House on Haunter Hill followed by
House on Haunted Hill
What struck me most was not so much the differences but the similarities. There are still 7 people trapped overnight in an allegedly haunted house. The 7 characters are essentially the same roles (e.g. the test pilot has become an ex-pro baseball player but the part is still strong supportive male) and many of the scenes are at least mirrors of one another.(each guest being given a gun in a little coffin to defend themselves, a tense conversation between millionaire and wife which makes it clear they now hate each other)
The 1959 version is very much a slow psychological horror. The scary happenings are all things that could be supernatural or man-made in origin and the film's refusal to confirm either way (even at the very end there is still some space for doubt) makes it fascinating. By contrast, the 1999 film goes for set-pieces with dramatic, shocking and ocassionally gory special effects. It also firmly confirms the supernatural is in the chair for this one by the end.
Apart from the differences in technology, the main reason for the changes is the need to explain plot points.
In the original there is a house with only one exit locked from the outside (by the caretakers as arranged) where a millionaire invites 7 disparate people to stay overnight (if they dare) Whilst the house has a gruesome history (7 bizarre murders up to the start of the film) no explanation as to why is given. It is also accepted that the lead character is a millionaire wihout explaining how he came by his forture. Similarly, the guest list are simply people he picked who needed money but with no special link to him or the house.
In the remake the house was the site of a mental hospital where horrible experiments were conducted. One day the patients broke out and the head initiated a lock-down, resulting in almost eveyone dying in a subsequent fire. The millionaire is an amusement park owner so we are meant to assume that the "scares" are engineered by him with his background knowledge (though that never really comes off properly) The guest list is also picked by the house rather than the millionaire (though we won't know why until well into the film) so they do all have something in common. This back-story takes over, swamping much of the latter section of the movie.
They are both decent films in their own way. You want sedate and elegant (Vincent Price is wonderfully smooth and sinister) then go with the first. If you want shocking and dark go for the second. If you want an interesting experience watch both back to back like I did.
Inflation is a terrible thing though. In the 40 years between the films the prize for staying the night escalates from $10,000 each to $1,000,000 each, an eye-watering 1,000% increase.
