House on Haunted Hill (DVD)

The ghosts are moving tonight...restless, hungry... Eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) invites five seemingly random strangers to a macabre party in a legendary haunted mansion hosted by his wife, Annabelle (Carol Ohmart). The guests will each receive $10,000 if they agree to spend a night in the house - and survive! The partygoers, armed with handguns that are presented as party favors, are forced to deal with decapitated heads in suitcases, a vat of sulfuric acid in the basement and the discovery of Annabelle hanging from the rafters with a noose around her neck. The night is filled with terror, shocks and unexpected twists. House on Haunted Hill is a highly inventive and unnerving horror cult classic that combines Vincent Price's menacingly suave persona with the renowned flamboyance of producer/director William Castle. Price delivers one of his most sinister performances, a tour de force of tongue-in-cheek evil. During its initial release, Castle, possessing a remarkable knack for gimmicks, rigged the theaters with a skeleton that flew out from the screen and over audiences' heads. Von Dexter's eerie music score creates a nervous tension broken by sudden bloodcurdling screams.

• horror