House on Haunted Hill (1959)

A millionaire offers ten thousand dollars to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with he and his wife.

Director:

William Castle

Writer:

Robb White

Stars:

Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vincent Price	...	Frederick Loren
Carol Ohmart	...	Annabelle Loren
Richard Long	...	Lance Schroeder
Alan Marshal	...	Dr. David Trent
Carolyn Craig	...	Nora Manning
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Watson Pritchard (as Elisha Cook)
Julie Mitchum	...	Ruth Bridgers
Leona Anderson	...	Mrs. Slydes
Howard Hoffman	...	Jonas
Skeleton	...	Himself

Storyline

Eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren and his 4th wife, Annabelle, have invited 5 people to the house on Haunted Hill for a "haunted House" party. Whoever will stay in the house for one night will earn ten thousand dollars each. As the night progresses, all the guests are trapped inside the house with ghosts, murderers, and other terrors.

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Plot Keywords:

party | murder | psychiatrist | gun | eccentric | 

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Taglines:

Acclaimed The Super-Shocker Of The Century!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Haus auf dem Geisterhügel

Filming Locations:

Ennis-Brown House - 2655 Glendower Avenue, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Castle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story was loosely based on/inspired by the Agatha Christie novel And Then There None; aka 10 little Indians, and novel The Haunting Of Hill House.

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Goofs

Frederick Loren announces at the start of the challenge that if any of the contestants die, the deceased's heirs will get his/her $10,000. Later he says that if any of the five contestants die, the total $50,000 will be split evenly among the survivors. However, the initial statement is spoken directly to the film's audience, is not part of the actual plot line, and therefore does not really contradict the terms subsequently described to the genuine characters.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Watson Pritchard: They're coming for me now...
[looks at camera]
Watson Pritchard: and then they'll come for you.

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Crazy Credits

The end title credits list "Skeleton - By Himself"

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Connections

Featured in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Hammer Films (2007)

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Soundtracks

House on Haunted Hill
Theme
by Richard Kayne and Richard Loring

User Reviews

Fantastically entertaining camp classic! A must see for all horror fans.

Forget the awful, senseless remake, the original 'The House On Haunted Hill' is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable chillers of all time. William Castle's over the top camp style is an acquired taste for many, but once you enter into the spirit of things you're in for a wild, fun ride. The legendary Vincent Price is in his element here as the cynical millionaire trapped in a loveless sham of a marriage, and Carol Ohmart, who I have only ever seen in the cult classic 'Spiderbaby', is a knockout as his tough as nails "better half". Their haunted house party guests, led by the much loved character actor Elisha Cook, Jr ('The Maltese Falcon' ,The Killing',etc.etc.), are well cast and amusing, and the whole thing is a hoot! I recommend this movie to all horror fans. It is quite possibly the single most entertaining horror thriller of the 50s. Supremely silly but still scary at the same time. Great stuff!