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[We Love ’90s Horror] ‘House on Haunted Hill’ Was the Right Mix of Classical and Modern

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The ‘90s often get a bad rap with horror fans. After the numerous successful slashers and creature effects films of the ’80s, the ‘90s offered a different variety of horror fare. Though there were plenty of hits, hidden gems, and misunderstood classics, the ‘90s usually don’t get the kind of love that other decades get when it comes to horror. It’s time to change that.

Towards the end of the ‘90s, horror was exploring just what it could do with the newest advancement in effects technology. Because a lot of these films featured digital effects that haven’t aged well — or weren’t even that good at the time — there are a number of people who tend to write off a lot of these flicks. One that doesn’t deserve that kind of appraisal is House on Haunted Hill.

That’s partially because House on Haunted Hill isn’t actually loaded with digital effects. According to director William Malone, there are only three fully computer generated effects in the entire film. Everything else is achieved through classic compositing techniques and practical effects. And time has been pretty kind to House on Haunted Hill. Not only in regards to its effects work, but in almost every aspect of the film.

Geoffrey Rush spearheads the whole endeavor as Stephen Price, a wealthy amusement park developer who hosts a birthday party for his disinterested wife Evelyn (Famke Janssen). Of course, the party takes place at an abandoned mental institution for the criminally insane. And the guests are all strangers with a mysterious connection to the house.

Even during its original release, it was hard to deny how solid the ensemble cast was. Rush is magnetic as Price — in a clear tribute to Vincent Price’s turn in the 1959 original — and every moment he gets on screen is electric. Janssen is equally compelling with her deft control of a femme fatale archetype. Add to that fun turns from Chris Kattan (this might be his best performance), Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Peter Gallagher, and genre stalwart Jeffrey Combs. The cast is definitely one of the film’s strongest assets.

But, what really props up House on Haunted Hill is its desire to blend classical horror storytelling with a viciously modern twist. Watching the film today makes it feel like a truly ancient experience as far as its structure and character work are concerned. Some might see this as a negative factor, but it makes the movie work as a faithful update to its 1959 counterpart. Then, the movie surprises with moments of outright surreality as the mystery unfolds and the monsters are revealed.

Malone’s approach to the horror elements is abrasive in the best of ways. We get some genuinely warped creatures — including an unused design from Ghost Story by the legendary Dick Smith — that ends up culminating in a giant entity that’s basically an amalgamation of all the ghosts that exist in the institution. It’s a zany concept that is more effective than its reputation would lead you to believe.

House on Haunted Hill is the kind of studio horror picture that we just don’t get any more. That’s not a dig on the current state of wide release horror, but this kind of classically minded approach is less common than it used to be. Not to mention a tone that walks a tightrope between scary and silly. House on Haunted Hill has plenty of fun to offer and a clear respect of the material it’s working with.

Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about film and entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM -- where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor -- Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, Atom Insider, CHUD, Crooked Marquee and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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