House on Haunted Hill surprised me. While I wasn’t a fan of William Castle at the time, this movie helped warm me to the man’s work. The film is typical for late 90s horror. A bunch of WB (this was pre CW) looking young people get invited to a murder mystery deal at a creepy mansion. Lisa Loeb gets a cameo because this was 1999 and we’re on our way. Geoffrey Rush shows signs of the great scene chewer he was becoming, but so much of the film hangs on William Malone’s direction.
William Castle wasn’t the greatest director, but a hell of a showman. What Malone did was recreate what made Castle work, while also creating a template to revisit lesser-known WB films. Mixing great KNB FX work with fun horror style choices produces a movie that rises above its station. If you haven’t seen House on Haunted Hill in a bit, pick this one up. You won’t regret it.
House on Haunted Hill special features
- NEW 2K Scan From The Original Film Elements
- NEW Interview With Director William Malone
- NEW Interview With Composer Don Davis
- NEW Interview With Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Skotak
- Never-Before-Seen Storyboards, Concept Art And Behind-The-Scenes Photos Courtesy Of Visual Effects Producer Paul Taglianetti
- Audio Commentary With Director William Malone
- A Tale Of Two Houses – Vintage Featurette
- Behind the Visual FX – Vintage Featurette
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Movie Stills And Poster Gallery
