Movie Review: House on Haunted Hill

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Super-Horror-Rama Celebrates William Castle

2023 Year End Review – Part 1: The Highlights

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DtH Podcast Episode 47 – William Castle

House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), and Mr. Sardonicus (1961). In the world of ballyhoo, nobody comes close to being a master at it than producer/director William Castle. From giving insurance policies to filmgoers in case they die of fright, promising the horrors onscreen will come off the screen into the audiences, to even letting the audience decide the fate of one of the characters in the film, Castle was a master of it. He treated his fans with respect and wanted everyone to have a great time with his pictures. And they still are entertaining today.

In this episode we’re going to delve into 3 of Castle’s films, as well as the man himself. Joining us to talk all things Castle is superfan and collector (not to mention Regional Warrior for Severin Films) Matt Harding!

Films Mentioned in this episode:

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Praise for the Music Box Theatre

As I near my 6th decade on this planet, most of that being an obsessive horror fan, it’s really easy to slip into the grumpy old man mode these days, telling younger horror fans to get off my lawn. Even conventions are nowhere near what they used to be, with more about paying for overpriced autographs and collecting toys than caring about the actual movies themselves.

See how easy that was?

But the other night, I witnessed something that made this grinch of a horror fan’s withered heart grow 3 times in size.

The Music Box Theatre in Chicago is a place I’ve been going to for over 30 years, mainly for midnight screenings but also to some of their film series they’ve done over the years. Back in the ‘90s when I would go to something like a midnight screening of Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond (1981) or Toshiharu Ikeda’s Evil Dead Trap (1988), there’d be maybe 10 people there, and most of them snickering during the screening.

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House on Haunted Hill at the Music Box!

This Wednesday and Thursday, June 7th & 8th, not only do you have the chance to see William Castle’s 1959 classic film starring Vincent Price, but you’ll get to experience EMERGO!!! Just like Castle did when the film first premiered, you’ll see the terror come right off the screen! Plus, it is from a 35mm print!

If you’ve never had a chance to see this (or any Castle film) on the big screen, then you are really missing out because in an audience setting, it really is a whole new experience. Also, Castle super-fan Matt Harding will have pieces of his William Castle collection on display! You don’t want to miss this event.

For all the info, head over the Music Box Theatre’s website HERE.

Movie Review: Mr. Sardonicus

(1961)
Directed by William Castle
Starring Guy Rolfe, Ronald Lewis, Oscar Homolka, Audrey Dalton, Vladimir Sokoloff, Erika Peters.

The groundbreaking doctor Sir Robert, specializing in muscle maladies, receives a strange message from an old love, asking him to come to her home in a distant land for some dire help. Once he arrives there, he meets the husband of his long-lost love, the Baron Sardonicus. Sardonicus had acquired his wife after paying off the gambling debt of her father. But the strange part of Sardonicus is that his face is hidden behind a mask. He tells his story of how he acquired his wealth, and the terrible secret he is hiding behind the mask. He blackmails Sir Robert into curing his affliction or his wife will come to great harm.

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Halloween Favorites

Fright FavoritesHorror scholar David J. Skal has a new book coming out this fall, just in time for Halloween, entitled Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond. Presented by Turner Classic Movies, Skal takes on 31 films ranging from the silent era, hitting a few titles from each decade through the ’80s, and a few beyond that. Most of these everyone will agree are classics, with a few comedies listed in the later day titles. The description in Amazon says they are “family-friendly” but not sure The Exorcist (1973) and The Thing (1982) are ones I would be screening for 8-year old Timmy! Continue reading