Company Press Release: House on Haunted Hill

The Mayhem Begins for Geoffrey Rush, Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson and Chris Kattan When Shooting Starts on 'House on Haunted Hill'

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Feb. 4, 1999--Dark Castle Entertainment's "House on Haunted Hill'' will star a spirited assortment of talents, including Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush ("Shakespeare in Love''), Taye Diggs ("How Stella Got Her Groove Back''), Ali Larter ("Varsity Blues''), Peter Gallagher ("The Underneath''), Bridgette Wilson ("Billy Madison'') and "Saturday Night Live'' comedian Chris Kattan ("Night at the Roxbury''), it was announced today by Dark Castle partners Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis.

Principal photography will begin Friday, Feb. 5 in Los Angeles. The phantasmagorical presence of William Castle will be hovering over the production of this spine-tingling new version of his 1958 horror film that originally starred Vincent Price.

"House on Haunted Hill'' is a classic horror tale that follows five strangers who have been offered $1 million each to spend one night in a house with a hideous past. As the occupants learn more about the history of the house, which was once an insane asylum headed by a deranged doctor, they come to understand the true power of evil and to recognize that it animates the very walls of the building they inhabit.

The story combines white-knuckle terror with dark humor. The filmmakers plan to use state-of-the-art special effects to bring the story further into contemporary focus.

In its present version, the film will be directed by William Malone (who directed three "Tales From the Crypt'' episodes and recently wrote "Supernova,'' directed by Walter Hill) and will be produced by Zemeckis, Silver and Gil Adler ("Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight'').

The screenplay for "House on Haunted Hill'' is by Dick Beebe from a story by Dick Beebe & William Malone, adapted from the screenplay by Robb White. Dan Cracchiolo and Steve Richards executive produce the film.

Silver and Zemeckis' Dark Castle Entertainment is the newly formed film company created in association with the spirit of the late William Castle, who produced and directed several memorable horror films during the 1950s and 1960s. Dark Castle will focus on mid-budget remakes of classic thrillers, as well as other original works in the same vein. Silver and Zemeckis will both produce Dark Castle's pictures and Zemeckis may direct an occasional title. "House on Haunted Hill'' will be distributed by Warner Bros., where Silver is based. Dark Castle retains international rights to all pictures. J&M Entertainment is handling foreign sales for "House on Haunted Hill.''

Silver is one of the most successful producers in the motion picture industry today, with the combined gross of his films at $2.8 billion. With 1998's release of "Lethal Weapon 4,'' 13 of Silver's films have each earned worldwide box-office totals of more than $100 million. Silver also executive produced, with Richard Donner, Zemeckis, David Giler and Hill, two "Tales From the Crypt'' films: ``Demon Knight'' and "Bordello of Blood.''

Zemeckis earned the Best Director Oscar for 1994's smash hit "Forrest Gump,'' which also was named Best Picture and earned Tom Hanks the Best Actor Oscar, securing Zemeckis a position as on of the preeminent filmmakers in the industry. He then directed the 1996 hit "Contact,'' which starred Jodie Foster and was inspired byt Carl Sagan's best-selling novel. Zemeckis' films have earned worldwide grosses in excess of $2 billion.