House On Haunted Hill (1959)

Vincent Prince has countless films to his catalog but one of his more famous ones is the 50s HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. Similar to the 50s House of Wax, this was remade decades later but this one can still stand as a classic in its own right. Price is a rich businessman who invites an assorted cast of characters over to a supposed haunted mansion for a nite of fun, terror, and opportunities. The idea is each person decides to stay the night in this haunted funhouse will inherit a large sum of money. Like other movies of this time period, there was no CGI at the time and all the monstrous terror, creatures, paranormal, and wacky things that happen take place via practical effects and power of imagination. Add in a subplot about the wife and a might-be-murderous-host, and you have a lot taking place in a short 75 minute film. The 'haunted' parts per se deal with some fuzzy arm coming out of the walls, apparitions, secret passageways, and an overall suspenseful and creepy tone that underlies all scenes. Don't know about you...but to this day nothing is creepier than following a character down a dark hallway or having a camera stare down an empty dark room only to imagine things popping out of the corner in synch with ominous music. This adventure delivers that all the way to its somewhat twist ending. For a product of its time before CGI, check out this haunted house slumber party. Only Vincent Price could make this one so timeless.

SLASH SCENE: Acid Pit

SLASH SCORE: 4.5/5