My blogger buddy photog at Orion’s Cold Fire posted last week about his favorite classic horror films, all of which are pre-1960. It’s a great list, and one of his readers, War Pig, added in some more that go as late as the 1960s. The black-and-white era was truly a golden age of horror, and many of the films on both lists holds up quite well.
The latest film chronologically on photog’s list is House on Haunted Hill (1959), a William Castle ghost story starring Vincent Price as a wealthy industrialist who offers cash-starved party guests $10,000 each if they can survive the night in the titular spook house.
I just happened to watch House on Haunted Hill last Wednesday night (24 July 2024) on Shudder, and while watching it, stumbled upon photog’s list. I’ve seen the film before, but it really struck me this time how spooky it is, perfectly setting the tone and feel of a classic, almost Victorian, ghost story.
It also helped that it was a literal “dark and stormy night” while watching it. The crisp black-and-white cinematography, coupled with the brooding atmosphere, made for perfect ghostly viewing.
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