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.

Revisiting POSEIDON in 4K

POSEIDON Limited Edition (4K UHD)

2006 / 98 min

Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie McBoatface

A brief rant before we get started…

Ever since The Towering Inferno floored me as a kid, I’ve been a die hard disaster movie lover and it remains my favorite genre. Good ones, bad ones, so-bad-they’re-good ones…serve-up mass destruction and melodrama and I’m all in. Though some great ones are still being made from time to time, most of the acknowledged classics hail from the 1970s, including The Poseidon Adventure.

However, we’re getting a deluxe 4K edition of 2006’s Poseidon, while the original (and far more revered) film that inspired it hasn’t been re-released or upgraded since debuting on Blu-ray over a decade ago. Neither has The Towering Inferno, for that matter. In a day & age when The Toxic Avenger gets the 4K treatment, surely two blockbusters that defined the disaster genre for millions are just as worthy. Fucking Disney (who own 20th Century Fox’s entire back catalog).

As for The Poseidon Adventure...of course it’s a classic, but hardly a cinematic masterpiece. While the special effects remain pretty impressive even today, the dialogue is often groanworthy and every character is painted (and performed) in broad strokes. Though still a boatload of fun (no pun intended), I never felt it was such a sacred cow that a remake was out of the question. NBC tried it first with a soapy, soggy two-parter that not only succeeded in making me detest Steve Guttenberg even more, it actually had the balls to remove the goddamn tidal wave from the plot!

Then a year later, we got this one, boasting a massive budget, impressive cast (Kurt Russell’s always been one of my favorites) and Wolfgang Peterson, a solid director who was certainly no stranger to high sea adventures. Now this was more like it! So guess who was there on opening night with the family in tow.

The basic plot is the same. After a cruise ship is capsized by a massive tidal wave, the survivors must find their way to the hull (now above them) before it sinks for good. There’s plenty of death and peril along the way…some people live, others die. But aside from that, Poseidon serves up different characters, conflicts and obstacles. And that’s fine because there’s no bigger waste of time than doing a remake that’s exactly like the original.

Not everybody's heart will go on.

First and foremost, the special effects and production design are nothing less than spectacular, especially on the big screen (though everything looks and sounds mighty fine on this 4K edition, too). While the original’s tidal wave & capsizing sequence still holds up pretty well, Poseidon practically puts you on deck with torrents of water and flying bodies. Longer, louder and far more detailed, the film is worth checking out for this sequence alone. Petersen must’ve thought so too, because he can’t wait to get to it, rocketing through shallow, superfluous character introductions before the deadly wave hits, all in the first 15 minutes. 

The remainder of the film sees a handful of survivors making their way through the ship, barely staying above the rising water. There’s plenty of action and vivid visuals as they go from one deadly obstacle to the next. However, that’s all there really is to Poseidon. The original film had more than its share of silly subplots involving exaggerated characters, but at least we got to know everyone well enough to be personally invested in their survival. But none of Poseidon’s characters are as interesting as the sets they’re slogging & swimming through. In a way, it’s like watching someone guide a video game character through various levels. 

The one exception is Lucky Larry, played with gusto by Kevin Dillon. His character is a fun throwback to the disasters of yesteryear, when all of 'em had a guy who was so obnoxious, hateful or evil that we couldn’t wait to see them die. Since Larry is a self-aggrandizing, misogynist pig, his untimely demise comes a bit too early, but it’s also satisfying and actually kinda funny. And that ain’t a spoiler, folks. Guys like this are born to buy the farm in disaster movies.

Poseidon has destructive spectacle to spare and it’s obvious nearly every penny of its budget is up there on the screen. But it’s ultimately never as engaging or suspenseful as the original classic because we don’t really care who lives or dies. We’re watching to see how they live or die with a curious sense of detachment, which is fine if mayhem all you’re looking for. And that mayhem looks pretty damn good on this Limited Edition 4K release from Arrow Video, who provide the kind of quality upgrade and extras I wish someone would give the original Poseidon Adventure. But enough of my ranting about that.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

INTERVIEWS - Unsurprisingly, most of the interviews are with people associated with the technical aspects of the film, including director of photography John Seale, production designer William Sandell (who shoulda won an Oscar), FX supervisor Boyd Shermis (who was at-least nominated for one), make-up effects supervisor Michael Deak.

FEATURETTES - Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage is an archival featurette with cast/crew interviews; Poseidon: Upside Down is another archival bit about the set design; A Shipmate’s Diary features production assistant Malona Voigt.

SET A COURSE FOR ADVENTURE - A new appreciation by Heath Holland, who’s pretty enthusiastic.

THE CELL: Sometimes Looks Are Everything

THE CELL (4K & Blu-ray)

2000 / 107 & 109 min (3 versions)

From Arrow Video

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Sometimes looks are everything…

Take 2000’s The Cell, for example. When you strip away the accouterments, you essentially have a sci-fi/horror variation of The Silence of the Lambs, with psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) using an experimental device to enter the mind of serial killer Carl Rudolph Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), who has fallen into a coma after abducting and imprisoning his latest victim. It’s her task to learn her location before she dies. 

A fairly straightforward story, it’s generally bereft of surprises and comes to a fairly predictable conclusion. Ditto the characters…who are mostly standard-issue, including its twisted antagonist (a trope we’d come to expect by then). Overall, the performances are good but unremarkable. I know D’Onofrio has frequently been singled out for particular praise, but really, he’s always excelled at playing weirdos. Stargher’s the kind of guy he can do in his sleep, and aside from some early scenes, D’Onofrio is buried under so much make-up that he could have been played by anybody.

However, The Cell is such a visual marvel that the aesthetics alone make it worth seeing…probably repeatedly. More so than any horror film since Suspiria, it’s beautiful - sometimes grotesquely beautiful - just to look at, with scores of individual scenes that are works of art unto themselves (some were actually inspired by works of art). The cinematography, production design, costuming make-up and special effects are the work of imaginations run wild. Those aspects, more than anything, are arguably the primary reason the film remains revered today.

"You know, Jen, I've have enough of your nonsense."

Arrow Video has done right by the film with an excellent limited edition release, which is offered in 4K and Blu-ray editions. They feature outstanding 4K restorations of both the original theatrical version and the director’s cut (which runs about two minutes longer). Additionally, the second disc includes a yet-another version, put together by director of photography Paul Laufer and presented in a different aspect ratio (1.78:1) with alternate grading. Not necessarily an improvement, but an interesting new way to view the film.

Additionally, there’s an abundance of new and archival bonus features that, unsurprisingly, tend to be geared more toward the film’s visual and technical aspects. It’s all outlined below, and fans of The Cell should find most of it pretty interesting. This set also includes new packaging, artwork and a supplemental booklet, but those weren’t made available for review.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

THEATRICAL & DIRECTOR’S CUTS

ALTERNATE VERSION - This is in a different aspect ratio than the original, overseen by director of photography Paul Laufer.

NEW INTERVIEWS - Projection of the Mind’s Eye is a feature-length interview with director Tarsem Singh (the best of the bonus features); Between Two Worlds features director of photography Paul Laufer.

VISUAL ESSAYS - Art is Where You Find It, by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; The Costuming Auteur, by critic Abby Bender.

FEATURETTES - Paul Laufer Illuminates features the director of photography’s purpose and process of creating the alternate aspect ratio & grading version; Style as Substance: Reflections on Tarsem is an archival featurette.

4 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Josh Nelson & Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; 2) By screenwriter Mark Protosevich & critic Kay Lynch; 3) By director Tarsem Singh; 4) By director of photography Paul Laufer, production designer Tom Foden, makeup artist Michele Burke, costume designer April Napier, FX supervisor Kevin Tod Haug and composer Howard Shore.

8 DELETED SCENES - With optional commentary by director Tarsem Singh

6 MULTI-ANGLE FX VIGNETTES

IMAGE GALLERY

U.S. & INTERNATIONAL TRAILERS

4K ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS FROM WARNER BROS

NORTH BY NORTHWEST, BLAZING SADDLES and THE TERMINATOR

(4K UHD)

FROM WARNER BROS

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Mr. Paws😻

Three iconic classics, each among the very best of their genres, are celebrating anniversaries this year. And that statement is more than just subjective gushing from Free Kittens. All three of them were selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. So there.

And speaking of preservation, what better way to acknowledge their anniversaries than releasing them in 4K Ultra HD for the first time? Warner Bros has done right by these classics with excellent transfers. 

When you miss your flight, but your flight doesn't plan to miss you.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959/136 min)

Now it is time for a little subjective gushing. Everyone has their favorite Alfred Hitchcock film, and while many will argue the likes of Vertigo, Psycho and Rear Window are his best, we’ll throw our hat in the ring for 1959’s North by Northwest. It’s even number 4 on our list of the greatest movies ever made.

Now 65 years old, the film is as exciting, suspenseful, intriguing and funny as ever. The film also features one of Cary Grant’s best performances as ad-man Roger Thornhill, whose life is thrown into turmoil due to mistaken identity. The stellar supporting cast includes James Mason at his most smoothly sinister, Eva Marie Saint at her most enticing and Martin Landau at his scariest. Everything else about the film - the story, dialogue, cinematography and Bernard Herrmann’s score - is note perfect.  

On 4K, the film has never looked better, and in addition to a big batch of vintage bonus features, a couple of new ones are included. All these years later, North by Northwest remains essential viewing for anyone claiming to be a cinephile.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NEW FEATURES - Cinematography, Score and the Art of the Edit highlights many of the people Hitchcock worked with, on this and other films; A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock isn’t technically new, but hasn’t been included in previous home video releases.

ARCHIVAL FEATURES - Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest is hosted by co-star Eva Marie Saint; The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style features many modern directors discussing Hitch’s techniques; North by Northwest: One for the Ages features even more directors analyzing the film.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By screenwriter Ernest Lehman.

DIGITAL COPY

Bart spots a roly-poly.

BLAZING SADDLES (1974/93 min)

This Mel Brooks classic is one of those movies that people love to claim “couldn’t be made today.” Some of those same folks like to add that people these days are snowflakes and too easily offended. And in defending those films, they’ll inevitably argue that those movies need to be viewed in the context of when they were made, when cultural norms were different.

But I’ve personally never met anyone who was offended by Blazing Saddles, young or old. Maybe that’s because nobody with even a modicum of intelligence would ever take the film’s racially charged humor at face value. The movie isn’t racist…it’s about the stupidity of racism, played for laughs (which it still largely earns 50 years later). That’s arguably why the film hasn’t been quite as retro-condemned as, say, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 

As for the notorious campfire scene…we’re living in an age when practically every kids’ movie features fart gags. What’s left in Blazing Saddles to offend? At any rate, this remains Brooks’ funniest film, and as parody, only Airplane! Has surpassed it. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURES - Inappropriate Inspiration: The Blazing Saddles Effect is an appreciation of the film’s influence and legacy; Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks’ Wild, Wild West is an interview with Brooks from the 40th Anniversary version; Back in the Saddle is a retrospective doc featuring numerous cast & crew members.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director/co-writer Mel Brooks

ADDITIONAL SCENES

DIGITAL COPY

This hotel offers boom service.

THE TERMINATOR (1984/107 min)

Geez, has it really been 40 years? It seems like just yesterday that I went to a theater expecting little more than a couple of hours of dumb thrills. But The Terminator surprised everyone, even its own director, James Cameron. Absolutely nobody was expecting such a “small” movie to be one of the best sci-fi/action films of the decade, or that it would make Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name.

We’ve been seeing its influence ever since, including five sequels of varying quality and ten-times the budget. However, it’s the awesome narrative simplicity of the original Terminator that makes it such a propulsive, gritty thrill ride…no timelines, no alternate realities, no convoluted storylines requiring a slide-rule to figure out. Just a relentless killing machine hunting its quarry. Cameron would never shoot a film this viscerally intense again.

Of these three films, The Terminator features the best transfer. The video and audio quality are substantially better than another other previous DVD or Blu-ray. However, this one falls pretty short on bonus material, just a few short pieces carried over from previous releases. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Unstoppable Force: The Legacy of The Terminator is a retrospective documentary; Creating the Terminator: Visual Effects and Music is self explanatory; The Terminator: Closer to the Real Thing features James Cameron and others talking science.

DELETED SCENES - With optional commentary by James Cameron.

DIGITAL COPY

Obviously, all of these movies are worth owning and revisiting again and again. Previous editions may have included more substantial bonus material, but they don’t compare to the video/audio presentation offered here in 4K (along with digital copies).