Product Details

• Actors: Leona Anderson, Jr. Elisha Cook, Carolyn Craig, Howard Hoffman, Julie Mitchum
• Directors: William Castle, Rosemary Horvath
• Format: Black & White, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Raunchy Tonk
• DVD Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 180 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001LIK8KC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,886 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL:50TH ANNIVERSAR - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars terrible special features, February 26, 2009

By 

Stephen Pierce - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House On Haunted Hill: 50th Anniversary (DVD)

I've been waiting for a special edition of House on Haunted Hill for awhile now. The special features are listed as "90 minutes long" and include the following:

1. less than 5 minutes of a fan talking about Carol Ohmart (1 minute of it is with Jack Hill). Waste of time.
2. less than 5 minutes of the same fan talking about very well known facts about the house in the movie. Waste of time.
3. over 80 minutes of trailers and a terrible quality willian castle tv spot. Waste of time.

The only reason to buy this is for the cool dvd art. Nothing else.
Maybe one day we'll see a special edition dvd worth buying. Until then, don't double dip on this one.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rip-Off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, November 2, 2009

By 

Richard Masloski (New Windsor, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House On Haunted Hill: 50th Anniversary (DVD)

The actual movie is wonderful fun. A crazy, zany, hokey and totally entertaining movie with the ultimate horror host - Vincent Price - giving us one of his many, many great performances. I love this movie!

But this particular 50th Anniversay Special Edition is NOT special in the least. It is a rip-off. And your host for this DVD is Johnny Legend who is NO "legend" in my book, as far as his absurd participation in this release is concerned.

The extras are as flimsy as the plausability of the movie's plotline. But wherein the film's plot-holes are forgiveable fun, the Extras on this DVD are an embarassment. They sound like they'd be great - but they are not. "Return to the House" features a few silent contemporary shots of the Frank Loyld Wright house as it looks today and then Legend talking about the house in front of a chain-link fence. He could be in front of any chain-link fence...for we don't even see the famous house behind him! We never learn who owns the house now or what it is currently used for. We never get on the grounds with the camera and take a closer look at the house.

"Surprise William Castle TV Spot" shows the lead-in to a game show created by Castle - but just when I thought we'd get to see the whole show (which had a most interesting premise and panelists including Groucho Marx)...just when I think we'll see the mystery-themed game show, the featurette ends!

The "Carole Ohmart Profile" talks more about her role in "Spider Baby" then in "House" and ends without us ever finding out what happened to her ultimately. What could have been a bit more of her performance in "The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe" is, instead, just a two second clip of the older actress turning her head, not even speaking a line from that movie.

The Vincent Price extras are fun to see: but Mr. Price is always fun!

The DVD has NO chapter stops and the title credits are off with "Raunchy Tonk Production" on the screen and the credit title has "50th Anniversary Special Edition" stamped beneath the film title. I am a purist and despised these liberties.

There are no commentaries, no making of featurette, zilch. As for it being declared a "Brand New Widescreen Transfer" I doubt it. It looked no different from some other versions I have.

Save your money - and what a tawdry way to celebrate a 50th anniversary for a classic flick!

3.0 out of 5 stars Some worthwhile special features, September 2, 2011

By 

Vinnie Rattolle - See all my reviews

This review is from: House On Haunted Hill: 50th Anniversary (DVD)

Although the box claims previous editions were released in "mild widescreen," a side-by-side comparison proves proves this version to be the same aspect ratio as the Warner Bros. DVD from a decade earlier, which is vastly superior picture quality.

As mentioned in another review, Johnny Legend's original extras, "Return to the House" and "Carol Ohmart Profile" are total crap filler. As for the other extras, which are lumped into various categories (and frustratingly, don't include chapter stops)....

The "Original Theatrical Trailers" are three trailers for "Haunted Hill." The first is the widely seen trailer available on the WB disc. The second is an original "Emergo" trailer that I'd never seen before, which features text and audio but no footage from the film. The third is the lesser-seen trailer that simply features Price superimposed over the house, enticing viewers to join him in the House on Haunted Hill.

"Castle and Price Previews" are 47 minutes worth of trailers for various films the actor and director made (both separately and together). Most of these have been made widely available on DVDs of their respective films, but there are a few rarities thrown in. Which makes the lack of chapter stops even more annoying.

"William Castle TV Spot" is an excerpt from "The Plot Thickens," a game show pilot that Castle produced. Would've been nice to have the show in its entirety, as it is circulating on the net.

Running about 50 mins., "Golden Age Price" is the final and best "Special Feature," the one that makes this disc worthwhile -- and the one that another reviewer entirely omitted when claiming all the special features suck. Included are amusing appearances of Vincent Price on "The Jack Benny Show" and "The Red Skelton Show," as well as an episode of "TV Reader's Digest" entitled "The Brainwashing of John Hayes." Probably recorded with kinescope from a monitor as they were being broadcast, the quality of these three recordings isn't stellar, but they're probably the best available. Price rarely got to play straight comedy, but he did it quite well in the first two shows.

Bottom line: If you find it for a low cost and are a fan of Price, the "Golden Age Price" segement is absolutely worthwhile. If you just want a good print of the movie, go with the WB release instead.