Director William Malone wisely turned Stephen Price into an amalgamation of Vincent Price (just check out that stache) and William Castle, using the former’s appearance and the latter’s flair for theatrics. The setup here is great, just as it was in the original. Unbeknownst to Price, however, is the fact the ghosts of Vannacutt Institute are still in residence and their bloodlust has not been sated since that fateful night in 1931.

He isn’t going to make surviving till morning easy. Unbeknownst to those in attendance, Price has strategically rigged the house to scare the wits out of anyone who explores it. Not long after Price gives his speech the house goes on lock-down, sealing all the windows and doors with steel plates. Any who leave forfeit their check and it, too, goes to the winner(s). Price pays this little mind and lays out the ground rules for the night’s festivities: anyone who can survive an entire night in the mansion leaves $1 million richer.

Later, those same five guests arrive at the institute and meet both Stephen and Evelyn, though everyone is still unsure why they were chosen to attend. Price drafts up a list… but then his computer mysteriously erases it and replaces the names with five seemingly random selections. Evelyn has instructed Stephen to put together a guest list for her upcoming birthday party, to be held in the remains of the Vannacutt Institute. The only person who doesn’t buy his bullshit is Evelyn (Famke Janssen), his loveless wife. Price is known for his showmanship and bravado. Cut to present day, where Stephen Price (Geoffrey Rush) is being interviewed by a local news team about his latest endeavor, a gimmick-based rollercoaster. Vannacutt (Jeffrey Combs) and his staff brutally murdered, while a fire starts within and eventually engulfs the massive building and everyone inside. A patient uprising at Vannacutt Institute for the Criminally Insane leaves Dr. Time hasn’t been too kind, and while the first act is still plenty of fun it’s all downhill from there.ġ931. I remember having a blast with this movie and really enjoying it, but my last viewing was probably 15 years ago. A classic of both the haunted house subgenre and lead actor Vincent Price, this new take on an old story added a few interesting new elements to the tale, though by the end the story pretty much fizzles out. Let’s also not forget that many of Castle’s pictures were famous more for their showmanship and gimmicks than their quality and content… with the exception of the first film Dark Castle chose to remake, House on Haunted Hill (1959). The production company planned to focus on remakes of William Castle pictures – this in a time before “remake” was such a vilified term. There was a sense of promise that came about when mega-producer Joel Silver and director Robert Zemeckis, along with producer Gilbert Adler, formed Dark Castle Entertainment.

House on haunted hill blu ray