House on Haunted Hill - full movie

House on Haunted Hill is a 1959 American horror film directed by William Castle. The film was written by Robb White and stars Vincent Price and Carol Ohmart as eccentricmillionaires Frederick Loren and Annabelle Loren, who have invited five people to the house for a "haunted house" party. Whoever stays in the house for one night will earn $10,000. As the night progresses, all the guests are trapped inside the house with ghosts, murderers, and other terrors.

( woman screaming )

( pained moaning )

( woman screaming )

( man laughing maniacally over screams )

( creaking door )

( rattling chains and heavy foot steps )

The ghosts are moving tonight -
restless, hungry.

May I introduce myself?

I'm Watson Pritchard.

In just a minute I'll show you the only
really haunted house in the world.

Since it was built a century ago,

seven people, including my brother,

have been murdered in it.

Since then, I've owned the house.

I've only spent one night there.

And when they found me in the morning I...

I was almost dead!

( pained moaning )

♪ ( jarring musical note, swelling ) ♪

I'm Frederick Loren.

And I've rented the house on Haunted Hill
tonight

so that my wife can give a party.

A haunted house party. (chuckles)

She's so amusing.

There will be food and drink and...
ghosts.

And perhaps even a few murders.

You're all invited.

If any of you will spend the next
twelve hours in this house,

I'll give you each ten thousand dollars -

- or your next of kin,
in case you don't survive.

Ah, but here come our other guests.

(Frederick) It was my wife's idea
to have our guests come in funeral cars.

She's so amusing.

Her sense of humor is, shall we say,
original.

I dreamed up the hearse.

It's empty now, but -

- after a night in the house on Haunted Hill -

- who knows?

This is Lance Schroeder, a test pilot.

So, no doubt a brave man.

But don't you think you can be
much braver if you're paid for it?

And I happen to know that Lance

needs the ten thousand I'll give him,

if he's brave enough to stay all night.

This is Ruth Bridgers.

You've no doubt read her column
in the newspapers.

She says her reason
for coming to the party

is to write a feature article on ghosts.

She's also desperate for money.
Gambles.

You've already met Watson Pritchard,

a man living in mortal fear of a house,

and yet he's risking his life
to spend another night here.

I wonder why.

He says "for money".

This is Dr. David Trent, a psychiatrist.

He claims that my ghosts
will help his work on hysteria.

But don't you see a little
touch of greed there

around the mouth and eyes?

This is Nora Manning.

I picked her

from the thousands of people
who work for me

because she needed the ten thousand
more than most.

Supports her whole family.

Isn't she pretty?

The party's starting now.

And you have until midnight to find
The House on Haunted Hill.

♪ ( title music plays ) ♪

Lance: Well, where is everybody?

Nora: It isn't a very warm welcome, is it?

Watson: Only the ghosts in this house
are glad we're here.

Ruth: Are we all strangers to each other?

Don't you two know each other?

Lance: I'm afraid I don't even
know your name.

- I'm Nora Manning.
- Lance Schroeder.

Ruth: Is Fredrick Loren a friend of yours?

Lance: I've heard of him,
but I've never met him.

Nora: I work for one of his companies,
but I've never seen him.

Ruth: I've never met the man either.
Just a phone call.

Do you know him?

David: No.

(Ruth) Then you're the only one of us
who does.

Watson: I don't know him.

All the details about running the house
were done by mail.

- David: He's quite wealthy, isn't he?
- Ruth: Millions.

- David: And five wives, I believe.
- Ruth: Four, I think so far.

David: A fifty thousand dollar party for
only five people is a little steep.

(David) Even for a millionaire.

Lance: Well, if I were going to haunt
anybody,

this would certainly be
the house I'd do it in.

( door creaks and slams shut )

(chandelier tinkles)

Nora: Who closed the door?

♪ ( ominous music plays ) ♪

Lance: This thing's made of solid steel.

( chandelier crashes )

♪ ( ominous music plays ) ♪

Fredrick: Annabelle?

Our guests are here and unfortunately
still alive.

Is your face on yet?

Annabelle: Dust and dirt everywhere.
And the water barely trickles.

Couldn't you've had the place cleaned?

Fredrick: Atmosphere, darling.
You know how ghosts are.

They never tidy up.

That's a very fetching outfit,
but hardly suitable for a party.

Annabelle: I'm not going to the party.

Fredrick: This 'spend the night
ghost party' was your idea. Remember?

Since it's going to cost me
fifty thousand dollars,

I want you to have fun!

Annabelle: The party was my idea,

until you invited all the guests.

Why all the strangers?
Why none of our friends?

Fredrick: Friends? Do we have
any friends?

Annabelle: No. Your jealousy
took care of that.

Fredrick: I had a reason for inviting
each guest.

I wanted kind of a cross section.

From psychiatrist to typist.

And from drunk to jet pilot.

They share one thing.
They all need money.

Now, let's see if they're brave enough
to earn it.

Annabelle: And you call this a party?

Fredrick: Could be.

Annabelle: Why do you always do that?
It spoils the champagne.

Fredrick: It might explode.
- (Annabelle) It never does.

Fredrick: Will you guarantee that?

Annabelle: That isn't funny, Fredrick.

Fredrick: It'd make a good headline.
"Playboy kills wife with champagne cork".

- Will you join me?
- Annabelle: No, thank you.

Fredrick: Just a sip
might improve your humor.

Annabelle: My humor is fine, thanks.

And I haven't poisoned it.

Fredrick: It's always good to know that.

Fredrick: Have some. You'll enjoy
the party more.

Go on.

Annabelle: Your trust is so touching.

And I'm not going to the party.

Fredrick: Of all my wives,
you're the least agreeable.

Annabelle: But, still alive.

Fredrick: Would you go away, for
a million dollars, tax-free?

You want it all, don't you?

Annabelle: I deserve it all.

Your jealousy isn't tax-free.

And your possessiveness is maddening.

Fredrick: If ever a man had grounds
for divorce...

- Annabelle: But can't prove them.
- Fredrick: The time will come.

Fredrick: You'll slip up
one of these days.

- Annabelle: You think so?
- Fredrick: If I live long enough.

Fredrick: Do you remember the fun we had
when you poisoned me?

Annabelle: Something you ate,
the doctor said.

Fredrick: Yes. Arsenic on the rocks.

Annabelle,

you'd do it again if you thought you could
get away with it, wouldn't you?

Annabelle: Darling, what makes you
think that?

Fredrick: Something about you.

I hear that hanging is very uncomfortable,
in case you get any more ideas.

(Fredrick) Don't let the ghosts and the
ghouls disturb you, darling.

Annabelle: Darling, the only ghoul
in the house is you.

Fredrick: Don't sit up all night,
thinking of ways to get rid of me.

It makes wrinkles.

Watson: This is what she used
on my brother and her sister.

Hacked 'em to pieces.

We found parts of the bodies
all over the house.

In places you wouldn't think.

A funny thing is, the heads have
never been found.

Hands and feet and things like that.

But no heads.

David: The wife, probably in a rage,
threatened her husband with the knife

and then, carried away by hysteria,
took a swing at him,

and simply went on from there.

Lance: She certainly went on. How many
people did she kill, Mr. Pritchard?

Watson: Only two.

Her husband and her sister. No one
else was here.

Lance: So there are two loose heads just
floating around here somewhere?

Watson: You can hear them at night.

They whisper to each other.
And then cry.

( Lance laughs )

Ruth: Since our host isn't here,
would anyone care to mix me a drink?

David: Certainly. What will you have?

( door opens )

Fredrick: Good evening.

I'm your host, Fredrick Loren.

Since we're all strangers to each other,
let's get acquainted with a drink.

Watson: Mr. Loren, I advise you to
call this party off now.

The ghosts are already moving
and that's a bad sign.

Fredrick: Let me apologize for my wife.
She'll join us later.

- What will you have?
- Ruth: Scotch and.

- Doctor?
- David: I'll have the same.

Fredrick: Now, before the party begins,
let's go over the details.

The caretakers will leave at midnight,

locking us in here,
until they come back in the morning.

Once the door is locked,
there's no way out.

The windows have bars
that a jail would be proud of.

And the only door to the outside
locks like a vault.

There's no electricity. No phone.
No one within miles.

So, no way to call for help.

Watson: Like a coffin.

Fredrick: So, if any of you decide
to not stay for the party,

you must let me know before midnight.

Of course, if you leave, I shan't be able
to pay you anything.

David: I'm interested in your reasons
for this "party".

Aside from present company.

Fredrick: Ghosts, Doctor!

I think everyone wonders
what they would do

(Fredrick) if they saw a ghost.

Fredrick: And now my wife has given us
the opportunity to find out.

David: Hm. Amusing.

David: Ghosts, etcetera, being only
creations of hysteria,

your party should be a success!

Fredrick: Pritchard here promises us
genuine ghosts.

Watson: Seven, now. Maybe more
before morning.

Fredrick: That's cheerful.

Watson: Four men have been
murdered in this house.

And three women.

David: You've planned your party
very well, Mr. Loren.

Four of us are men. Three are women.

A ghost for everybody.

Fredrick: Pritchard, why don't you take
us on a tour through the house?

Let's see what happens?

Watson: See that stain? Blood.

Watson: A young girl was killed here.

And whatever got her, wasn't human.

- Don't stand there!
- Ruth: What do you mean? Where?

Watson: It's too late.
They've marked you.

David: Ridiculous. The roof
probably leaks.

Ruth: That must be what it is.
Who'd want to haunt me?

Fredrick: I'd say any self-respecting
male ghost.

Watson: I hope it doesn't come back.

David: Well, Mr. Pritchard, you're the
life of the party.

Fredrick: He hasn't even started yet.

Wasn't there a man who threw his wife
into a wine vat or something?

Watson: That was in the cellar.

There's been a murder almost every
place in this house.

Watson: All this belonged to a Mr. Norton,
who didn't die here.

He was electrocuted later.

Watson: Mr. Norton did a good deal of
experimenting with wines.

But his wife didn't think it was any good.

So he filled a vat with acid and
threw her in.

(Watson) She was supposed to stay down,