“House on Haunted Hill is a 1959 American horror film directed by William Castle. The film was written by Robb White and stars Vincent Price and Carol Ohmart. Price plays an eccentric millionaire, Frederick Loren, who, along with his wife Annabelle, has invited five people to the house for a “haunted house” party. Whoever stays in the house for one night will earn $10,000. As the night progresses, the guests are trapped within the house with an assortment of terrors.” As a side note, in the 1999 remake, the reward was inflated to a cool $1,000,000.

Retirement is all about memories, as we look back over our lives. This movie was one of those odd “hauntings” of childhood that somehow stands out in my mind as a significant event in my upbringing. I went back and checked on Wikipedia to get the brief description above. I distinctly remember throwing a massive tantrum with my mom about seeing it at the theater, apparently after watching a commercial or hearing friends talk about going. I was only 8 years old, so it was my first experience with “parental control” when it came to deciding what was appropriate for me to watch. I was not allowed to go and put-up quite a fight, when she was probably right. In retrospect, I was not told “no” often as a kid, most likely the result of being adopted. I was used to having “my way,” and my parents, who were defined as “Foster Parents” in the initial adoption paperwork, were not disciplinarians. In their defense, the document also clearly states that “the Agency reserves the right to remove the child [from them] at any time previous to legal adoption.” Legal adoption took place a year later. I’m sure they felt that they were under scrutiny during that probationary period with regard to how they treated me. This is my justification for being spoiled.

House on Haunted Hill was not a movie for an 8-year old, but the fact that I was told “no” just made me want to see it that much more. When I finally watched the movie as an adult, it was disappointing after all those years of feeling “deprived.” I honestly don’t remember any other times when I was ever denied something by my parents. That’s why this particular moment really stands out! Maybe my “hissy fit” was just as memorable to them? I can’t imagine the nightmares I would have experienced if they had let me go as an impressionable child. I was already scared of a panther that had supposedly escaped from the circus. I would see its yellow eyes peering over the top of my window blinds.

The reason I’m referring to this classic horror film all these years later is because I’m currently watching The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix. The title was just enough to remind me of the movie, and perhaps the intent was to take advantage of “the play on words.” The two productions really don’t have much in common except mysterious “hangings,” although I intend to watch the original once again soon. The Wiki notes report that “the film is perhaps best known for a promotional gimmick used in the film’s original theatrical release called ‘Emergo.’ 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.” The modest production costs apparently inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make Psycho a year later, another black & white “haunting” memory of my youth.