31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: House on Haunted Hill and Harpoon Octoberfest

31 Days of Drafts and Darkness: VOL 2!

"House on Haunted Hill" (1959)

Time to go old-school, my friends. With little budget, this 1959 thriller portrays Vincent Price at his scheming best. Dark Castle's 1999 remake made no doubt about the presence of ghosts in its haunted mansion. This version keeps you guessing right up until the end. Are there actual ghosts tormenting these residents, or is something sinister afoot?

While the scares themselves are few, only about three or four in all, they're executed quite well. In fact, this may be the oldest movie I've ever seen to feature a jump scare, but man, it's a good one. Some of the attempts at horror can come off as outdated. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who was afraid of an anatomical skeleton model these days. Still, for its atmosphere and mystery, plus the great performance by Mr. Price, the original "House on Haunted Hill" is a great watch. At only 75-minutes long, it's also easy to breeze through on a weeknight.

So come on in, spend the night, and try to stay alive.

The Plot:

Federick Loren is one of the wealthiest men in America and has the lifestyle to prove it. Already on his fourth wife (the others disappeared/died under mysterious circumstances), Mr. Loren decides to play a little psychology experiment. His wife, Annabelle, is a beautiful younger woman with romance the furthest thing on her mind. She's well aware of Fred's 'problem' with wives but intends to beat him to the punch. The two bicker back and forth not over dishes or bills, but who'll successfully murder the other first. Ah, love.

Fred's experiment involves a paranormal party held at the infamous House on the Hill. Said house is a bizarre structure full of high walls and iron gates. Seven people have been murdered in this mansion, each under bizarre and often violent circumstance. Wanting to please his ever-bored wife, Frederick invites a variety of guests to see how each reacts while spending the night in the supposedly haunted house. Among them are a test pilot and psychologist, folks used to dealing with intense stress. Strangers, the guests have never met the Lorens before, even though one works as a typist for his corporation. They came not for the fun, but the challenge.

You see, anyone who can spend the entire night in the House on Haunted Hill gets $10,000. Staying alive is the tough part.

The Flavor:

When I say old-school spooky, I mean it. "House on Haunted Hill" stands on a foundation of slow build-up, with things gradually getting worse along the way. The house interior is the classic image, filled with dark hallways and secret corridors. One ceiling bears a blood stain that still drips. Hell, there's even a vat of acid in the cellar. It seems no matter where you stand, something could be creeping up on you.

Surprisingly, while inside the house is familiar territory, the exterior is something entirely different. This is not some old, dilapidated mansion, but rather an imposing slab of angular concrete with strange etchings carved into the walls. It actually resembles the house in the remake, despite having a relatively more tame history. In the remake, the House was an abandoned insane asylum. Here, it's just a home with a violent past. But as each guest arrives, naturally in hearses, they pass a massive iron gate that slams shut behind them. The place looks more prison than it does home. Very imposing.  

So how about the scare-factor? Well, I will say that "House on Haunted Hill" doesn't pack a large quantity of scares, but those that do occur are of solid quality. The film takes it's time and paces out the frightening moments. Rather than bombard you with jump-scares, you're given time to calm back down between scenes. When you turn your attention away from the tension and start to focus back on the plot, "House" will throw another scare your way.

A few of the scares can fall flat, though that's more due to the limitations of the time and what we're currently used to as a horror audience. Living in an age of detailed makeup effects and CGI, it's tough to buy some of the props used for horrific effect here. Don't go hard on the film for having severed heads that look like mannequins. It adds charm and shows inventiveness on the filmmaker's part. When this film was made, much of the technology we take for granted today didn't exist. 

Best Paired with:

I want to recommend "House on Haunted Hill" as a good Halloween family film, but I'm not sure kids would enjoy it. Content-wise, there's nothing here that's too violent. Young children may get freaked out briefly by a scare or two (ugh, the old lady), but "House" is certainly low on the gore scale. As mentioned, even the severed heads look fake. Halloween stores today sell more realistic looking props on the front shelves. I simply think kids may get bored following along with the slower storyline. There's a lot of quiet conversation and the action is brief.

For an older audience, especially one that appreciates classic horror, "House on Haunted Hill" offers a look back into an older scary sensibility. It doesn't try to shock you with grittiness or blood n' guts. Rather, it sends the traditional  haunted house elements your way. This take is refreshing and really illustrates roots a lot of modern horror grew from.

Accompanying Brew:

For classic horror, some classic October tastes will do. Traditional, harkening back to old times.

Name: Octoberfest

Brewery: Harpoon

Where Brewed: Boston, MA and Winsor, VT

ABV: 5.3%

Style: Octoberfest Ale

Color:  A lovely orange-amber tone. Like an encapsulation of all Autumn colors mixed together.

Amora: All the classic, wonderful Octoberfest smells are there: toasty amber malts with just a hint of sweetness. There's also a bit of caramel scent from the darker roast on the malt, but not overly so, along with a dash of nuttiness.

Taste: Very crisp right from the get-go. The beer's refreshing before it even hits your tongue, just as it flows past your lips. Once on the tongue, the malty flavor arrives with its mellow array of nutty, toasty, and just slightly-sweet flavors. They sit on the center of the tongue and allow you to enjoy all sides but are still relatively mellow. This is something I could totally drink in mid-July. Towards the back-end of each sip, a mild and slightly spicy hop character arrives to wash away the malts. The hop flavor is also mild but serves to enhance the refreshing quality of the beer. A nice blend of drinkable and flavorful.

Aftertaste: The hops reset the palate for the next sip. A bit of the malt flavors stick around towards the end of the sip, but they are largely overtaken by the hop profile. The majority of the aftertaste is taken up by the mild, slightly spicy hops which sit on the back of the tongue. For those who don't enjoy bitter beers, this Octoberfest has a very light degree of punch, even on the aftertaste. 

Body: Surprisingly light, actually. Usually, Octoberfests have a slightly heavier quality compared to typical ales. Not overly heavy, more medium, but Harpoon's offering is light enough to run alongside a summer brew. Crisp is the word that comes to mind. Very enjoyable.

Pairing: Strangely, this would go great with BBQ and grilled meats. The light body and sweet flavors would blend well with the taste of BBQ sauce. Heck, I could see this beer being a great ingredient in a BBQ sauce!