An eccentric millionaire (Vincent Price) entices an eclectic group of five strangers to spend the night in a haunted mansion. If they survive the night, they walk away with $10,000! If they don't survive (which is quite possible), the money will go to their next of kin. This piece of horror hokum courtesy of William Castle is rather entertaining. It has a large cult fan base and while it's not really scary (well, there was one jump moment for me), Castle works so hard to create a suitable atmoshpere (successfully) and frighten us (less successful) that one can't help but smile. Theatrically, it was one of Castle's "gimmick" films. In this case, a skeleton flew above the audience's heads at the opportune moment for maximum screams. The film is fortunate in having Price in the lead, his elegantly sinister presence alone leaves one waiting in anticipation. Creepy fun! A truly terrible remake lacking style came out in 1999. I could have done without Von Dexter's tacky underscore. The cast includes Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Elisha Cook, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig and Julie Mitchum.
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