House On Haunted Hill (1999)

House On Haunted Hill is a 1999 remake of the original 1959 film, as a group of strangers are invited to stay the night in a haunted building for a large cash prize. Set against the backdrop of a former asylum, violent acts committed within its walls come back to terrorise the guests as they fight for their lives and bank balances.

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My expectations for this adaptation weren’t high, because the Lili Taylor version of the same year is my absolute favourite and I thought the Netflix series was very good too. However, the casting isn’t bad, with established actors like Famke Janssen and Taye Diggs in lead roles, so I prepared myself for some iconic 90s teen horror.

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The movie begins with a really cool title sequence, and these are always something I appreciate when they’re done right. Final Destination are infamous for their tense montages at the start of the films, and they work well to introduce the cast while setting the atmosphere moving forward.

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We then visit the asylum in 1931 when it was functional, as inmates are tortured and begin a riot against their captors, which leads to the building and its inhabitants perishing in a fire they can’t escape as the shutter mechanism is triggered. Mental institutions are a popular setting for scary movies, and it makes sense because they’re places of immense trauma and are often built to look clinical and imposing, but it can also trivialise what people have and are still going through at the hands of psychiatry for a cheap plot device.

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Fast forward to present day and we visit a theme park, where a new ride is being unveiled. A reporter is given a tour, as the rollercoaster begins with a faulty elevator ride that turns out to be part of the whole experience. James Marsters appears in one of his first roles as a cameraman, and we only see him for a few minutes. This scene exists to introduce us to the owner of the park Steven H. Price, trickster and husband to Evelyn who’s birthday is soon approaching. I get that this scene tries to offer some subplot, but it feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the movie.

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Steven is in his office talking to his wife on the phone, as they arrange her birthday party. She has her heart set on the asylum, and he writes out a prestigious guest list, though when he leaves the room the computer changes it, welcoming relations of 5 people who survived the fire all those years ago. A dark night beckons as the participants are taken to the asylum building in fancy cars, all having received the same invite. This copies a beautiful shot from the original, as they all follow the path of a winding road through the countryside.

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The asylum stands tall on the side of a hill, and everyone makes their way inside where they meet the woman of honour who is completely confused by their attendance. An impressive stained window on the ceiling collapses, foreshadowing the danger to come as the whole building is locked down so no one can escape. Everyone is given a gun as a party favour, so they can protect themselves from the entities within.

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It’s only revealed a bit later Steven is working with his assistant Schechter to pull off the stunts, though he pleads he isn’t responsible for trapping everyone inside. Meanwhile, our guests look for a way out, exploring the many hallways beneath the building. Sara, played by Ali Larter, soon informs Eddie, as played by Taye Diggs, that she impersonated her ex-boss in order to replace her and play for the cash prize. Shortly afterwards, she sees Eddie fall into a vat of blood, and tries to rescue him herself, only for the real Eddie to still be outside in the corridor.

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Melissa, television personality of the group, goes for a wander with her camera, and comes across a laboratory where the lens shows what can’t be seen by the human eye - a group of scientists torturing an inmate on a metal table. The others later come looking for her, only to find a trail of blood with her camcorder discarded on the floor. Camera footage reveals that she was dragged up the walls and into the ceiling,

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Price visits his assistant again, only to find that he’s been mutilated, as the ghost of Dr. Vannacutt, one of the original staff, walks around with a bloody saw on the CCTV footage. Everyone continues to explore the basement, as they find Evelyn strapped to an electrocution table receiving 1000 volts. This appears to kill her, as Price demands to know who’s responsible. They lock him in the ‘Saturation Chamber’, a big contraption used to ‘treat’ schizophrenia, and whilst Donald Blackburn, physician of the group offers to guard him, when everyone leaves he turns on the machine torturing Stephen with scrolling images.

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It comes to light that Evelyn never died, instead plotting with Blackburn who’s she’s having an affair with to frame her husband, hoping one of the guests will kill him for them in self-defence. Evelyn actually murders Blackburn too, and then lets Price out of the Saturation Chamber, stowing her lovers body inside. Sara finds Price along with the remains of Blackburn, and considers him a threat, shooting him multiple times. While she and the others try to escape, Evelyn appears to mock Price, only for him to reveal he was wearing a bulletproof vest the whole time.

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They both fight and Evelyn gets shoved through a door, which leads to a deeper basement where an entity known as ‘The Darkness’ resides. It’s made up of all the spirits from the building, and Evelyn becomes the next addition to the mass. It chases Price and the others through the corridors, claiming Watson Pritchett, owner of the building as he tries to save Price. They all make their way to the attic, where Stephen sacrifices himself, giving Sara the chance to escape. The Darkness prepares to claim Eddie, until he reveals he was adopted and isn’t a true descendant - Pritchett’s ghost opens the shutters, which distracts the entity long enough for Eddie to escape too.

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The film closes with Eddie and Sara sat on a balcony at the top of the building, wondering how they’ll get down as they realise they’ve got everyone’s cash prizes, so they in fact did survive the night and win the money. A post-credits scene shows Evelyn and Steven being tortured by the residents of the asylum, as their souls are eternally bound to the place now.

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Whilst the plot needed some work, I enjoyed this film and it was a box office success even though it received negative reviews from critics. I thought the stunts were really good, including the electrocution table and the vat of blood Eddie falls into. The acting was decent too, my favourite performance from Ali Larter who is synonymous with the scream queen genre, the first two Final Destination films under her belt. Taye Diggs is always wonderful, and I enjoyed Famke Janssen’s delivery of Evelyn too. Some of the CGI was poor, but I’m considerate of the fact it was released in 1999.

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The special features is loaded with goodies, including a look at how the stunts came together, a trip inside the Saturation Chamber, deleted scenes, trailers for both the 1959 and 1999 versions and a short clip comparing both. I’m quite excited to get my hands on the original movie, and other films directed by William Castle who was known for immersive horror.