Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageHouse on Haunted Hill (1999)
Director: William Malone
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This remake of William Castle's enjoyably creaky 1958 movie replaces Vincent Price's eccentric millionaire, who invites five hapless strangers to spend the night in an 'old dark house', with Rush's flamboyantly barking theme-park impresario, Steven Price. Thankfully, Rush's performance is more affectionate homage than slavish impersonation, and Malone's direction quickly wins us over with a blend of camp villainy, knockabout horror and twisted nastiness. Should any of the five strangers survive a night in the former Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane, they will receive $1 million. And since the scares have been rigged by their playful host, we figure they might just make it. On the other hand, Mr Price and his beautiful wife Evelyn (Janssen) are so spitefully combative that they seem destined to kill each other before the night is out. But then the house itself takes a hand. The imaginative physical effects come into their own during the surreal dream sequences and hauntingly gruesome flashbacks to the madhouse's heyday, the latter featuring the old Re-Animator himself, Jeffrey Combs, as the sadistic Dr Vannacutt.Author: NF
Cast & crew
Director: William Malone
Producer: Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, Gilbert Adler
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Peter Gallagher, Chris Kattan, Max Perlich, Jeffrey Combs, Dick Beebe, Slavitza Jovan full cast
Genre(s): Horror
Duration: 93 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has Michael Mann lost it?
Adam Lee Davies mourns the passing of a major Hollywood talent as Michael Mann's 'Public Enemies' sees the great director running on empty
Why 'Ice Age 3' is really for adults
Tom Huddleston takes a look at a selection of films which bring adult problems to a pre-teen audience
Is this Summer 2009's best film?
The French filmmaker Claire Denis speaks to Dave Calhoun about her new film, '35 Shots of Rum', a tender portrait of a father-daughter relationship in Paris
The Informant: trailer preview
Steven Soderbergh is at it again, this time with a screwball corporate caper starring Matt Damon called 'The Informant'. View the trailer here...
Rudo y Cursi: interview
Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna talk to Time Out about their highly entertaining new comedy, 'Rudo y Cursi'
An open letter to Peter Morgan
Tom Huddleston penned an open letter to Peter Morgan offering some friendly dos and don'ts for the new Bond movie
Outdoor film screenings in London 2009
Derek Adams offers a guide to the best places to see films outside in London this summer
50 essential sci-fi films
With 'Star Trek' making serious waves, we thought it would be a perfect time to select 50 must-see sci-fi films
What do you think?
Post your review now