So I neglected to mention that a couple weeks ago I saw “House on Haunted Hill.”

This should not be confused with the Mike Flanagan directed Netflix mini series called “The Haunting of Hill House” from several years ago. (I did watch that as well, and it was good, though I think Flanagan’s “Midnight Mass” was even better.)

I am referring to 1959 “House on Haunted Hill” movie starring Vincent Price. The plot will sound pretty familiar: an eccentric millionaire offers to pay several people a tidy sum if they can spend one night in a house purportedly haunted by various ghosts. But his reasons for doing so, and the people’s reasons for accepting the offer come with surprises.

Now, you have to grade these classic B-grade horror movies on a curve—they’re never going to compete with modern thrillers. But this one wasn’t bad. It had just the right amount of schlock and, while it wasn’t literally gory, it did have at least one death where someone falls into a pit of acid. (This is why Dad always said you couldn’t come back in the house until you’d pulled the lid over the acid pit. Accidents do happen!)

Here’s a nice tidbit about the movie’s original presentation in theaters. (From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_on_Haunted_Hill)
“The film is perhaps best known for a promotional gimmick used in the film’s original theatrical release called “Emergo.”[8] In some theaters that showed the film, exhibitors rigged an elaborate pulley system near the theater screen which allowed a plastic skeleton to be flown over the audience during a corresponding scene late in the film.”

Sigh… they just don’t do stuff like that anymore. Can you imagine watching a SAW movie in the theater and suddenly a metal flesh grinder snaps over your head? That would get the blood pumping!