to the Price character intended ...
Advantages: Brilliant for its time and today Disadvantages: Rather short, Only 71 minutes
.
The music was also extremely good, perfect for a horror film of this kind.
My DVD has no extras and I doubt that there is one out there with extras except for maybe some combination with the remake. The remake is a waste of time not a terrible film but it's not great. I'd personally recommend you watch this and forget about the new one. There is also a colour version of this one out I believe. Yet again I don't think a colour version would have the same effect maybe it would but I'm happy enough with the black and white and don't see any particular need to go colour.
I've never really understood why they called this House on HauntedHill. The hill really doesn't have any significance. It's the house that's haunted not the hill. The house is on top of a hill yes but if a house was in a field we wouldn't call it House on Haunted Field ...
A millionaire invites five friends to join him in a haunted house party. The guests are offered ten thousand dollars to spend the night. Now everyone is just looking to get out alive in the morning.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WHE EUROPE LIMITED; TOTAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT (THE)
Release date
04/08/2003
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
GMVS 1156
Barcode
5060033471562
Languages
Main Language
English
DVD Description
A millionaire invites five friends to join him in a haunted house party. The guests are offered ten thousand dollars to spend the night. Now everyone is just looking to get out alive in the morning.
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