When it comes to the intersections between camp and horror, very few names have defined it as much as William Castle, a filmmaker of such a singular vision, it’s impossible to not equate his work with the entire concept of the most bombastic kind of horror imaginable. In a long career peppered with some magnificent forays into the most excessive recesses of the genre, Castle was able to define himself as someone whose perspective may not always have been particularly refined or elegant, but had a renegade charm that made for some truly compelling glimpses into the mind of one of the few artists who can truly say, without any hesitation, that he committed his entire career to finding new ways to terrify his audiences, keeping us captivated by his playfulness and ability to bring out the fear in the most unexpected ways. Less of a filmmaker, and more of an experimenter working in the medium, Castle had many triumphs – amongst them is House on Haunted Hill, one of his most cherished works, and one that is nothing short of a horror masterpiece. Economical (running at a paltry 75 minutes, making this one of the few occasions where I truly wish we’d have been given another half-hour at the very least, not only because Castle was doing something spectacular here, but also since it would’ve given the film a chance to flesh out its story and further develop its characters), absolutely horrifying in both theory and execution, and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end (possessing a demented sense of humour that can only come from someone who derived such a perverse pleasure from terrifying the consumers of his work), it’s a work that delights newcomers and rewards those who decide to revisit it. What it lacks in originality or depth, it more than makes up for in sheer ambition, and a form of artistic integrity that may not be obvious at first, but gradually reveals itself to be so enthralling once we’re enveloped in this world, surrendering our sense of logic to a filmmaker who peddled in subverting expectations and truly giving us something that we could appreciate on a very visceral level.

It’s a masterful experiment that has a timeless quality that works so exceptionally well, making for an evening of unhinged, darkly comical fun that none of us could possibly see coming, even if we can gradually pick apart the various patterns Castle follows in constructing this film. Horror films from this era tend to be predictable if we look at them from a contemporary standpoint, and when dealing with a storyline that follows a very traditional set of narrative beats, it becomes a challenge to find the aspects of it that go against convention. The key with House on Haunted Hill – and the reason why this is such a success – is that Castle starts with a familiar premise, and gradually uncovers the various layers, revealing nuances that were not to be expected from the traditional concepts associated with supernatural horror films, which are always very entertaining, but don’t always have the spark of originality that some other sub-genres tend to be defined by. This doesn’t play like the hackneyed horrors we are led to believe it is – and Castle does very well in misleading us, making it appear that we are in for an hour of unhinged terror and ghostly delights, when in actuality, we are going to be voyeurs into a psychological character study, where we get to know a group of individuals, each one with their own eccentricities, which gradually converge into a disorienting bundle of ideas that make for the quintessential psychological thriller that many have tried to replicate in subsequent years. There’s a certain respectability for an artist who can take something so familiar, and entirely subvert it to the point of outright contradicting every conceivable expectation, and while he may be often seen as too much of a schlockmeister, Castle was fully-capable of surprising audiences with the cleverest tricks imaginable, which makes House on Haunted Hill such an enduring work of horror.

Another reason to celebrate the brilliance of House on Haunted Hill is, despite the title, it isn’t so much a haunted house horror so much as it is a film about human behaviour. I mentioned it above, but one of Castle’s most defining qualities was his knack for experimenting – he didn’t consider audiences as mere viewers of his work, but rather subjects, on which he could thrust his demented artistic vision, playing with our emotions in ways that would be manipulative if they weren’t so enthralling and entertaining after the initial shock has cleared. A master of gimmick horror, Castle’s work always benefitted from the small, peripheral touches he employed to enrichen the experience – but even without the chance to see these works in their intended theatrical release, we can easily see precisely where the director derived all of his pleasure and actively endeavoured to push the boundaries of the cinematic form. Going along with him for the ride is the incomparable Vincent Price, an actor who was frustratingly excellent in absolutely everything he did, it is singularly impossible to pin him down to a particular performance that stands head-and-shoulders amongst the rest. House on Haunted Hill is certainly a contender, and putting aside the smirking malice he was mostly known for, and instead embracing a more serious role that allowed him to make use of his singular talents while developing new aspects of his style, Price is in his element here. For any devotee of the genre, simply being able to witness horror legends like Castle and Price collaborating should be enough to qualify this as an essential work – and House on Haunted Hill meets absolutely every expectation, and then even manages to build on the promise of giving audiences something unforgettable, for better or worse.

Deftly balancing horror, psychological thriller and dark comedy, House on Haunted Hill is a fascinating work that combines genres with an ease not often seen so vividly, especially coming from someone who dedicated his career to giving members of the general population a few well-intentioned frights. Castle was an intrepid observer of the human comedy, and employed so many aspects of everyday life into his projects. In this regard, despite the supernatural underpinnings, House on Haunted Hill isn’t really much of a horror at all. If there was ever a need to define certain works based on how they capture human behaviour, this would be at the forefront, since the entire concept centres on watching how different individuals have their sanity tested when placed in perilous situations. We’ve seen many films that proclaim to be about paranormal activity, but actually turn out to be clever works of manipulation, where the catalyst of chaos tends to be unimpeachably human in origin, and House on Haunted Hill is certainly one of the pioneering works in this regard. It’s a wonderfully inventive use of a familiar premise, and Castle certainly doesn’t waste any time in establishing a peculiar approach to the story. A horror film that derives terror from something as common as fundamental human behaviour is always going to warrant some attention, and immediately proves that this film is far from the derivative, by-the-numbers haunted house horror that is appears to be at a cursory glance. The only aspect more notable than its subversive premise is its incredible simplicity, every frame brimming with a subdued energy that can be absolutely electrifying when it needs to be – we’re not witnessing anything short of a miracle at some points here, and Castle truly put in a great deal of effort in turning House on Haunted Hill into an undeniably memorable experience.

House on Haunted Hill is a film that works because it delivers exactly what it promises, but only to a point. It puts some fascinating twists on a recognizable premise, and gradually distances itself from tradition, surprising even the most cynical viewer with a depth that isn’t particularly present in these kinds of films. Castle is far too preoccupied with giving viewers something to think about, a provocative, engrossing horror that provides us with an abundance of thrills, more than he is hoping to grind out yet another deranged horror film that was almost exactly like everything we’ve seen before. As odd of a sentiment as it may be, House on Haunted Hill appears to be a film made with tender love – Castle adored what he did, and the sensation that he derived real joy from terrifying us pervaded much of his work, with this being one of his most distinct and vivacious attempts to give us something unique. Combing some strong performances, a well-written script (Castle often receives kudos for his very experimental approach to horror, but Robb White deserves just as much praise for being able to put a saddle on a very ambigious premise and present its various twists and turns through something as fundamental as dialogue) and some extraordinary directorial choices that always keep us guessing, House on Haunted Hill is a masterful work, and one that could be one of the most essential horror films of its era, based on its simplicity, elegance and forthright ability to do more with a relatively unremarkable premise than most would dare, immediately making this a work of unimpeachable mastery, and quite simply one of the best times a viewer can have having all the fear evoked out of them.