THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL R
Starring Taye Diggs, Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Ali Larter, Chris Kattan, Bridgette Wilson, and Peter Gallagher
Eric says: ******* 1/2 (7 1/2)
Boo! Sure, the formula has been done to death, but I was scared. A group of strangers are to spend the night in a supposedly haunted house overnite to pocket (say it, Dr. Evil) one million dollars. Of course, the ringleader who thinks that he controls the spooks finds out that the house is in control. But the visuals got me. From the scene you see in the ad of the doctors looking up at the camcorder to the staggered, jumpy movement of the head-shaking spirits, the point was made.
Playing like Scooby Doo meets the Addams, the ensemble cast knows exactly what chords to hit. Ali Larter easily looks 10 years older than the high school cheerleader from "Varsity Blues" as the main lead next to Taye Diggs. Chris Kattan provides the standard comic relief, but actually acts freaked-out too. The symbolic star, Geoffrey Rush obvoiusly pays homage to Vincent Price in the same role Price played in the movie this is based on.
Nothing spectacular or original, this fun throw-away spook-out is worth seeing. Oscars won't be won, though, unless Academy members are placed in the Saturation Chamber.
***Special Bonus - Do It Yourself Special Effects:
Now you too can recreate a main effect from THOHH. Just buy yourself a small strobelight, a six-pack of your favorite beer, and a friend. (You probably won't have to purchase the friend.) Enter a smallish room. Drink 2 to 3 beers. Turn on the strobelight. Have your friend shake his/her head repeatedly and act as if they're spasming. If you like, the effect can be augmented by shaking your own head and polishing off the six-pack. Enjoy.*
*I neither condone, suggest, nor accept the above behavior.
David says: **********
Don't make web pages with Yahoo's PageBuilder with a mere 200mHz computer and without a DSL line...
Ok - the movie. A highly entertaining movie that will get some jumps out of you. There where of few lines that got me laughing - 'Don't you want to see my picture' - what?! Meanwhile, I think they overdid Atropine's* abilities. That did lead to a twist I didn't predict though.
Shoot, I waited too long to write this review. Maybe I'll remeber more later (& write it down).
* In veterinary medicine, Atropine is most commonly used prior to general anesthesia. It prevents excessive slowing of the heart. I don't know of its use in, well, go see the movie.
Our Preview of the movie before it opened:
Yet another group of attractive people choose to stay in yet another haunted house run by yet another eccentric man who is just trying to play with their minds and ends up discovering that, indeed, the house is really haunted. While it looks genuinely scary, "Hill" will have to hurdle the similar-movie obstacle that is familiar to the Sphere/Event Horizon, Antz/Bug's Life, Life is Beautiful/Jakob the Liar fans.