During a press briefing the writing duo of Jason Pagan and Andrew Deutschman (Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension) announced that not only will they be developing ‘Unexplained Phenomenon’ for Amblin, the team is also working on a remake of ‘House on Haunted Hill’ for Warner Bros.
A second ‘House on Haunted Hill’ film in the works by Terry Castle, daughter of William Castle who directed the original 1959 film that starred Vincent Price as a millionaire offering $10,000 to five people, locked in a spooky house over night. Terry Castle is writing the prequel from her father’s notes, according to Dread Central.
Funny! I just finished a ‘House on Haunted Hill’ script myself,” Castle said. “A prequel penned by Terry Castle! I am about to go out with it! As it turns out, I have ‘House on Haunted Hill’ in my blood… so, let the best man…. excuse me, woman, WIN! I have some of Dad’s original notes for a prequel, and I am running with them. If you remember, Annabelle Loren (Carol Ohmart) was not Frederick’s first wife! My film will be produced under the WILLIAM CASTLE PRODUCTIONS banner.”
In 1999 William Malone made the first remake of Castle’s ‘House on Haunted Hill’ and uped the $10,000 reward in the film to $1 million if those attending can survive the night. I’ll admit, I liked it, but the original will always be a classic. I am interested to see where the prequel takes us.
