Vincent Price - House/Haunted Hill

Price walks about the dreaded mansion where he invited folks to stay alive overnight for $10K. His wife (Ohmart) and a doctor (Marshall), are lovers looking to see him dead so they can cash in, not realizing Price knew what they were up to. Cook, Jr. "rents" the house out to Price and he never fails to talk constantly about the murders in it, even involving those he knew, and those among him sort of shrug and eye roll him off. Cook, Jr. has that face and delivery that consistently entertains me...his ghosts claims and ooga booga remarks are done with such wonderful sincerity. Eventually Price nearly strangles him, tired of his presence, warning him to knock it off! The creepy caretakers (one of them "floating"), a severed head, fake rope suicide, rope trick where it moves "on its own", guns in little caskets, skeleton puppetry, blood pooling on ceiling and dripping on hand, and plenty of frightened shrieking.

Countless viewings of the film in, Price always every bit the icon, marital barbs dished with fetching Ohmart as the relationship proves quite toxic, with his arranged party just a reason to prod her; Haunted Hill actually has melodrama and soap opera plotting, and William Castle isn't above providing that in his gimmicked horror. Castle wasn't about to not get as much out of the house setting as possible, and I can only guess those who watch this voluntarily wanted that so mission accomplished. 

Price always seems to have a scheme on the mind, a complete plot set in motion, with a slight, sinister smile that kind of gives him away. A suspicion that follows his character. The clever reverse of that, where Price is seemingly the target, is a fun swerve. The public domain stalwart is highly available and Price is a major selling point...even when not *the* star in "The Bat" (1959), on the public domain, Price is front and center. 4/5