13 Nights of Hallowe'en 2010: Night #7 House on Haunted Hill (1999)

We're at around the halfway mark now. Tonight I give you the remake of House on Haunted Hill. A group of people are invited to ahaunted house and offered a lot of money to spend he entire night. I have to tell you I felt severely let down by the original, even thought it had Vincent Price in it. This remake isn't without its flaws, but I still think it is a great remake and it's a movie I like to re-watch. For one thing it is jam packed with nameable actors and actresses. Let's start with Geoffrey Rush as the tongue-in-cheek named Stephen H. Price. Then there's Famke Janssen as his wife. There's a bit part for musician Lisa Loeb and the one and only James Marsters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Taye Diggs is in it as a party invitee along with Ali Larter--from Final Destination 1 and 2, among other things. Then we have la pièce de resistance, Jeffrey Combs, man of horror.

William Malone directed this House on Haunted Hill, as well as fear dot com, and Parasomnia--all three of which have Combs in them, which sure says something to me. Robb White wrote the original House on Haunted Hill and the original Thir13een Ghosts, and The Tingler for William Castle. Dick Beebe wrote the new Haunted Hill screenplay, as well as wrote on Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. It's quite the collection of horror people that was all made possible by Dark Castle Entertainment. One of my favourite little things in this movie is the basement area with the Honoré Fragonard-style flayed cadaver art. In general it's cool that the house used to be a psychiatric institute, and that is something that gets even more coverage in the sequel--which is available paired with this film in the sales link above. Go now, and enjoy!

Mood: cheery.

Music: Haunted by Evanescence. MP3s