House on Haunted Hill

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher, Chris Kattan, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson
Directed by: William Malone
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
1999

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A millionaire (Geoffrey Rush) offers five strangers (Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher, Chris Kattan, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson) $1 million each, if they can stay for one night in a haunted former insane asylum. However, his wife (Famke Janseen) also figures into the plot, as ghosts- both real and imagined threaten the lives of everyone involved.

Review:

Tim: For most of this movie, I actually kind of liked it. I'm not saying this is a great movie, but it wasn't terrible. However, the last fifteen minutes or so is bad enough to greatly damage the film as a whole. By the conclusion of the film, you see the flaws for what they are, and I can't say that this is a good movie at all. I didn't hate it, and I was mostly entertained, but this film still doesn't live up to its potential.

One of the main ingredients that really works to mask some of the script's flaws is the cast. I was pretty surprised this horror movie assembled such an impressive cast. Geoffrey Rush is good in the lead role, but in a completely over-the-top way. I had fun watching him on screen. I also liked Famke Janssen, who gave a dark, shadowy performance that truly worked. Janseen and Rush weren't the most believable in relation to each other, but both had terrific moments nonetheless. I was surprised that Taye Diggs did such a good job. He was one of the weaker links (at least on paper) of this cast, but he really stepped up and delivers a mostly enjoyable peformance. Peter Gallagher was a great addition, but he just has far too little to do. I wish he had more screen time and a more meaty role. Chris Kattan is less annoying that usual, but he is still annoying and adds very little to the movie. However, he didn't detract much from it, which is an achievement for him. Ali Larter might give the best performance of the film. I really liked her here, and I thought she did exceptional work. She and Diggs especially work well together, and her presence here made me like this movie more than I would have otherwise. Bridgette Wilson felt especially weak in this movie. For some reason, I had trouble seeing both her and Larter on screen at the same time. Larter's performance casts a shadow over Wilson's, to the point where Wilson adds very, very little to the movie.

This film's greatest strength is that it keeps us in a state of suspense. Yes, there are a great deal of cheap thrills and frights and we dismiss these as you would expect. However, there really is a twisting, surprising story at the heart of this movie. We wonder why is good, who is evil (who might be both), and what exactly is happening. We see betrayals, lies, plots and counterplots, and much more. I was really interested because the movie jumps back and forth, pulls the rug out from under you, and keeps you guessing throughout. For most of the movie, I enjoyed myself. However, the last fifteen minutes is when the movie begins to fall apart, and turns into something different. The conclusion is so disjointed and separate from the rest of the film's strenghs that it just sinks the movie beneath its own weight. This is disappointing, because this could have been an enjoyable, good movie. Instead, it's a bit worse than it should have been.

House on Haunted Hill does a great deal right- more than you might have expected. However, it is ultimately judged on what it does wrong. The movie builds up a great deal of momentum, only to squander it right at the end. I didn't hate this movie, but I lamented the lost opportunity to give such a surprisingly powerful and scary horror movie. Sadly, this is just another horror film that showed promise but was unable to follow through until the end.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Faculty, Deep Rising, Final Destination, Mirrors