HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL: Castle's Classic Creepfest

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL Limited Edition (Blu-ray)

1959 / 75 min

Film Masters

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Wasn’t it great being little, when damn near everything scared you, like skeletons dangling from tethers? 

I wasn’t around when cinema’s greatest carnival barker, William Castle, was turning schlock into gold with such gimmicks as theater seat buzzers, fright insurance policies and, of course, “Emergo,” which was used to help turn House on Haunted Hill into one of his biggest hits. This was where a red-eyed skeleton would ‘float’ over the audience on a wire. Cheap and tacky, to be sure, but it put butts in seats.

Still, I remember the onscreen (also tethered) skeleton scaring me as a kid when I first watched this on TV, along with other ghostly figures lurking in dark closets. Then there was that dreaded pool of acid, which was used to destroy the bodies of murder victims, though one poor sap gets thrown in alive. Back then, acid ranked just behind lava and quicksand on my list of the most horrible ways to die and it seemed like a lot of horror villains had a vat of the stuff in their basement.

But who is the actual villain in House on Haunted Hill? When revisiting the film years later, I appreciated how the narrative’s surprising twists kept the viewer guessing, an aspect that elevated this one above the usual tacky treasures Castle was making at the time. And despite some imagery that’s still kinda spooky, one could even argue that it isn’t really a horror movie at all. The story itself unfolds more like a Scooby Doo mystery…with booze…and guns.

"Sounds like the couple upstairs have made up again."

The movie remains very entertaining, though perhaps aesthetically quaint compared to the bloody-but-joyless 1999 remake. The great Vincent Price shines as Frederick Loren, a cynical millionaire who invites a group of carefully chosen strangers to spend the night at a supposedly haunted mansion, offering $10,000 to each who takes him up on the offer. The house, of course, has a dark past, as ominously explained by its owner, Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook Jr). That’s when the fun begins.

House on Haunted Hill is William Castle’s one true classic. In addition to atmospheric direction, an engaging story and interesting characters, the overall performances are quite good for a film of this type (though all that’s really required of Carolyn Craig is to scream every ten minutes). Even without “Emergo,” it remains one of the better haunted house movies of the 1950s. Having been released on Blu-ray before (most notably, in one of Shout Factory’s Vincent Price collections), I don’t know if this new edition from Film Masters is a significant technical upgrade, but the overall video/audio quality is pretty good. Kinda light on bonus material, though.

EXTRA KIBBLES

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Heath Holland.

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET - Includes an essay by Jason A. Ney.

WEAPONS: A Wild, Twisted Ride

WEAPONS (Blu-ray)

2025 / 128 min

Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

I have a feeling that being a Zack Cregger fan is going to be something of a challenge. 

Reviewing his first film, Barbarian, a few years ago, I had the good fortune of knowing absolutely zero about the premise or plot. In addition to being extremely well written and atmospheric, to say nothing of brutal, it repeatedly surprised me with its story turns and dramatic tonal shifts. That unpredictability was a big part of what made it the best horror film of 2022. 

While elevated expectations were probably unavoidable, I did manage to avoid learning anything about Cregger’s Weapons beyond the title and an intriguing trailer that revealed little (the way all of trailers should be). That wasn’t easy because, unlike Barbarian, this one was a blockbuster and all the hype made the internet a virtual minefield. So it was with a sense of victory that my daughters and I bought our tickets over a week into the movie’s theatrical run…

…and not only did Weapons live up to the hype, it surpassed my expectations. Like Barbarian, it’s a wild, original film that's best viewed cold, so consider yourself lucky if you’re able to. Because of this, I’ll avoid revealing the plot in any detail, which begins with the unexplained disappearance of 17 children from a small suburbia. At exactly 2:17 AM, they simply wake up, leave their homes and run off into the night.

When the ice cream truck arrives past curfew.

Obviously, the children' s disappearance is central to the narrative, but the story is no mere mystery. It’s still primarily a horror film - and a pretty brutal one, too - but divided into intersecting chapters, each presented from a specific character’s point of view somewhat akin to Kurosawa’s Rashomon. With each chapter comes unexpected plot or character revelations - some which are shocking - and it all comes together for a memorable climax.

This time around, Cregger infuses his intelligent story with unexpected personal drama and twisted black comedy, the latter of which I suspect some horror purists may not appreciate. But as someone who enjoys my expectations being subverted, I thought it was a great touch. Elsewhere, the story features an ensemble of engaging, believable characters, all well-performed by a great cast (including Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich and Amy Madigan). 

Overall, 2025 has been a pretty damn good year for smart, original horror, with the likes of Sinners, Bring Her Back and now Weapons ranking among the best of them. Here’s hoping Zack Cregger remains this dedicated to unpredictability for the rest of his career, even if it does keep me off the internet for a couple of weeks every few years (which probably ain’t a bad thing)

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Director Zack Cregger: Making Horror Personal; Weaponized: The Cast of Weapons; Weapons: Texture of Terror. Each featurette runs 6-10 minutes, and their titles are more-or-less explanatory.

NCIS: ORIGINS: As Reliable As Oregon Fireworks

NCIS: ORIGINS Season One (DVD)

2024-2025 / 776 min (18 episodes)

Paramount

Review by Carl, the Couch Potato😺

Watching the NCIS franchise is kind of like buying Oregon fireworks.

I don’t know what it's like in your neck of the woods, but in Oregon, the type of fireworks that have would-be pyromaniacs rushing to the ER with blown-off appendages are illegal. Instead, the stands that pop-up in stripmall parking lots every summer are filled with fireworks that all do essentially the same thing. The size, shapes and colors may be different, but for the most part, we celebrate the 4th of July with glorified sparklers.

I was never a dedicated NCIS viewer, though there have been plenty occasions when I’ve entered the room while my wife was watching either the original series or one of the half-dozen spin-offs, and the episode was intriguing enough to prompt me to plop on the sofa with her. But unless Mark Harmon showed up as curmudgeonly Special Agent In-Charge Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I had no idea if we were watching NCIS: New Orleans or NCIS: Los Angeles or NCIS: Hawaii, etc.

That’s because, aside from the casts and subplots involving them, the narrative differences between these shows are like red sparklers versus yellow sparklers. That’s not necessarily a slam against the franchise either. It’s been a successful formula for a quarter-century, so if it ain’t broke, why fix it? The latest one, NCIS: Origins, is no exception.

"Sorry, sir...we've exhausted all our resources and still can't find your hat."

As the subtitle suggests, Origins is a prequel of sorts, chronicling a younger Agent Gibbs as the newest recruit to the Naval Investigative Service (NIS). As played by Austin Stowall, he reminded me more of Alan Ritchson’s depiction of Jack Reacher than the character made famous by Mark Harmon, though he carries a lot more emotional baggage. Recently discharged from the Marines, Gibbs is having trouble coming to terms with the death of his family, murdered by someone who’s still at-large. Many of the narrative detours (and flashbacks) are related to this aspect of Gibbs’ past and how it adversely affects his current job.

Beyond that recurring plot thread (which is sporadically interesting), it’s business as usual. Gibbs joins an eclectic team led by Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), a hardnosed, rednecky agent with good reasons for recruiting the troubled young ‘Probie.’ While Franks is easily the show’s most best character, “Lala” Dominguez (Mariel Molino) is also pretty interesting as a feisty agent working hard to stand-out in a male-dominated environment. 

Elsewhere, individual episodes adhere to the mystery/police procedural structure that has served the franchise well. There’s no attempt to break new ground by tweaking the formula, but it still works. I initially sat down to check out an episode or two and wound up binging seven, which makes it the most NCIS I ever intentionally took-in at one time. Some stories are more compelling than others, but longtime fans of the show should have no complaints. After all, Oregon fireworks are still kind of fun, and even if they're just different colored sparklers, I've never lit one that turned out to be a dud.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - NCIS: Origins Season 1 - The Story Behind the Story; Retro Crime-Solving - The Sets and Styles of NCIS: Origins.

GAG REEL

Open This BLACK BAG

BLACK BAG (4K UHD)

2025 / 94 min

From Universal

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Princess Pepper😸

This happens sometimes…when coincidental timing of various physical media releases results in me reviewing several movies by the same actor or director. In this case, it’s Steven Soderbergh, a director who’s always been really hit-or-miss for me. Still, I appreciate his willingness to try different technical approaches, which made recent releases of The Good German and Presence at least watchable.

However, Black Bag is more than watchable. It’s arguably his best overall film since Contagion (which Free Kittens holds in very high regard). I don’t recall the last time I had this much fun trying to keep up with the complexity of a movie’s plot and actions of its characters. Best of all, we’re rewarded with a climax where it all ends up making perfect sense.

This is another one of those films that’s best going into fairly cold, so I’ll refrain from going into too much detail about the story. But in a nutshell, Black Bag is a spy thriller centered around married British intelligence agents George and Kathryn (Michael Fassbender & Cate Blanchett). Renowned for getting the truth out of liars, George is tasked with rooting out an apparent traitor in their organization and given a list of five people to investigate, one of whom is Kathryn.

When your suavity is rudely interrupted.

The film is driven more by style, intrigue and exposition than action, yet the brisk pace, appealing aesthetic and surprise-laden narrative keeps things interesting and tension filled, not-to-mention one hell of a McGuffin that serves as its catalyst. There are even aspects of the film that are darkly funny. Tying it together are the characters, all of whom appear to have secrets - personally & professionally - that George attempts to reveal. And just when we think we’ve got one character pegged, we’re thrown another curveball.  

But Black Bag is more than just another spy movie. It’s also the story of a marriage, which carries an underlying theme of loyalty to country versus loyalty to a loved one. Perfectly played by the two leads, George and Kathryn appear coolly calculating and outwardly aloof, even towards each other. At the same time, there’s something deeply romantic about their relationship as the story unfolds. 

Running a lean 94 minutes, there isn’t a single wasted moment. Each scene is vital to the plot and calculated to keep the viewer guessing. Every character is important and performed by a great cast (including Naomi Harris, Tom Burke, Marisa Abela and Regé-Jean Page). Bolstered by David Koepp’s smart, witty script and an urgent score from David Holmes (both frequent Soderbergh collaborators), Black Bag is an excellent adult thriller and, so far, one of the best movies of the year.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Company of Talent features the cast discussing their characters and co-stars; Designing Black Bag covers the production design.

DELETED SCENES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

Take A Drive Down MYSTERY STREET

MYSTERY STREET (Blu-ray)

1950 / 93 min

From Warner Archive

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

During my formative years, Ricardo Montalban was Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island and Star Trek’s greatest bad guy. Those two roles alone showcased his range, but it wasn’t until much later that I was aware of his previous film & TV career. Quite a long one, actually, in both Mexico and the U.S.

1950’s Mystery Street gave Montalban an early lead role in an American film, playing Boston detective Peter Moralas, investigating the death of B-girl Vivian (Jan Sterling). Before that, however, we see Vivian coerce a drunk young stranger to take her to Cape Cod, where she plans to confront a man who got her "in trouble" (knocked up). But when they meet, the man shoots and kills her.

Vivian’s body is discovered three months later, but Moralas only has her skeletal remains to go on, and this is where the story gets really interesting. Through thorough investigative work and the aid of a Harvard forensic specialist, Dr. McAdoo (Bruce Bennet), not only is Moralas eventually able to identify her, he nabs who he believes to be the killer…Henry Shanway (Marshall Thompson), the poor drunk rube who met Vivian that night.

"Guys...could you stop playing with that?"

Of course, the only thing Henry is guilty of is bad judgment, drowning his sorrows in the bar after his wife, Grace (Sally Forrest), miscarried. The real killer is among the names in Vivian’s book of clients, which her conniving landlord, Mrs. Smerrling (Elsa Lanchester), learns the hard way when she tries to blackmail him. Meanwhile, Grace still insists Henry is innocent, and eventually, Moralas himself begins to have doubts about his own case.

Though initially a mystery with a film noir aesthetic, it’s the police procedural aspects that make the movie crackle. I don’t recall another film of this era where science plays such a major role in the investigation. How they identify the victim and piece together what happened to her is fascinating. Moralas isn’t a particularly dynamic character, but his detail-driven dedication is engaging, which Montalban conveys with authority. However, the film is briefly stolen a few times by Lanchester, who’s a real hoot.

As an admirer of John Sturges, I always enjoy discovering the films of his I haven’t seen yet. Mystery Street is an early one and he’s obviously more of a director-for-hire here, but he keeps things fast-paced and fun, aided by a smart screenplay, moody John Alton cinematography, and of course, an early turn by the guy I once knew simply as Khan. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Murder at Harvard is a short retrospective appreciation of the film.

2 TOM & JERRY CARTOONS - Little Quacker and Tom & Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward.

TRAILER

THE GOOD GERMAN (4K): Looks Aren't Everything

THE GOOD GERMAN (4K UHD)

2006 / 108 min

From Warner Bros.

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Princess Pepper😼

I don’t care for everything Steven Soderbergh has directed. Of his films that I’ve seen, I enjoyed maybe a third of them. But I admire the guy because he’s unafraid to take risks. Equally at home doing blockbusters and indie darlings, he also did a couple of movies with just a cellphone. When it comes to different ways to make a film, Soderbergh appears willing to try anything…for better or worse.

That adventurous spirit also applies to 2006’s The Good German, a World War II mystery-thriller shot in black & white in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio that was standard for movies of that era. Soderbergh and cinematographer Peter Andrews perfectly capture the look, tone and style of classic film noir, aided by Thomas Newman’s evocative score. If one didn’t know better, they’d assume they were watching something from the 1940s (at least until Tobey Maguire is shown vigorously boning Cate Blanchett).

The Good German gets a lot of mileage out of its throwback aesthetic, especially scenes that are obvious homages to the films which inspired it (Casablanca anyone?). And the overall image looks terrific in 4K. But as they say, looks aren’t everything. 

"Sorry...I don't date superheroes."

The narrative itself is sporadically interesting. As World War II ends, George Clooney plays Captain Geismer, a war correspondent in Germany who’s compelled to investigate the murder of conniving, opportunistic GI Patrick Tully (Maquire). His digging leads him back to old flame Lena Brandt (Blanchett), as well as the U.S. and Russia’s efforts to snag German rocket scientist, Emil Brandt, Lena’s husband. However, the Brandts have some very dark secrets related to their roles in the war.

But here’s the problem…while the story is okay, none of these characters are very interesting. In fact, all that’s really revealed about Geismer is that he’s a newsman and once had a fling with Lena, who I suppose qualifies as a femme fatale. But aside from Tully being established as a reprehensible bastard (and Maquire’s screen time is far less than his billing suggests), everyone else is just a talking head providing exposition.

In a way, this sort of makes watching The Good German kind of like going on a date with someone who’s drop dead gorgeous, only to discover over dinner they have zero personality. You don’t regret asking them out, but one date is probably enough. Ultimately, this is another Steven Soderbergh cinematic exercise that’s easier to admire than enjoy.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K & BLU-RAY COPIES

TRAILER