House on Haunted Hill

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source: House on Haunted Hill

I only have one complaint about this movie - it took over 45 minutes before anything interesting happened! Why in the world did they take so long to set this up? I mean they really didn't give any clue as to what was happening in that 45 minutes. It wasn't until Taye Diggs found the picture that you could guess the house was going to trump Mrs. Price (Famke Janssen) and Dr. Blackburn (Peter Gallagher). When things did get rolling, the special effects were marvelous and there was a little titillation, but the long setup just bored me to death. Diggs was good and so was Geoffrey Rush, but it was the special effects that made this all worthwhile.

Six people must spend a night in a haunted house if they want to collect a million dollars. There is one little catch - they have to survive the night. I went in fully expecting another "Haunting" (this summer's fiasco as opposed to the excellent original) and as the lights went down I cursed Tim Burton for failing to push up his release date. Amazingly enough, not only did "House" not suck, it was actually enjoyable. The writers took the time to create a decent story-line, complete with a viable subplot (it may be thin, but this is horror...) I was especially thankful that the special effects are used sparingly and are there to support the film rather than overwhelm it. In addition, innovative cinematography (patterned on "Jacob's Ladder") helps to build and sustain mood. Most importantly, the movie is scary - there was a lot of screaming going on. For a good spooky film that doesn't rely solely on body counts, check it out.

Anyone rating this non scary, yawn of a remake above a five is not a true horror fan. There's absolutely nothing at all good about this movie but MM "Sweet Dreams" playing when they are arriving. What a waste of talent.

For the most part, "House on Haunted Hill" is your average horror movie: a bunch of people go to a house that has an evil history, weird things happen, and everyone discovers that it's no accident that they all got invited. But Geoffrey Rush as emcee Steven/Stephen Price (his first name gets spelled differently at various times) keeps the movie from getting idiotic. Aside from having the last name Price, he has the same kind of moustache. The other cast members (Taye Diggs, Famke Janssen, Chris Kattan, Peter Gallagher, and Ali Larter) are worthwhile, but Rush carries the movie. Still, I would recommend the original Vincent Price version, just so that you can see what the concept originally was.

I wanted to give this movie a 2 out of 10 rating for some interesting special effects, but I just can't. The fact that it was even made while other scripts (any other scripts) were passed over is a crime. None of the characters interested me, the story was boring, and the movie seemed to end abruptly. It started out bad and went downhill from there!

As in The Haunting, they eventually surrender characters and story to computer-generated spectacle, squandering any creepy immediacy and trampling the human element.

I liked it that Geoffrey Rush, who i have liked since Quills, donned a Vincent Price mustache and took Vinnie's last name. Never liked the ending much, but its a good remake though i could do without the chicks. Herbert West is still a doctor bringing dead people to life or should i say "re-animating" them.

One of the scariest movies I've seen. Lots of horrible gut wrenching nightmarish visions that are hard to ignore. I could feel my heart pumping in fear. The Haunting made me vomit from boredom. This is the real haunted house movie. The only drawback is possibly the lowest-budget, most ridiculous ending of all time. Stay 'til the end of the credits for an 'amusing' scene. All in all, one of the most fun movies i've seen since Fight Club.