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Overall Rating : 5.5/10
Directed By : Víctor García
Amanda Righetti (The OC (TV) )
Erik Palladino (Dead & Breakfast)
Cerina Vincent (Cabin Fever)
Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator)
Supplied By : Warner Home Video
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : October. 8, 2007
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| PLOT Sarah Wolfe was the only living survivor from the massacre at the Vanacutt Mansion, but no one believed her claims that ghosts were responsible for the gruesome murders that took place there. Now her recent and questionable suicide leaves her sister, Ariel, no choice but to devote herself to finding out who - or what - was responsible for her death. Ariel discovers that Sarah sent her the diary of the sadistic Dr. Vanacutt just before she died, offering clues to the diabolical evil that resides within the house. But the diary also makes Ariel a target in a deadly treasure hunt that leads a group of unwitting victims back to the Vanacutt Mansion, reawakening the terror imprisoned within the house on the hill. This time, the house and the evil spirits inside are out to make sure that no one leaves alive. |
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| THE REVIEW In RETURN TO HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, Sarah Wolfe, the lone survivor of the last film, has just committed suicide. But something is strange to her sister Ariel, who believes Sarah would never take her own life. In the years after Sarah's traumatic incident, Sarah would speak of evil spirits the the house on the hill and the fact that they still greatly haunt her. In Sarah's belongings at the crime scene, Ariel finds a book, supposedly belonging to the Doctor that terrorized his patients back when the house that was her Sister's nightmare was being used as a mental facility. Curious she begins to unscramble clues in which seem to lead to an old statue owned by the evil Dr. Vannacutt. But Ariel isn't the only one to be curious of the book nor the statue as she begins to be followed, much like evidence would prove, Sarah had been. Eventually the book gets Ariel as well as her photographer friend in trouble, as they are kidnapped by a group of ruthless thugs, whom are looking to find the years old artifact to cash in on it, The arrive at the fable house, where an Archeologist and his assistant are already their with the same task in mind. Getting their treasure will not be easy for either party as the evil within the house is unleashed, leading to mayhem, betrayal, and most of all...mystery. In 1999, the remaking of the 1959 classic HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL came out, I did see it once then and sometimes last year I decided to check it out once more. The main reason for that second viewing years later, was because I had remembered not liking it very much - and as for the second viewing, I was hoping to find something I did like. But even after watching the original again, I still wasn't that impressed. Although some of kills were gruesome and highly entertaining to view, the plot, as well as the overall pacing, in my opinion was kind of a chore to sit through. Other than remembering how bored I was of that film, I really couldn't remember the details of the said story - so going into this sequel to the remake, I hoped the transition wouldn't be too hard, in fact it wasn't so bad. The story basically picks up where the remake left off, instead this time around the story focuses on the Sister of the only surviving victim of the last story, Sarah Wolfe. When Ariel, gets news of her sister's apparent suicide, she doesn't believe that her sister did it, and if she did, something made her do it. She takes the Diary of the house's dreaded Dr. Vannacutt, in hopes to find clues as to what happened to her sister. The clues within the book let her to to old house on the hill, but she isn't alone, as she has the group that has kidnapped her, and her guy friend Paul as well as the archeologist Richard, both of which are there to try and get their hands on the medieval statue, once owned by Vannacutt. Even though we do have a medium sized cast, the character of Ariel, really takes center stage and stands out, the story is truly about her journey for answers to the evil that had troubled her sister ever since she got out of the house alive. RETURN TO HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, isn't so much a Horror film as it is a twisted mystery - with some highly creative death scenes, I might add. Like the remake, the story starts out a little on the dull side, but once we get things going and are inside the house, it's creepy look and atmosphere adds in stepping up the pace as the story progresses. This time, the plot isn't just about an unforeseen force killing off whom enter the house, this time, we see and learn a little bit about the house's history. The film leads up to our characters finding out the origin and cause for all of the evil and tension that occurs within the house, the spirits within are not so much evil, but are being kept there by someone or some thing. The thing about this story is that, it ends with a sense of closure, where as the story seems to be completed, with no "add-ons" for another sequel attached to it....this is something that really happens anymore in the Horror genre, and to tell you the truth, in my opinion it's a nice change. The acting here is average, but as I mentioned, the real standout as far as performances go, is Amanda Righetti as Ariel Wolfe. Righetti was great in the real, and by the film's ending, she is battered and bruised, but still standing tall - there is nothing better than a girl that is as equally beautiful as she is tough with dirt and blood all over her. Amanda Righetti, in my opinion, is so underrated. She's a great actress but unfortunately it seems that just about every TV she is involved in, ends up getting unjustifiably cancelled(I LOVED REUNION). But in closing yes Amanda Righetti gets a chance to show us just how great an actress she is, and yes, she is beautiful. In my review for one of her previous films (see ; ANGEL BLADE), I said that Amanda Righetti's beauty made me proud to be a man - that statement still remains true.... Overall, to me, RETURN TO HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, was a great improvement over the remake it follows. I found that the story was better told, and better fleshed-out, I liked that we get some answers to many things that were left unexplained in the previous film, and rounding out this decent showing were some really fun gore tricks, that you never see coming. | ||||
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| GORE
METER 5.5/10 The film doesn't have a ton of gory moments, but when they do happen they are highly effective and creative. We have a hand through the stomach, a man ripped limb from limb and a head squashed like a watermelon, to name a few. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 4/10 A couple of rock tracks mixed with traditional scoring - it was ok, it was better in certain parts than others. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Specifically marketed for WARNER BROTHERS', new direct-to-video label, WARNER PREMIERE, RETURN TO HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, isn't the best direct-to-video release to come out as of late, but it is one of the better ones. With a good plot, and editing, as well as having a creepy and atmospheric setting, it is definitely worth checking out. |
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