House on Haunted Hill Review

8/10 

In 1959, a horror masterpiece was made. "House on Haunted Hill" was a surprise hit with critics and fans alike.  Vincent Price was shot even further into stardom, and was now at legendary status. This movie has been applauded for decades for its balance in silliness and creepiness, and it still tends to be one of my favorite classics. 

The movie starts off very chillingly, as screams fill the air, and strange noises and laughs respond.  We are then shown the head of a man named Watson Prichard.  He tells of the house that he owns, and that it is actually haunted.  Immediately after, Frederick Loren comes onto the screen, and tells us of the challenge he has constructed for a party at this house(which he rented).  If people stay in the house for 12 hours, then he will give 10,000 dollars to each one of them(or their next in kin if they don't survive.  After this, the guests of the party come to the house, and we are introduced to each one of them, and their motives for coming.  I really like all of this scene, because while it could be deemed cheesy, I find it very innovative, and it helps the character development move very quickly. 

As all the members enter the house, they begin to talk about how nervous they are. Watson makes things even worse by telling of murders and such.  The only thing that is keeping them in the house is their desperate greed. I really like this a lot, because it is almost a statement on the society in the way that people will do anything for money.  Frederick than introduces himself to everybody, and he spooks them all with talk of ghosts.  In the remainder of the film, spooky things happen to every single guest, and they soon figure out that coming to this house was the worst decision they had ever made...

One of the things I noticed while watching this movie was that it was the absolute innovator of its type of film. There are so many scenes in the haunted house that have been repeated so many times, and it blows my mind. There were also some truly gruesome moments that wouldn't have been mainstream in these early times of American cinema.  A great example of this was when the bloodied and decapitated face was shown in the old chest. 

The next thing that impressed me was the casting.  For starters, I don't think anyone could've done the role of Frederick better than Vincent Price. He had the perfect darkness and evil nature to him, and he could do it all with a smile on his face. It really amazes me how effortless he was in performing, because it comes off as his natural self.  He also had the most amazing voice for a horror actor, because it was so booming and haunting that he was almost like a ghost.  All of these traits really worked, because his character is such a mysterious and disturbing man. Even though he comes off as very hospitable, he has so many demons, and there is a huge possibility that he is a murderer.  So while it was a safe choice to use Price, I really was so happy to see him. Carol Ohmart was also awesome in the role of Annabelle, because as the wife of Frederick, she is very dark and almost soulless. She tries to get sympathy from the others, but in the end, we know she is shallow, greedy, and just plain rotten.   Carolyn Craig was the last standout in my opinion, because she proved herself to be one of the first "scream queens" in horror cinema. In her role of Nora Manning, she gives cries of fear that are so piercing, that they could stab through iron. 

While the movie isn't scary at all, there are a lot of ways that things stayed suspenseful. The first factor that really helped this was the plot twists. Even on my second viewing of the film, I was surprised by what happened. This is truly amazing, and it is one of the least predictable films I've ever seen.  The next thing that really helped the creepiness was the effects. One of the scenes that does this in particular was the skeleton scenes, because even though they are extremely fake, it's still chilling at the same time. 

The ending scenes of the movie really pleased me a lot. Rather than just the revelation of the mystery, even crazier twists happen. I was actually quite shocked, and it was completely awesome. To make things even better, the last thing before the exit is Vincent Price's evil laugh. This was cool, because it showed that Frederick got the best of everybody, and he had a successful night. 

Overall, I enjoyed this movie a lot. It doesn't beat "The Last Man On Earth" for me in terms of Vincent Price films, but it is still a heck of a lot of fun. It was a very innovative, and at times creepy movie, and it was definitely one of his best performances. Any fans of cinema should see this, because it was a landmark movie in our culture. 

The Last Man On Earth Review

9/10

Vincent Price has been proclaimed as one of the heroes in the horror genre. He was known for his dark yet witty personality, and he made some of the most famous movies of all time.  This 1964 film was actually known by many as his best work, and it has been remade twice("The Omega Man" and "I Am Legend"). 

The movie begins with showing the world as a ghost town. Buildings are destroyed, and there are no people in sight. Then we meet the last man on earth; Dr Robert Morgan.  Morgan wakes out of his bed, gets his weapons, and begins to hunt vampires.  I absolutely love this beginning, because it sets the viewer up for a lot of tensity. It also introduces the narration by Price.  This was a genius idea in my opinion, because if Robert actually talked to the viewer in the movie, he'd look really stupid, because it would make him be talking to himself.  The narration gives the vibe that the words are really his thoughts, and this was extremely effective. 

The first thing that I found really great about this film was the flashback sequences with Robert's wife and daughter. The reason I like this a lot is that we see how important they were to his life. Even though the world had been going down hill, he still had the people he loved, and could still function because of this. When they became ill and passed, he had nothing left in the world, and life didn't even matter anymore. I think this was a great move for the character development of Morgan's character, because it helps explain his hard and near insane personality. 

Personally, I don't think there could've been anyone better than Vincent Price for the role of Robert Morgan.  The character really needed a tough man that could shift emotions very well, whether he was dark, happy, sad, or powerful. Every one of these qualities were possessed by this amazing actor.  I feel that one of the scenes that shows this best was when he watched the home movies of his family. At first he watched with a straight face, but then he began to laugh crazily, and finally he broke down and cried like a baby.  While other actors could perform this scene, there really wasn't anyone that could pull it off so genuinely. 

One of the things that surprised me with this film was how true "I Am Legend" stayed to it. While they were very different films in nature, there were certain plot points that were in both movies.  One of the biggest giveaways in this is the relationship that Morgan has with his dog. This canine is just about the only thing that Robert has left in the world, and he loves it dearly.  Then the heartbreak comes for him when he has to kill the puppy because it is too infected with the bacteria that causes creature to become vampires.  What truly blew my mind was when Robert repeatedly said "Everything's gonna be alright."  The significance in this is apparent if the viewer has also seen "I Am Legend," because the theme song of the movie is "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley, which utters those same exact words. I found this to be truly amazing, because it showed the intricate brilliance of the more recent movie. 

The loneliness of Robert is soon ceased when a young girl named Ruth comes along.  Ruth has been infected by this bacteria, but she has a vaccine that takes away the symptoms. The actress in the role Franca Bettoia was absolutely stellar in the movie, because she had such a great way of showcasing the emotions needed for the role.  She could've been considered melodramatic for her performance, but in this character, this was absolutely necessary because of all of the strife she had gone through. 

Something that puzzled me about this film was the fact that the infected humans were classified as "vampires." While this wasn't terrible, it doesn't make much logical sense. First off, there are never any fangs shown at all.  The second thing is that none of these creatures are seen to have a blood lust, but a love for human flesh. The last thing that bugged me about this was that they walk very slow, and there appearance was somewhat decayed. All of these factors really lead me to believe that "zombie" is a much more appropriate title for these sad life forms.  So while this doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the film, I found it quite confusing, and I wish the filmmakers had been more careful with this.  

Honestly the ending of this film may be one of the best(if not the best) in any genre. It has the action, the emotion, and the most powerful monologue I have ever heard.  I was so mindblown by this last ten minutes, and it gave me a feeling of awe that has never shown up unless I was watching the end of the original "Planet of the Apes."  To be frank, any flaws that had dragged down the rest of the film were made up by this, because it set the whole tone of why this movie was made. 

While this may not be the gruesome horror flick a lot of people look for, this movie has a lot more to it than most.  There is a power behind it that makes the viewer become engrossed, and it is one of the most subtly brilliant movies ever made.  I highly recommend it to any fans of horror, scifi, or classic cinema in general, because it is a piece of art that cannot be missed.