The Original Haunted Palace (House On Haunted Hill, 1959)

House_On_Haunted_Hill_1959_PosterEccentric and rich, Frederick Loren and his wife Annabelle invite five strangers (chosen for their unique needs or greed) to spend a night in a haunted mansion for $10,000.  They arrive and are told of the various murders that have occurred in the house.

As they seem to face ghosts, eventually there is a murder, causing tensions to run high as nobody knows who they can trust and find they must wait out the night.  Is the house truly haunted, as caretaker Pritchard claims?  Or is it an elaborate ruse always meant to end in murder?

The opening is a bit clunky due to it devoting it’s time to two talking heads providing exposition.  One of those is Pritchard, who provides the same information to everyone at the party, making his sequence wholly unnecessary.

However, once the story begins, it is full of engaging twists and turns.  House on Haunted Hill suggests there are no actual ghosts, though Pritchard insists that there are.

Of course, Price, with his campy and creepy style is tremendous fun and the stand out star of the film.  The film has some great and creepy visuals and some solidly unnerving moments.

The Haunted Palace (House of Ghosts, 2012)

Mihm_House_Ghosts_PosterA group of rich socialites is having a dinner party with a special treat.  A powerful medium has been invited to put on a show, by opening a door to the great beyond. The group is confronted by the ghosts of their pasts, the dead come back to judge them for their sins.

This is the first Mihmiverse film with monsters that are not atomic/toxic waste or aliens.  And it is really effective.  Mihm captures those early Castle horror films (he even introduces the film recommending the audience locate their “Fear Guard” which they should have been given upon entering the theater.  The black and white really helps make the most of the shadows and creating an eerie atmosphere.

As with the other films, there are ties to the Mihmiverse (the mother of the veteran from Monster of Phantom Lake is a character). One character is a director of schlocky horror films and there are several jokes that reference Mihm’s own output.

I really enjoy the film, including the twist at the end.  The recurring monster is an angel of death type of demon or ghost.  Its face is unchanging, but with the large bloodshot eyes and sharp teeth, the horned visage is memorable. It is visually moody but still has a wink.  Again, not in mockery, but of real love for the work of William Castle.

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