House on Haunted Hill (1959)

A millionaire offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his wife.

Directors:

William Castle, Rosemary Horvath (uncredited)

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:

acid | overnight in a haunted house | breaking the fourth wall | faked death | skeleton | 

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Taglines:

Consult your doctor! Bring your seat belts!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1959 (Austria)

Also Known As:

The House on Haunted Hill

Filming Locations:

Ennis House - 2607 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

Although this was one of Allied Artists' most profitable films of that period, it fell into the public domain. Despite the widespread availability on home video, the current (2018) holder of the Allied Artists library, Warner Bros., still receives bookings for 35mm release prints.

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Goofs

The house is supposed to have been built in the 1850s, and the interiors are typical Victorian era mansion sets, but exteriors are of a house designed in the 1920s by Frank Lloyd Wright which still looked very modern when this film was made more than 20 years later.

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Quotes

Frederick Loren: Would you adore me as much if I were poor? No, all you want to be is a lovely widow.

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Crazy Credits

The end title credits list "Skeleton - By Himself"

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Alternate Versions

When shown in "Emergo", there was a short scene showing brick wall for the skeleton to "emerge".

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Connections

Featured in Artbound: That Far Corner: Frank Lloyd Wright in Los Angeles (2018)

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Soundtracks

Theme
House on Haunted Hill"
by Richard Kayne and Richard Loring

User Reviews

One of the Most Entertaining Movies Of Its Genre

This classic version of "House on Haunted Hill" is one of the most entertaining examples of the low-budget, black-and-white horror films that used to be such a mainstay for movie fans. It has few frills, but it does have some thrills, and in particular it has a cleverly written story that is told at a brisk pace, with a good deal of interesting and pleasingly macabre detail.

Horror legend Vincent Price is in his element as the mysterious millionaire who invites a houseful of guests to spend the night in a supposedly haunted mansion, and his performance will give his fans everything that they expect. The supporting cast is solid, led by Elisha Cook, who is very good as a nervous, tipsy character whose rambling proclamations of doom add the right touch of offbeat suspense. The settings are given plenty of detail that makes the characters' explorations of the house even more interesting.

The story is nicely written for the genre, making very good use of the possibilities in the setup, throwing in some good turns, and resolving everything in a resourceful fashion. And it's not without some real suspense - even those who normally watch low-budget horror features solely for the camp factor might get an actual start once or twice as everything plays out. And even if you don't find anything scary, there is plenty here that makes it enjoyable to watch.