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 House on Haunted Hill (1999)
DVD Review by Yanman |
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"As well as five other bona fide bank drafts for $1million each" This film could have been called "Who wants to stay in a haunted house and be a millionaire?" Based on the 1958 classic by the same name, the 1999 version is a heart pounding, edge of you seat update. In one of the more interesting extras, a comparison made between the two "houses" reveals the similarities and differences between the two. The 1955 version comes off more like a comedy then a "horror classic." Making for this interesting question "how hokey will today's special effects look in the year 2040?" One thing that we can be sure of, is that this DVD will still look and sound very good, even forty years from now. In his role of a theme park designer, Steven B. Price is a master of illusion. And, his newest park creation is living proof. Unfortunately, for him though, his life is really the biggest of illusion of all. You see his wife married him simply for money, but due to a pre-nuptial agreement can't divorce him. Her efforts to kill him have been, to date, unsuccessful. Her upcoming birthday may just provide the opportunity that she is looking for, or will her husband get the last laugh. Enter the real star of this picture, the house on house on the hill. It is a house with a rich and sorted history. A one time mental institution, were strange experiments and ultimately mass killings took place many years ago, leaving this house with the stigma of crazed death. Is this house truly haunted, or just a victim of its sorted past? Either way, it would be hard to think of a spookier place to host a birthday party for your estranged spouse. Then we meet our five unwilling partygoers, a group of strangers, strangers to each other and even to their eccentric hosts. Why would they spend the night in this creepy house? Trust me there are five million reasons. In the brightest of the scenes the video here is very high quality, it is only in the darkest ones that some compression softness starts to creep in. Presented in a anamorphic "matted" widescreen format, only the pickiest of video critics will find opportunity to complain. What makes a horror movie really work? More than any other single element, the creepy sound effects can make or break the mood of the film. The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack on this DVD, is more than adequate to accomplish this goal. The house's daemons will come at you from all directions, at a heart pounding pace and with gut retching bass. You access this disc's extras via an interesting interactive menu. The above average number of extras includes a number of deleted scenes, director's commentary, behind-the-scenes documentary, and more. If you are planning a mystery murder party for a few intimate friends, you may want to use this DVD to get a few hints. Even if a twisted party is not in your future, House on a Haunted Hill will provide you with a healthy scare. And you think that you have some bones in your closet . . .
This DVD was reviewed on Yanman.com's Reference Theater #1, using a Toshiba SD-5109 DVD player, Toshiba TW56X81, and M&K 750 THX Speakers. Panamax protects all systems at Yanman.com.
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House on Haunted Hill This film could have been called "Who wants to stay in a haunted house and be a millionaire?" Staring: Geoffrey Rush Directed By: William Malone Running time: 93 Min Bonus Materials
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