Watched this one from a DVD full of classic horror movies. The effects are incredibly dated, of course, but the writers and the actors produced a story that doesn't rely on effects to be engaging and creepy.
Vincent Price plays Frank Loren, a millionaire who has offered five strangers $10,000 each if they can spend the whole night in a haunted house with him. The original idea for staying overnight in the haunted house came from his wife, Annabelle, who isn't shy about having married him for his money. Frank decided to turn it into a "party".
The five guests all need money for various reasons. One of them is the brother of the house's previous owner, who is convinced that it's haunted. According to him, at least seven people have been murdered in the house. All were dismembered, and their heads were never found.
The main story is a murder plot, but it's hard to figure out who is trying to kill whom until the plot wraps up. There are also a variety of "ghostly" events that are never really explained. In some ways, the "supernatural" events seem tacked on to a murder thriller story.
A few oddities:
- If you make an elaborate plan to trick someone else into pulling the trigger on the person you're trying to murder, why would you then want to destroy the body with acid? You want that evidence!
- What kind of acid destroys flesh and hair but doesn't damage bone?
- What kind of string suitable for operating a skeleton as a marionette will be unaffected by such acid?
Definitely some plot holes, but when you have the likes of Vincent Price on hand to sell it, it still works.