Scream Factory is looking to make this summer one to remember for horror fans with a bunch of new Blu-ray releases, and perhaps one of their most anticipated titles is 2001's Thirteen Ghosts, the Dark Castle remake of William Castle's 1960 film. Initially slated for a June 9th debut, the new Collector's Edition Blu-ray is now coming out on July 28th, and we've been provided with the full list of special features, including a new audio commentary with director Steve Beck:
Press Release: This summer, thrills and chills abound with the arrival of the horror thriller Thirteen Ghosts Collector’s Edition Blu-ray on July 28, 2020 from Scream Factory™. Awesome ectoplasmic specters populate Thirteen Ghosts, an effects-rampant remake of the 1960 William Castle haunted-house film directed by Steve Beck (Ghost Ship) and from producers Gilbert Adler (House on Haunted Hill), Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis. Tony Shalhoub (Galaxy Quest) leads a cast...
Press Release: This summer, thrills and chills abound with the arrival of the horror thriller Thirteen Ghosts Collector’s Edition Blu-ray on July 28, 2020 from Scream Factory™. Awesome ectoplasmic specters populate Thirteen Ghosts, an effects-rampant remake of the 1960 William Castle haunted-house film directed by Steve Beck (Ghost Ship) and from producers Gilbert Adler (House on Haunted Hill), Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis. Tony Shalhoub (Galaxy Quest) leads a cast...
- 6/16/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
"House on Haunted Hill" has plenty of trick 'n' treats in store for horror film fans and cinema buffs. This remake of William Castle's 1958 campy horror movie was not only produced by such filmmaker-fans as Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver but co-produced by Castle's daughter Terry. The homage displays an affection for the scary tricks of Castle's old movies and enough modern twists for today's enthusiasts.
The best trick in the film is the casting of Geoffrey Rush. As was learned with "Mystery Men", Rush has the acting chops to anchor comic nonsense. Rush plays Stephen Price -- a tip of the hat to Vincent Price, who starred in the original film -- a malevolent billionaire theme park owner. As in the original, Stephen Price offers a substantial amount of money to a group of people if they can survive a night in a spooky mansion. (Interestingly, the amount has increased since 1958 to $1 million from $10,000.)
The twist here is that the night is also a birthday party for his wife, Evelyn (a cynical and sinister Famke Janssen), with whom he shares a love/hate relationship -- i.e., they love to hate one another. Price uses his theme park expertise to booby trap the house with all kinds of scary devices, and his wife has made her own plans to eliminate, once and for all, her troublesome husband.
What neither realize, of course, is that the joint is truly haunted. The house, once an insane asylum, is possessed by the spirits of those who suffered horrifying medical experiments at the hands of a demented doctor and his staff.
The house's owner (Chris Kattan), the grandson of the original owner, keeps insisting that everyone is going to die before the night is through. But the couple look on him as a mere party pooper. What puzzles them, though, are the guests. They are neither his nor hers. Who -- or what -- has selected this group of victims, er, guests? What links them together?
Eddie (Taye Diggs) is an ex-pro baseball player and Sara Ali Larter) is a former personal assistant pretending to be her ex-boss. Melissa (Bridgette Wilson) dreams of being a TV talk show host, while Dr. Blackburn (Peter Gallagher), curiously enough, doesn't appear to be on anyone's guest list.
Dick Beebe's clever script nicely builds ambiguity into all the big scares. Which are the fake chills and which are the real ones? And since several of the haunted house occupants have a trick or two up their sleeves, the audience isn't always certain if a character has truly died. Some get to die more than once.
Refusing to take themselves seriously, Beebe and director William Malone treat all their spooky effects with tongue-in-cheek humor. Malone has directed several episodes of "Tales From the Crypt" and the spirit of that TV show spills over into this fun-house flick. He never lingers on bloodiness, rather he relies on imagination instead of gross-out effects.
Visually, the picture is terrific. Production designer David Klassen creates a haunted house whose exterior borrows from the monolithic design of the 1930s, but whose interior is a maze of decrepit chambers, ancient machinery, rusted medical equipment and a blood bath.
Cinematographer Rick Bota's camera glides through these sets with a nimble ease, and the visual effects by Bob and Dennis Skotak give the house a life of its own.
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
Warner Bros.
Dark Castle Entertainment
Producers: Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, Gilbert Adler
Director: William Malone
Screenwriter: Dick Beebe
Story by: Robb White
Executive producers: Dan Cracchiolo, Steve Richards
Director of photography: Rick Bota
Production designer: David F. Klassen
Music: Don Davis
Co-producer: Terry Castle
Costume designer: Ha Nguyen
Editor: Anthony Adler
Special make-up effects: Robert Kurtzman, Gregory Nicotero, Howard Berger
Color/stereo
Cast:
Stephen Price: Geoffrey Rush
Evelyn: Famke Janssen
Eddie: Taye Diggs
Dr. Blackburn: Peter Gallagher
Pritchett: Chris Kattan
Sara: Ali Larter
Melissa Marr: Bridgette Wilson
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
The best trick in the film is the casting of Geoffrey Rush. As was learned with "Mystery Men", Rush has the acting chops to anchor comic nonsense. Rush plays Stephen Price -- a tip of the hat to Vincent Price, who starred in the original film -- a malevolent billionaire theme park owner. As in the original, Stephen Price offers a substantial amount of money to a group of people if they can survive a night in a spooky mansion. (Interestingly, the amount has increased since 1958 to $1 million from $10,000.)
The twist here is that the night is also a birthday party for his wife, Evelyn (a cynical and sinister Famke Janssen), with whom he shares a love/hate relationship -- i.e., they love to hate one another. Price uses his theme park expertise to booby trap the house with all kinds of scary devices, and his wife has made her own plans to eliminate, once and for all, her troublesome husband.
What neither realize, of course, is that the joint is truly haunted. The house, once an insane asylum, is possessed by the spirits of those who suffered horrifying medical experiments at the hands of a demented doctor and his staff.
The house's owner (Chris Kattan), the grandson of the original owner, keeps insisting that everyone is going to die before the night is through. But the couple look on him as a mere party pooper. What puzzles them, though, are the guests. They are neither his nor hers. Who -- or what -- has selected this group of victims, er, guests? What links them together?
Eddie (Taye Diggs) is an ex-pro baseball player and Sara Ali Larter) is a former personal assistant pretending to be her ex-boss. Melissa (Bridgette Wilson) dreams of being a TV talk show host, while Dr. Blackburn (Peter Gallagher), curiously enough, doesn't appear to be on anyone's guest list.
Dick Beebe's clever script nicely builds ambiguity into all the big scares. Which are the fake chills and which are the real ones? And since several of the haunted house occupants have a trick or two up their sleeves, the audience isn't always certain if a character has truly died. Some get to die more than once.
Refusing to take themselves seriously, Beebe and director William Malone treat all their spooky effects with tongue-in-cheek humor. Malone has directed several episodes of "Tales From the Crypt" and the spirit of that TV show spills over into this fun-house flick. He never lingers on bloodiness, rather he relies on imagination instead of gross-out effects.
Visually, the picture is terrific. Production designer David Klassen creates a haunted house whose exterior borrows from the monolithic design of the 1930s, but whose interior is a maze of decrepit chambers, ancient machinery, rusted medical equipment and a blood bath.
Cinematographer Rick Bota's camera glides through these sets with a nimble ease, and the visual effects by Bob and Dennis Skotak give the house a life of its own.
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
Warner Bros.
Dark Castle Entertainment
Producers: Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, Gilbert Adler
Director: William Malone
Screenwriter: Dick Beebe
Story by: Robb White
Executive producers: Dan Cracchiolo, Steve Richards
Director of photography: Rick Bota
Production designer: David F. Klassen
Music: Don Davis
Co-producer: Terry Castle
Costume designer: Ha Nguyen
Editor: Anthony Adler
Special make-up effects: Robert Kurtzman, Gregory Nicotero, Howard Berger
Color/stereo
Cast:
Stephen Price: Geoffrey Rush
Evelyn: Famke Janssen
Eddie: Taye Diggs
Dr. Blackburn: Peter Gallagher
Pritchett: Chris Kattan
Sara: Ali Larter
Melissa Marr: Bridgette Wilson
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/1/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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