3AMFRIGHT.COM: House On Haunted Hill; Killer Party Guests

House On Haunted Hill; Killer Party Guests

     "The house is alive, we're all going to die."

     Evelyn Price just wants to throw the perfect party for herself & her amusement park creator husband Stephen & the abandoned insane asylum she just saw on the tv is exactly what she's looking for. Not only does it have a killer past, but the games she intends to play with her husband and her guests will be down right deadly. Especially if the former tenants of the asylum have any say in it.

     What is there to say about House on Haunted Hill. Well, here are the words I would use to describe it; cheesy, trippy, gory, twisted & fun. To put it best, this is what Vincent Price would have done if he had the chance to remake House on Haunted Hill himself. This triple H smack down of a film tosses you into a lovely psychotic experience, not only with the haunted asylum storyline its self but the fucked up relationships between the guests & hosts. Famke Janssen & Geoffrey Rush as Mr. & Mrs. Price are the perfect demented couple who love to hate each other & get off on the games they play. Both deliver their characters so well you can't help but wish to see more of them again...and again...and again.
     Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Peter Gallagher, Bridgette Wilson & Chris Kattan as the guests for the night create great chemistry amongst one another & each individually carry their characters well. They come off slightly feeling predictable but the refreshing approach to these characters is that they are not. Their reasons for being invited, though simple, are just an added bonus to a plot that has more to do with humanity at its most mentally unhinged than it does with any real significance to paying up for past deeds.
     If you are looking carefully, you'll notice two other cast members who are just a geeky plus to this star studded cast. Singer/song writer Lisa Loeb comes in early to the film as a local reporter & James Marsters, minus the fangs, follows behind her as her camera man. The thrills they get to experience in the beginning of this film help set off the tones of this delightfully unstable journey.

If you have not seen this House on Haunted Hill remake, I highly recommend you do so; though do keep in mind this film was released in 1999 & the cgi effects date themselves well. Besides that, this is a wonderful film to start 2012 off with & if you are looking carefully you will be able to spot out the little homage to the original The Haunting the film pays out.

So,

until next time,

sit back, relax & don't forget to scream!