#dick beebe

[milton-dammers]

If you think there won’t be anything about Jeffrey Combs in there, you’re right, there’s nothing there except a small mention of him ⬇️

And any mention of Zemeckis wouldn’t be complete without The Frighteners!

House on Haunted Hill (1999) German press kit

[davidosu87]

[movies-tv-more]

31 Days of Horror - Day 6: House on Haunted Hill (1999)

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Director: William Malone

Writers: Dick Beebe (screenplay), Robb White (story)

Composer: Don Davis

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Jeffrey Combs, Peter Gallagher, and Chris Kattan

Notable Cameos: James Marsters, Lisa Loeb and Peter Graves

A group of people are invited to a party in a notorious mansion, formerly a mental institution for the criminally insane. Each guest will receive one million dollars, but there is a catch of course: they must survive the entire night. This remake of the 1959 Vincent Price movie updates the story the original while giving a darker and more sinister tone. I enjoyed the original, but for various other reasons and I honestly don’t feel they are anything of the same. Besides the very basic plot and some characters, the remake is pretty much a completely different movie. If you want a good old Vincent Price movie, see the original. If you want to see a creepy ghost movie, see the remake. I enjoyed this version very much and consider it one of the better horror movie remakes. They have an exceptionally amazing cast made up of some favorites of mine like Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Ali Larter, Peter Gallagher, and Chris Kattan. I would not go as far as to say the characters were all likeable or completely fleshed out, but you have a sense of who they all are. The performances in the movie are done very well and everyone takes their roles very seriously. A great scene that was carried on from the original was one between the host and his wife after the guests arrive. It was a wonderful look at how morbid their relationship is and hints at how far they will go to get back at one another.

The opening title sequence gives an eerie introduction that is also very unique. The score is superb, setting a grand tone for the movie which is another part that I feel really makes it stand out. I love the look and feel of the movie, especially the actual house. For the entrance, they filmed at the famous Griffith Park Observatory and really made it look run-down and eerie. The far shots of the house are done with a miniature, which I feel is always a much better way to go if it can be done since it gives a much more realistic feel. As for the interior, it’s very stylish and gives a classic yet dark feel.  Not to mention some of the morbid art pieces displayed around the house and archaic devices used on patients. I appreciate the decision to make the house a former mental institution, putting a twist to the haunted house genre. It also gave it a more disturbing undertone to the history of the house. The doctor who ran the hospital went mad back in the early 30’s who began butchering patients and conducting experiments on them. The scary part about that is things along those lines unfortunately happened in mental institutions back in the day. There are some great twists and turns that might surprise you if you have not seen the movie yet. One thing that can be appreciated is they avoid some horror movie clichés and provide answers to why everything is happening in an organic way. It’s definitely not as predictable as most horror movies out there today. There is also a scene after the credits, so make sure not to miss it.