House on Haunted Hill *** (1999, Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Chris Kattan, Peter Gallagher, Bridgette Wilson) – Classic Movie Review 1089

As Steven H Price, Geoffrey Rush does a good, cheeky impersonation of Vincent Price in this welcome but iffy and not always sufficiently amusing 1999 reworking of the old 1958 William Castle horror movie. Price played the role in the original, though the character was called Frederick Loren back then. Why did they change it? Just as a nod to the actor, as well as Rush’s appearance in the film?

In Dick Beebe’s much reworked screenplay based on the original 1958 story and screenplay by Robb White, an eccentric millionaire (Rush) invites six strangers to the title old house, scene of various murders, and offers a $1million reward to them each if they can succeed in spending the night there.

More campy than scary, this occasionally nasty chiller’s not really eerie enough and perhaps not enough fun, thanks to its very patchy script. That said, it’s easy to watch, it does have its moments and leaves a happy memory.

Rush gives the impression of enjoying himself enormously, and he’s as great value as Price was, keeping the show on the road. And there’s a very good cast in support: Famke Janssen, Ali Larter, Taye Diggs, Chris Kattan, Peter Gallagher, Bridgette Wilson, Max Perlich, Jeffrey Combs, Peter Graves (in a cameo as himself) and the writer, Dick Beebe.

Alas there’s no sign of original 1958 producer William Castle’s gimmick called Emergo, in which a lit-up skeleton moved out on a wire over the lucky cinema audience in theatres back then. Emergo proved none too popular, sadly, but an undeterred Castle tried again in The Tingler, this time with a tingle device under the cinema seat.

However, as  a special William Castle-style marketing gimmick, producers Dark Castle supplied cinemas with scratch-off tickets that gave each movie patron a chance to win money, much like the characters in the film.

The film was followed by a sequel, Return to House on Haunted Hill in 2007. Dark Castle went to remake Thirteen Ghosts and House of Wax.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1089

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