(Reviewed by Snake-666) - A delightfully devilish performance from Vincent Price makes for a truly wonderful and creepy experience.  In this chilling haunted house tale eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) offers five strangers $10,000 to stay one night in a sinister house with a murderous history.

William Castle's classic haunted house flick is a testament to the quality of atmospheric, low-budget horror films that talented directors were able to produce back in the 1950's and 60's. Made for a mere two hundred thousand dollars, the movie captivates and enchants the viewer from the very beginning with truly eerie introductions from protagonists Frederick Loren and the slightly troubled Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook). Castle proficiently uses these opening monologues as the mood-setter for the film and one immediately becomes acquainted with Price's famous devilish charm. Some basic, yet wonderful visual shots of the cars approaching the ominous mansion act as the perfect catalyst for the audiences anxiety; a feeling which is managed and increased dexterously through Castle's breathtaking direction and superb use of lighting nearly all the way through the picture. Throughout ‘House on Haunted Hill' there is a constant, unpleasant but welcome eeriness that lacks in so many modern horror films and while there are only maybe two or three truly startling moments, the continual foreboding tension of the piece is overwhelming enough to genuinely grab the viewer and absorb them into the world. How appropriate it therefore is that during Price's opening speech he essentially invites the viewer to bare witness to what unfolds during this fateful night.

Of course, like all low-budget films there are flaws in the production which are rather noticeable. The storyline of the film seems to become somewhat confused and drawn out during the final third of the movie but picks up enough at the end to leave the viewer feeling satisfied. One could suggest that the virtuosity of the first half of the movie led to its own downfall during the second. With a horror movie such as this that begins with such malevolence and cunning, it is always difficult to continue to appreciate it when the movie fails to deliver later on what the early stages gave the viewer by the bucket full. Even so, the relative short running-time of the production allows for such problems in pacing and chills, and while one may start to become a little uninterested in the events periodically there is always a swift return to standard not too far away.

During the sporadic moments when the story takes a minor turn for the worse, one can always be entertained by the remarkable character interaction and entertaining dialogue (as written by Robb White) and in particular, the performance of one Vincent Price. As usual, Price is commanding on-screen and convincingly portrays his calculating and baleful character. The early interaction between the character of Frederick Loren and his wife, Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) allowed Price to fully assert his character's persona into the film. These early scenes also aptly set the viewer's mind to work in figuring out just how this night will end. The two warring spouses are joined by Elisha Cook who is pleasant in his role as Watson Pritchard, despite being painfully irritating on minor occasions. Carolyn Craig also joins the cast as Nora Manning, a young woman quickly driven to apparent hysteria by the seemingly supernatural happenings in the house. It is a credit to Carolyn's acting ability that her performance was not only convincing but also commanded sympathy on occasion from the audience. The only real negative point one can give regarding the casting of the film was the inclusion of Julie Mitchum in the role of Ruth Bridgers. One has to question the point in including Julie in the production when for the vast majority of the movie it is far from obvious that her character is even there. One particular piece of dialogue towards the beginning gives the impression that she was only included to make up the numbers.

Despite some flaws, ‘House on Haunted Hill' makes great viewing for the horror fan. While not up to the standard of amazing haunted house films like ‘The Haunting' (1963), ‘The Legend of Hell House' (1973) and ‘The Changeling' (1980), there can be little doubt that ‘House on Haunted Hill' is generally creepy with a couple of truly staggering moments. Not quite as predictable as one may expect and with a final plot-twist that displays a hint of originality, the movie is a horror-mystery which benefits from fine direction and forceful performances, especially from the legendary Vincent Price. My rating for ‘House on Haunted Hill' - 7½/10.