A Hilly Reception

I used to be a pretty big fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I'd like to think I still am; they just got canceled. But the thing is, in a way, they are still making new episodes. Most of the folks behind MST3K have taken their act to the internet and set up RiffTrax. It's a web site where they release virtual DVD commentaries that continue the MST3K tradition of skewering bad movies. Just pop in the DVD, purchase the RiffTrax commentary, sync them up, and enjoy.

Unburdened by the problem of getting broadcast rights for a film (as they needed to for MST3K), the RiffTrax gang has been able to take on bigger, more recent targets. But they still take on classic movies from time to time, and because those movies are often easy and cheap to license, they still release "episodes" -- special Rifftrax DVDs that let you watch a movie with or without their commentary. Netflix has many available, and I recently checked out the RiffTrax version of House on Haunted Hill.

This is a classic Vincent Price movie, in which a group of random strangers are invited to stay overnight in a haunted house to claim a cash reward. A primordial reality show competition... with ghosts. Made in 1959, I'm convinced this movie must have looked dated even at the time, hokey and cheap. It's also filled with all the excesses of classic filmmaking that often try my patience: over-acting, languid pacing, bad editing, and more. If I were just reviewing the movie, it would probably get a D- or something.

But of course, those very elements that make the film so terrible make it prime material for the RiffTrax treatment. The awkward pauses are places to insert jokes. The hammy acting is ready to mock. And the RiffTrax gang is in very good form here. I laughed out loud several times during the film, even just watching alone on my couch. It was only after the movie that I even stopped to think how impossible I'd have found watching it without the commentary. It was an enjoyable experience.

I don't know if it's quite right to rate "Rifftrax: House on Haunted Hill" as though it itself were an actual movie, but I'm going to do so nevertheless: B+. If you ever liked an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, treat this like one of the better ones.