Movies that make you scream: House on Haunted Hill

Posted by Susan in Movies | 3 comments

House on Haunted Hill (1999)

reviewed by BforQueen

Summary: Unspeakable things happened at the Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane—experiments that brought human torture to new depths of depravity… secrets that died with their victims and the practitioners of the demonic acts that masqueraded as medicine. Now there are no living witnesses. Nothing survived Dr. Vannacutt’s excesses; nothing endures except the building in which they occurred.

But that building holds all the secrets of its terrible past.

Decades after the Vannacutt Insititute was shuttered, five strangers are invited to spend a night there. Their reward is a million dollars each. All they have to do is stay alive.

It’s going to be a long night.

This week I take you into the Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane – a place haunted with the ghosts of patients and doctors alike. We’ll be spending the night here under the watchful eye of our host, Steven Price, while celebrating the birthday of his lovely wife, Evelyn. There will be food, drink, gifts and games as we party the night away. In the end, whoever stays the entire night walks away a millionaire. Easy, right?

Wrong. Steven en Evelyn (played by the amazing Geoffrey Rush and Dutch pride Famke Janssen) are a twisted couple, jaded within their marriage and constantly looking for a way to torment each other in unimaginable ways, not caring who ends up as collateral damage. As the party gets underway, both of them realize that none of the guests that have arrived, were who they initially invited. Ever mistrusting towards each other, they each place blame on the other, while, in the meantime, the hospital seals itself shut and quickly claims victim after victim. In the end, will anyone be left to claim the money?

House on Haunted Hill is a remake of a 1958 classic. Normally, I’m not one for remakes, but this one has been executed to perfection. We start off with a flashback – the demise of the institute – immediately setting the tone for the rest of the movie. Geoffrey Rush is sheer genius, as always, in his role of the over-the-top rich theme park mogul. We are introduced to his twisted mind in one of the first scenes as he shows a journalist and cameraman (yes, Buffy fans, that’s Spike!) the thrills of his latest invention; a rollercoaster so scary it would make anyone crap their pants. It sets the movie off nicely, already giving you screams and thrills in the only the first five minutes.

The movie then moves to the Vannacutt Institute where the fun truly begins. The moment the building seals itself, we see exactly what people will be willing to do for money and survival. Terrifying scenes, eerie spooks and some amazing plot twists will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Truly a classic in its own right. Enjoy! If you dare…