Hi all!

Welcome back to a segment on my blog, where I pit an original horror film against its remake and discuss which one, I personally believe is better. You can check out the dedicated category here. There will be a few factors to take into consideration: a.) Does the remake improve the original story, b.) Is the original already so superior, the remake is quite irrelevant and c.) Do both films exist side-by-side, complementing one another in horror cinematic history? For our third subject, we are tackling William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill from 1959 and William Malone’s reboot from 1999. These movies follow a millionaire, who offers a group of diverse people a large sum of money to spend the night in a haunted house, with a horrifying past. Remember, it’s okay if we don’t agree. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Round #1 – Improvement 

Did the remake improve upon the original? No. I think the original is the superior film. For a horror movie from the 1950’s, it’s surprisingly chilling. I think it went harder with the storyline and hauntings too. The remake was enjoyable, but it had a lot of missed opportunities. For example, they mainly stuck to the basement, when there was an entire decked-out mansion to explore. I do want to commend Geoffrey Rush in his performance as the rich mogul, but Vincent Price did it better.

Winner – House On Haunted Hill 1959 

Round #2 – Relevance 

Was the original already so superior, it didn’t require a remake? I don’t think it needed one, but I’m not sorry it was made. As mentioned above, I’m in two minds. It was released forty years later, so I was hoping for a lot more. Having said that, it gave me Thirteen Ghosts energy and I am a sucker for a late 90’s, early 2000’s horror film. However, I cannot deny the black and white charm. It gets me every time!

Winner – House On Haunted Hill 1959 & 1999

Round #3 – Cohesion

Can these two movies exist cohesively, side by side? Yes, absolutely! The remake has a different back story to the original but they both follow a very similar plot. There is no continuing storyline – rather, a fresh decade’s attempt at revamping a vintage tale. A younger audience will probably prefer the remake but in all honesty, it does not improve upon its predecessor. In fact, it received quite a lot of negative reviews upon its release.

Winner – House On Haunted Hill 1959 & 1999

THE WINNER IS: House On Haunted Hill 1959 

If the remake had gone hard on the horror and the mansion itself, it probably would’ve won. In this case, the original takes the cake! 

Thank you so much for reading! What are your thoughts? I have a whole list of films I’m going to be covering but if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I’ll be back next time to tackle Fright Night.

Peace & Love xoxo