PaladinNites   Posted at 2020-03-29 00:59:05(241Wks ago) Report Permalink URL | ||
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| Good evening and welcome to  Before we get settled in, let me direct your attention to the Nevermore Libation & Wine bar.  Allow me to introduce tonight's bartenders; Manning the Ale & Beer brew bar is {{{{{ BB }}}}}bigboy12  ...please note the stack of unpronounceable Yankee beer stacked up behind the bar - and don't order any of this. He tends to get quite territorial over that stash...He's having border crossing problems.On the Wine side of Life, your able Host is {{{{{ sherb }}}}} sherb        who will be filling your vintage requests...as long as it's not his preferred Pinot in screw tops. He also has an excellent choice of cheese and crackers as well. If he starts grumbling in what sounds like an unknown language-he's just shifted into Highlandese. Something about supply issues with his wine.And over here is the buttered popcorn concession. Hmm, curious? blood drops, and tufts of hair...Ah it appears that {{{{{ JAN }}}}} Janor  has snuck in to get an early seat. She has a cat, and he went voluntarily to the Vet. Awoke and found some... parts missing. So they are having relationship issues of late.And take note of the dart boards on the wall, one is labeled by year, the other by actor. BB & Sherb will be throwing to help choose our movie tonight. I would duck down, not quite sure how long they have been behind their respective counters. BB - your up! Sherb - your turn now! Hmm, interesting BB's dart has landed on the year 1959. And Sherb's missile has hit "Vincent Price". Well, I do happen to have a flick that meets the criteria. Now take a comfy seat in the lounge, as we are spin the Time Machine back to 1959 and a treat from the master showman of the B flicks/gimmicks Mr William Castle.  Now as this funeral car procession makes it's way past-do hop in one of the cars and meet the people invited by none other than the esteemed Vincent Price to;  Watson Prichard - present owner of the house, claims 7 people have been murdered & ghosts still walk the house  Lance Schroder - test pilot, fast life style  Ruth Bridges - journalist along the lines of Hedda Hopper type, has a gambling problem  Nora Manning - works at one of Loren's companies, and the only one working in her family.  David Trent - Psychiatrist, claims the party will help his research into hysteria  Annabelle Loren - Wife #4 of millionaire playboy. And has a questionable role in some of his past illness' of sudden onset  Fredrick Loren - Your Host, Millionaire playboy, Owns multiple companies. Giving this party as his wife wanted a 'haunted house' scene.  Frederick Loren, an eccentric millionaire who has rented a Gothic stone house on a hill overlooking Los Angeles for a "haunted house" party that his fourth wife Annabelle had decided to throw. Fredrick has offered each of the invited $10,000 to spend a night in The House On Haunted Hill. He chose these people because they all want &/or need the money. Except for the owner and for Dr. Trent who wants to investigate the supernatural and his research into hysteria. Add these five to Frederick and Annabelle Loren, and there are seven people in all -- three women and four men. Curiously the same number that have died previously in the house. During the gathering in the parlor, Watson Pritchard claims that seven people, three women and four men, including Watson Pritchard's brother, have been murdered in the house. Parts of the bodies were found all over the house, but the heads have never been found. Pritchard himself spent a night in the house and was found almost dead the next morning. He claims that the heads can be heard at night whispering to each other. As they enter the house, an unnatural wind begins to move a chandelier - which falls.  As the guests face each other they find that none of them really know or have met their host Mr. Loren. Frederick watching from above moves to his wife's room. And there we meet wife #4 Annabelle. The dialog exchange between them is delicious. As she is more than a match for Price in this scene.  Fredrick Loren enters who introduces himself, and reminds all that the doors lock at midnight. The Windows are barred.There is no phone or electricity. Anyone who stays in the house for the entire night, given that they are still alive, will each receive the money, or their next of kin. And should Mr. Loren die, the survivors will be paid by his estate.  Watson leads all on a tour of the house, a corridor hall with a ceiling that inexplicably drips blood, from a previous murder.  Next comes the cellar.The cellar with an acid filled vat, scene of another murder. All manner of doors are there.  As the others depart upstairs, Lance holds Nora back and they explore the gloomy cellar. They open multiple doors and one slams on Lance closing him in, Nora watches the gaslight dim and an apparition appears to float towards her, then recedes.  She rushes upstairs for help. Telling the others the door Lance went through locked. But once they get there, the door opens easily and they find Lance with a head wound.  After getting patched up, Lance has Nora meet him in the hall and return to the cellar. As he is determined to figure out what happened to him. Checking the room where he got hit, they discover a hollow sound to the wall. Pacing off the distance to the second door and going in, they find a discrepancy in the room width. Lance goes back to the room he got hit and instructs Nora to tap on the wall as he does. It is then the apparition comes up behind Nora and 'floats' out of the room. Sending her into a screaming fit.  Lance is only seconds from her and questions why he didn't see this person "floating" and laughing at Nora causes her to leave in a 3 cylinder huff upstairs. Near her room she is met by Annabelle. Who grills her as to why was she chosen, and warns her not to go out alone, as they are all in danger. Leaving Nora, Annabelle meets Lance. She lays the groundwork with Lance that Frederick is up to something. That he might kill her if he could. As they all prepare to gather just before midnight, Nora finds a decapitated head in the travel bag. Running from her room, she is grabbed from behind by someone saying come with us, before he kills you.  Nora is convinced that Mr. Loren is out to kill her. The caretakers leave early and secure the main door. Leaving all with no choice but to stay the night. Loren then shows the "party favors", seven little coffins that contain a pistol for each. And they are loaded.   Nora tells them of the head in her suitcase, they all go up to find the suitcase contains...nothing. Nora is slowly coming apart. Each go to their rooms. Lance tries to talk with Nora, finding her room empty...but a head hanging in her closet.  A scream that is cut off is heard. Lance finds Annabelle hanging over the staircase  The Doctor and Lance get her down and lay her out in her room. Frederick arrives and is told that she hanged herself.Lance moves into the hallway and is beseeched by Nora to hide her. She claims Mr. Loren chocked her and left her for dead. Although she admits it was dark. Lance breaks the news that Annabelle is dead from suicide. The Doctor calls a meeting in the living room, Lance tells Nora to stay in her room and lock herself in. Downstairs the remaining guests gather. The Doctor recounts the events, and all admit there was nothing Annabelle could have climbed on to hang herself. The Doctor turns the conversation that the only one with a motive for killing Annabelle is...Frederick himself. They all decide to stay in their rooms, with their guns until the next morning. Then the storm begins outside. Lance sneaks out of his room determined to find a way out. He finds a hidden panel and enters, only to be shut in. Nora pacing in her room as the storm rages outside, sees a rope snake it's way through the barred window and as she looks up sees what appears to be Annabelle floating outside.  Nora grabs her gun and flees down the hallway only to be met by Annabelle swinging on a rope from the ceiling, and then a spectral hand reaches for her.  She encounters an organ that plays by itself and pushed to the brink runs screaming out. The Doctor goes to Frederick's room and they decide to split up and search for whoever played the organ. Frederick goes downstairs and the Doctor starts up, but as soon as Frederick rounds the corner, he returns to Annabelle's room. And there we discover each have planned an elaborate ruse, to push Nora to kill Frederick." When you hear the shot, come down to the cellar." After being driven into a fit of hysteria by the ghosts haunting her, Nora shoots Mr. Loren, assuming he is going to kill her.  Dr.Trent, who had been hiding in the cellar, emerges and drags the body of Frederick towards the acid vat, but the lights go out...Annabelle makes her way into the cellar, calling for the Doctor. Suddenly, the doors all close and the gaslights dim. Trapped she peers over into the vat and there a skeleton slowly emerges.  The specter approaches Annabelle as she recoils in terror, because it's the voice of Frederick.  In a panic,the screaming Annabelle backs towards the vat, and the skeleton gives a final push.  Just in case some have not seen this, I'm going to leave the next few scenes out and leave you with; The final scene, Prichard looks into the acid vat and says, with a terrified expression on his face, "Now there are nine. There will be more...many more. They're coming for me now. And then they'll come for you." The original 'The House On Haunted Hill' is one of the most entertaining/enjoyable chillers of the 50's. Yes, William Castle's over the top camp style is an acquired taste for many, but once you enter into the spirit of things you're in for a wild, fun ride. The legendary Vincent Price is in his element here as the cynical millionaire trapped in a loveless sham of a marriage, and Carol Ohmart, who I have only seen in the cult classic 'Spiderbaby', is a knockout as his tough as nails "better half". Their haunted house guests, led by the much loved character actor Elisha Cook, Jr are well cast. Castle gives us all kinds of horror in the traditional vein...a severed head, a skeleton, the screaming-without-end hysterical young woman, the plot twists and turns,are firmly planted tongue-in-cheek. This is a great Halloween or dark & stormy night film, one that you turn off the lights to watch. The sets are given plenty of detail that makes the characters' explorations of the house even more interesting. The story is nicely written for the genre, making very good use of the possibilities in the setup, throwing in some good turns, and resolving everything in a resourceful fashion. Trailer; Production notes Exterior shots of the house were filmed at the historic Ennis House in Los Feliz California, designed in 1924 by Frank Lloyd Wright. The bulk of the film was shot on sound stages, depicting the interior of the house in a combination of styles, including 1890s Victorian, with gas chandeliers and sconces. The poster for the film included an illustration of a house in yet a third style, that of a fanciful four-story Romanesque structure. The theatrical trailer promoted the film as The House on Haunted Hill, although all advertising material and the title on the film itself were simply titled House on Haunted Hill. The film is perhaps best known for a promotional gimmick used in the film's original theatrical release called "Emergo." In some theaters that showed the film, exhibitors rigged an elaborate pulley system near the theater screen which allowed a plastic skeleton to be flown over the audience during a corresponding scene late in the film. Several modern repertory cinemas including the Film Forum and Loew's Jersey Theatre have hosted revival screenings of the film during which the "Emergo" gimmick has been recreated. Thanks in part to Castle's gimmickry, the film was a huge success, Alfred Hitchcock took notice of the low-budget film's performance at the box office and made his own low-budget horror film, which became the critically acclaimed hit. You might have heard of it... Psycho (1960) William Castle related the story of meeting Vincent Price on a day when Price had learned that he had been passed over for a part. Over coffee, Castle described the premise of this picture. Price liked the idea and it led to a two-picture collaboration, this and The Tingler (1959). Some of the Emergo equipment still exists. It has been resurrected for use during special showings of the film. 33 minutes into the film, Frederick Loren says, "It's close to midnight Lance." The first verse of the Michael Jackson song 'Thriller' begins with the words, 'It's close to midnight." Vincent Price of course delivers the spooky voice-over on that very same song. The end title credits list "Skeleton - By Himself" Best Paladin  | |
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Post liked by - SweetSkunk , zeke23, sherb, miok , Janor, bigboy12 | ||
| JanorPosted at 2020-03-29 02:23:52(241Wks ago) Report Permalink URL | ||
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| Yet another amazing review... I feel like I've just watched the movie again. But now I feel I need to watching one ore time. Thank you so much Paladin, as always, fantastic writing, great selection of screenshots and riveting as expected. Thanks again... can't wait for the next one hun. :D:D:D hugs, and love always :love:love:love Janor | |
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| Post liked by - PaladinNites, GodAndUlster, miok | ||
| miokPosted at 2020-03-29 03:10:22(241Wks ago) Report Permalink URL | ||
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| Thanks for another excellent review Paladin :) | |
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| Post liked by - PaladinNites, GodAndUlster | ||
| sherbPosted at 2020-03-29 11:55:58(241Wks ago) Report Permalink URL | ||
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| Excellent Paladin. A great review and very well presented 👍 | |
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| Post liked by - PaladinNites | ||
| bigboy12Posted at 2020-03-29 14:02:30(241Wks ago) Report Permalink URL | ||
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| Great piece of work again from you.A lot of work involved.Well done! PS. glad you got the beer for me.👍😁 | |
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| Post liked by - PaladinNites | ||