The ghosts are moving tonight. Restless, hungry.
May I introduce myself?
I'm Watson Pritchard.
In
just a minute. I'll show you the only really haunted house in the world
since it was built a century ago.
Seven people, including my brother have been murdered in it.
Since then.
I've owned the house.
I've only spent one night there and when they found me in the morning, I, I
was almost dead.
I'm Frederick Lauren
and I've rented the house on Haunted Hill tonight so that my wife can give a party,
a haunted house party.
She's so amusing.
There'll be food and drink and ghosts
and perhaps even a few murders,
you're all invited.
If any of you will spend the next 12 hours in this house, I'll give you each $10,000
or your next of kin in case you don't survive.
Ah, but here come our other guests.
It was my wife's idea to have our guests come in funeral cars.
She's so amusing.
Her sense of humor is, shall we say original?
I dreamed up the hear it's empty now. But after a night in the house on a
hill,
who knows?
This is Lance Schroeder. A test pilot.
So no doubt, a brave man.
But don't you think you can be much braver if you're paid for it?
And I happen to know that Lance needs the 10,000 I'll give
if he's brave enough to stay all night.
This is Ruth Bridges. You've no doubt read her column in the newspapers.
She says her reason for coming to the party is to write a feature article on ghosts.
She's also desperate for money
gambles.
You've already met Watson Pritchard,
a man living in mortal fear of a house and yet
he is risking his life to spend another night here.
I wonder why
he says for money.
This is Dr David Trent, a psychiatrist.
He claims that my ghost will help his work on hysteria.
But don't you see a little touch of greed there
around the mouth and eyes?
This is Nora Manning.
I picked her from the thousands of people who work
for me because she needed the 10,000 more than most
supports her whole family.
Isn't she pretty?
The party's starting now
and you have until midnight to find the house on haunted Hill.
Well, where is everybody?
It isn't a very warm welcome. Is it
only the ghosts in this house are glad we're here.
Are we all strangers to each other?
Don't you two know each other?
I'm afraid. I don't even know your name.
I know Manning. Lance Schroder
is Frederick Lauren, a friend of yours.
I've heard of him, but I've never met him.
I work for one of his companies, but I've never seen him.
I've never met the man either. Just a phone call. Do you know him?
No?
Well, then you're the only one of us who does.
I don't know him.
All the details about running the house were done by mail.
He's quite wealthy, isn't he? Millions? And, uh, five wives, I believe four.
I think so far. A
$50,000 party for only five people is a little steep even for a millionaire.
Well, if I were gonna ha anybody, this would certainly be the house I'd do it in.
Who closed the door?
This thing's made of solid steel,
Annabelle.
Our guests are here, unfortunately, still alive. Is your face on yet?
Dust and dirt everywhere and the water barely trickles.
Couldn't you have had the place clean
atmosphere, darling? You know how ghosts are? They never tidy up.
And that's a very fetching outfit but hardly suitable for a party.
I'm not going to the party.
This spend the night ghost party was your idea?
Remember, since it's gonna cost me $50,000 I want you to have fun.
The party was my idea until you invited all the guests.
Why are all these strangers? Why none of our friends, friends,
do we have any friends? No, your jealousy took care of that.
I had a reason for inviting each guest.
I wanted kind of a cross section from psychiatrist to typist
and from drunk to jet pilot,
they share one thing. They all need money.
Now, let's see if they're brave enough to earn it
and you call this a party
could be.
Why do you always do that? It spoils the champagne. It might explode. It
never does.
Would you guarantee that?
That isn't funny. Frederick make a good headline.
Playboy kills wife with champagne. Cork.
Will you join me?
No, thank you.
Just a sip. Might improve your humor.
My humor is fine. Thanks.
And I haven't poisoned it
and it's always good to know that.
Ok,
have some.
You'll enjoy the party more.
Go on.
Your trust is so touching
and I'm not going to the party
of all my wives. You are the least agreeable but still alive.
Would you go away for a million dollars? Tax free?
You want it all, don't you? I deserve it. All.
Your jealousy isn't tax-free
and your possessiveness is maddening.
If ever a man had grounds for divorce
but can't prove them the time will come.
You'll slip up one of these days. Think so.
If I live long enough,
you remember the fun we had when you poisoned me
something you ate. The doctor said
yes. Arsenic on the rocks.
Annabelle,
you'd do it again. If you thought you could get away with it, wouldn't you?
Darling? What makes you think that
something about you?
I hear that hanging is very uncomfortable in case you get any more ideas
and don't let the ghosts and the ghouls disturb you, darling,
darling.
The only ghoul in the house is you
and don't sit up all night thinking of ways to get rid of me.
It makes wrinkles.
This is what she used and my brother and her sister
hacked them to pieces.
We found parts of the bodies all over the house in places. You wouldn't think a
funny thing is the heads have never been found
hands and feet and things like that,
but no heads,
the wife probably in a rage threatened her husband
with a knife and then carried away by hysteria,
took a swing at him and simply went on from there.
She certainly went on. How many people did she kill Mr Pritchard?
Only two,
her husband and her sister, no one else was here.
So there are two loose heads just floating around in here somewhere.
You can hear them at night.
They whisper to each other
and then cry
since our host isn't here. Would anyone care that makes me a drink?
Certainly. What will you have?
Good evening.
I'm your host, Frederick Lauren.
Since we're all strangers to each other.
Let's get acquainted with a drink, shall we,
Mr Lauren?
I advise you to call this party off.
Now, the ghosts are already moving and that's a bad sign.
Let me apologize for my wife. She'll join us later. What do you have?
And
I'll have the same.
Now before the party begins, let's go over the details.
The caretakers will leave at midnight,
locking us in here until they come back in the morning.
Once the door is locked, there's no way out
the windows have bars that a jail would be proud of.
And the only door to the outside locks like a vault,
there's no electricity,
no phone,
no one within miles.
So no way to call for help
like your coffin.
So if any of you decide not to stay for the party, you must let me know before midnight.
Of course, if you leave, I shan't be able to pay you anything.
I'm interested in your reasons for this uh
party.
Aside from the pleasant company.
Ghosts, doctor,
I think everyone wonders what they would do if they saw a ghost.
And now my wife has given us all the opportunity to find out. Hm,
amusing
ghosts, et cetera. Being only creations of hysteria.
Your party should be a success.
But Pritchard here promises us genuine ghosts.
Seven now,
maybe more before morning.
That's cheerful.
Four men have been murdered in this house
and three women.
You planned your party very well, Mr Lauren,
four of us are men. Three are women and
it goes for everybody
Brigid. Why don't you take us on a tour through the house? And let's see what happens.
Mhm.
See that stain
blood,
a young girl was killed here
and whatever got her wasn't human. Don't stand there. What do you mean where
it's too late? They've marked you ridiculous. The roof probably leaks.
Well, that must be what it is. Who would both
haunt
me? I would say any self respecting male ghost. I hope it doesn't come back.
Well, Mr Pritchard, you're the life of the party. He hasn't even started yet.
Wasn't there a man who threw his wife into a
wine vat or something that was in the cellar?
There's been a murder almost every place in this house
and all this belonged to a Mr Norton
who didn't die here. He was electrocuted later.
Mr Norton
did a good deal of experimenting with wine,
but his wife didn't think it was any good.
So he filled a vat of acid and
threw her in.
She was supposed to stay down,
but the bones came up.
It's a funny thing,
but none of the murders here were just ordinary,
just shooting
or stabbing.
They've all been sort of wild,
violent and
different.
Oh God, she didn't fall in?
You mean there's still acid in there
destroys everything with hair and flesh
just leaves the bones.
My, it's dry and dusty down here.
Oh, that's
it.
A cure for that upstairs. Come on.
How'd you get invited to this party?
No,
go on.
I mean, what did he tell you?
Mr Lawrence said everybody would get $10,000
but he didn't say anything about being locked in.
No,
you just made a deal with me on the phone, but nothing about having to stay.
Aren't you gonna stay?
If I don't, I lose $10,000
I'm gonna stay too
$10,000.
Do you believe in ghosts?
I don't know.
Well, I agree with what that doc says you can spook yourself. I've done it in planes.
I've seen things that weren't really there
or were they,
what are you gonna do with your 10,000
if we get it?
What do you mean if we get
it? Won't he pay us if we stay?
Ah, sure he will. 10,000 is no more to him than a nickel is thus,
we were in an automobile accident.
Now, I'm the only one in the family who can make any money.
Boy, I've never seen so many doors,
closet
bottles.
Does it go anywhere?
Yeah,
Lance is gone and there's a ghost.
I mean, please, come on.
Did she say Lance is gone? Gone? Where?
Take it down?
You? All right
after that money won't cure.
I must have,
must have bumped my head
and the only way you can bump your head in here
just to run head on into the wall.
You didn't do that? Did you?
Let's get a bandage on that.
I wonder why they didn't kill him?
Who
he didn't bump his head?
They hit him.
They
nora,
when you came in, you said something about a ghost,
there was something,
what did it look like?
Well, it,
it was wearing a black thing that went all the way to the floor.
Weren't you a little frightened at the time?
Yes,
that Mr Lauren
is hysteria.
But then doctor, how do you explain what happened to Lance? Was that hysteria too?
You better get that checked in a day or so.
Thanks, Doc,
wait for me in the hall.
The ghosts are coming closer. Mr Lauren.
You really believe in your pet ghost, don't you, Prion
before the night's over? You will too.
Wouldn't you like a drink? Lance? Uh No, thanks. I'd like one. Scotch
and
Mr
Lauren. Are you really going to pay anyone who stays all night?
Certainly.
$10,000. Will there be much red tape or delay
you in a hurry dear.
Frankly. Yes,
or frantically.
There. You are my dear.
Mm.
Someone or something was in here when I came in
where?
And if the door was locked, how did it get out?
What you saw? Might have been a ghost snorer. But what was in here with me?
Was no ghost.
I don't know. I was so scared.
Ok.
It sound different to you.
Yes.
369, 12,
12 ft.
36.
I'm gonna knock on the other wall when you hear me. You knock on this wall.
Yeah.
Tap lower down.
Oh.
Oh,
I love you.
Where did it come
from? I'm in here.
What if it ran out of here? I'd have seen it.
Lance it doesn't run, it
just floats.
Yeah. But why didn't I see it?
You don't believe me?
How can I,
I'm Annabelle Lauren.
You must be MS Manning.
I realize this is a very unusual and I'm afraid very dull party,
wouldn't you like to freshen up?
This is your room
depressing, isn't it?
I doubt if I'll spend much time here
going to rain.
Perfect atmosphere for my husband's party.
Why did you come here?
He said he'd give me $10,000.
Why did he pick you?
I don't know.
My supervisor just came and said I'd been invited.
How long have you known my husband?
I just met him tonight.
So
why are you,
what were you doing wandering around by yourself
while I was in the cellar with Lance
Mr
Schroeder?
I just left. That's all.
Don't do it again.
Don't go anywhere in this house by yourself.
I picture beige and I'll come by for you in a few minutes,
but
you're in danger.
We all are.
But who
I hope for your sake? You never find her.
I'm Annabelle Lauren. Were you looking for something?
Not exactly. Are you the doctor? No, no, I'm L
Schroder. The pilot.
You've hurt yourself. Oh, it's just a bump on the head,
which is my room.
I believe this is it.
Thank you, Mrs Lauren.
Annabelle lands.
Ok.
You were with the young girl in the cellar? Why was she so upset?
Was she?
And you don't look like the type who were around bumping his head.
What really happened. D,
well, Nora thought she saw a ghost but, uh, I didn't see anything.
She was just frightened.
Anne mad at me. I think I kidded her about it.
I wouldn't joke about anything else that happened to you tonight.
Now, don't tell me you're taking all this seriously,
aren't you?
Well, I'd like to find out what hit me
nice
if I need help. May I count on you?
Yeah, sure. I guess so.
Look what's going on here anyway. I mean, what is with this party booth?
This is no party. He's planning something.
Your husband?
I wish I knew what it was.
Must be pretty big if he's gonna lay out 50,000
money doesn't mean anything.
He has a reason for getting us all up here to this dreadful old house.
And what for? He doesn't even know us.
Maybe that's exactly why you're here.
What can he get away with?
Oh, he thinks that big money like his can get away with anything,
you know? Of course that I'm his fourth wife.
The first simply disappeared.
The other two died.
Lance
I don't want to join them.
Yeah.
You mean he is? Oh, his doctor said they died of heart attacks.
Two girls
in their twenties.
Well, what can he do?
My husband is sometimes insane with jealousy. Nothing matters to him. It
please be careful.
Would he hurt you?
He would kill me if he could.
Yeah.
Ok.
Annabelle, you're missing all the fun.
Nora Manning was almost killed by a falling chandelier.
The pilot bashed his head in.
Is he badly hurt?
The saturnine psychiatrist bandaged him up?
Don't you want to go and conso
in,
as you do most men
in your fashion?
You're so clever Frederick.
As I lie awake nights wondering why I married you.
It was rather a mistake.
You didn't marry me dear. I married you unpleasant but no mistake.
Hurry up Frederick for the last time. I'm not going to your party
and for the last time it's not my party but yours
and you are going.
I am not ready to.
No.
Are you ready, dear?
Yes. Damn, you
would. You adore me as much if I
will.
No,
all you want to be is a lovely widow.
It's almost time to lock up the house
and then your party will really begin.
I wonder how it'll end.
It's close to midnight lands.
Ok.
I'll be down in a minute.
Who is it? Your host? My dear.
It's almost midnight. Nora. We're all going to get together down in the living room.
All right, Mr Loin,
I'll be right down.
No.
Yeah.
Come with us. Come with us before he kills you.
Where's Nora,
Miss Manning?
Don't want to stay here.
No. What happened?
That's Jonas Slides and his wife,
they've been caretakers here for years.
She's blind. You know,
I'm not going to stay here.
Doctor. It looks like we have a real case of hysteria in our hands.
I think she's just a little upset.
Not hysterical.
Good evening.
Ok.
Hello, Maddie.
This is my wife.
These are our guests.
Ruth Bridges, Doctor Trent.
You know, Watson Brigid, of course, Norah Manning. And, uh,
this is L
Schroeder.
Get me out of here.
Now. What about the 10,000? I don't care. He wants to kill me.
Who wants to kill you?
Mr Lauren.
May I have your attention, please?
I think you all remember the bargain we made about staying all night,
$10,000 apiece.
If any of you don't survive,
$50,000 will be divided amongst the rest of you.
If I should die,
you will be paid by my estate.
When the door is locked from the outside, by the caretakers,
we'll all be forced to stay in this house until morning.
If any of you decide not to stay, you must leave with the caretakers. Now,
you won't have a chance to change your minds later
because there'll be no way to get out.
I do want to stay wait.
It
isn't midnight yet. Who told them they could leave?
They never leave before midnight and they've gone. Now,
I was going to ask you whether you wanted to stay or not,
but it seems that the caretakers have made the decision for you.
We're all locked in now,
but I don't want to stay
I'm sorry, my dear. But it's too late now,
darling.
Haven't you had enough of this silly game?
Get some cars up here for these people and let them go home
but pay them first.
This is your party.
Remember,
in spite of my wife's faith in my ability to do the impossible,
we will all have to stay in this house until eight o'clock in the morning.
But we have some party favors for you
in these little coffins.
Ok.
This is my wife's idea
and I must say, I think it's rather dangerous.
I suppose you all know how to use one of these things, but in case you don't,
you just press down on this lever with your thumb and then
pull the trigger.
You see they're loaded.
These are no good against the dead. Only the living
back then
plants
Nora,
go ahead and take it,
Miss Bridges
and here's yours, dear. I don't need it.
It was your idea.
Who knows? You may want to use it on me before this night is over.
Throw these guns away. They won't do you any good.
I agree with Pritchett on that point. Although not for the same reason,
Dr
Trent,
don't you approve of our little party favors?
Suppose Nora had had a gun when she mistook the blind woman for a ghost.
I don't think anyone else is going to walk around in total darkness.
Oh, I'm sure we're not gonna go running around the house shooting each other,
aren't you?
Who knows?
Fear makes people do amazing things.
Mr Pritchard,
you said your sister in law killed a man and a woman here and cut them up.
You said they found hands and feet but they never found any heads.
Would you like to see one of those heads?
Would you all like to see one of those heads?
Well,
just follow me,
darling.
I really don't need this.
Ok.
Just go look in my suitcase.
Just go look.
But it was in there.
A woman's head.
Nora, I
think you're a little upset.
Would you care for a sedative? Get out.
Get out all of
you.
I
love
you
alone.
You think it's all right to leave her by herself? Doctor?
I wish she'd taken the sedative. What do you suppose?
She thought she saw they're closing in on her.
Look, doc, I think somebody ought to stay with her.
There could be a million people around her.
But if they wanted her they'd get her.
What if he's right? He's too drunk to know what he's talking about.
I wonder,
I'll join you in a minute.
Do you think it would do any good if you went in and talked to her?
Do you think there really was ahead in their suitcase?
I don't know.
Nothing like that would put me right over the edge.
But would you sort of stay up here? I mean, in case she needs help.
All right.
I'll be in my room. Just call her.
Thanks.
Are you sure? There are only seven people in this house.
Positive except for the ghosts.
I don't believe in ghosts
nor in frightening women in
Nora's case. It's gone far enough
perhaps too far.
What do you suggest we do about it? Doctor
don't frighten her anymore.
Nora
Dora,
Nora
Laura.
What do you know about this?
They've taken her
in a little while. She'll be one of them.
Where's Norton?
Where is she? It's too late. It's too late.
You'll never find her again. Pritchard.
If you know where she is, you better tell me now. She's gone, she's gone to them
and there's nothing you can do about it.
All right.
There's a down
Nora,
she's dead. Mr Lauren.
Your wife hanged herself a
suicide,
right?
Hide me. Please hide me. What's the
matter?
You tried to kill me?
He grabbed me and choked me and put me in that room
and then he went away and left me.
Who
you thought I was dead?
Who
Mr Lloyd?
Are you sure about this?
I
don't know what it was dark but it must have been him.
Has anybody seen you since he left you?
I heard some people in that room but I went by and nobody saw me.
Mrs. Lauren is dead.
Lauren said she committed suicide,
but I think somebody killed it.
Him.
I'm sure you've come to the same conclusion I have.
Yeah, I think So let's all have a meeting. Discuss what to do
the living room.
Ok.
In a minute,
I gotta go downstairs.
Now. You lock yourself in here and don't let anybody know you're here.
If he thinks you're dead, he won't come here and I'll get back as soon as I can.
You'll be all right.
Yeah.
And if you have to,
you use it.
Yeah.
So beautiful.
So greedy,
so cold.
What are you doing in here? Wait,
don't we? What do you mean coming in here?
I didn't want them to take her away. When you're drunk. They will.
If you don't watch her, you're drunk. All right out with it. Brigid.
Why did you come into this room? I'm the only one who understands, understands what
your wife isn't there anymore.
She's already joined them
pretty.
I've had enough of your spook talk. Get out. You Sutton.
Don't come back into this room again.
Yeah.
Where's, what's her name?
Nora?
I didn't disturb her since I don't think this concerns her.
No, you're right.
Mr Lauren.
Isn't there some way we can get out of this house now?
No,
none at all.
We could try breaking out. The only door to the outside is made of steel.
The bars of the windows are set in solid stone.
We gotta stay,
I'm not afraid of your ghosts Brigid.
Ok.
But I am afraid
when we came here a few hours ago.
The only thing we had in common was the $10,000 we'd get.
Now, however, we share something else.
The death of Mrs Lauren
so far tonight,
one of us was almost killed by a falling chandelier.
One of us was mysteriously slug.
One of us has been driven to the brink of absolute hysteria
and one of us is dead
with these accidents,
suicide.
And we must stay here for six more hours, six hours,
six of us
time. And
it, it will be next.
How will it happen?
Let me ask you a question. Doctor.
You were the first one to see my wife there.
Did you also see anything that she could have climbed up on
and then jumped? No,
did any of them?
There was nothing.
How then did she get up there so high? Exactly. Mr Lauren, how
she couldn't have pulled herself up there?
She couldn't have dropped from the ceiling.
Do you think your wife killed herself?
No,
she was murdered
by one of you
or you Mr Lauren
to deliberately kill someone? You must have a reason.
We were all strangers to your wife only you had a motive for murder.
My husband hasn't it? Some guy wanted to kill his wife.
My husband hasn't had 1000 opportunities to do it in
such a way so that he'd never be suspected.
I'm not such a fool as to hang my wife from a ceiling by a rope.
The fact remains that you or one of us
murdered Mrs Lauren.
And that's a matter for the police. So how do we get the police? That's my point.
We can't until morning.
What began as a silly party given by an eccentric has now involved us all in murder.
But once Pritchard may be right,
if another murders in the works, let's stop it. Now,
another murder.
Why not?
Maybe one of us saw too much.
Why should even a millionaire want to give each of
us $10,000 to spend one night in gloomy old house
to see some ghosts have a party.
No.
Have you finished trying me, doctor?
And is the verdict guilty of murder?
This isn't getting us anywhere. Somebody killed Mrs LA and we know that
one of us is guilty and the rest of us are innocent. Ok.
Now, what we have to do for the next six hours is protect ourselves from each other.
Do you really think? I don't think anything?
I just know that I'm going to my room and if anybody comes in, I'll shoot him
or her.
And if we all stay in our rooms, we'll be safe
because the innocent will have no reason to leave his room
and the guilty will admit his guilt if he or she does.
And we all have guns
and we're all agreed.
Oh,
I wish this night were over
drones
guns.
I tell you it doesn't make any difference.
They aren't through with us yet.
What's the use of saying good night.
Good night.
Good night doctor.
Yeah.
Mm.
And.
Mhm.
Nora, it's me lads.
Are you ok?
They've all gone to their rooms and locked themselves in Lance. I've been thinking
it was so dark down there. Maybe it wasn't Mr Lorne.
It was him. All right. He tried to kill you and he didn't kill his wife.
How can you be so sure?
She tried to warn me, asked me to help her.
The doc thinks he's gonna try and kill one of us.
Now,
there must be a way out of this place and I'm
gonna find it and get the police before he does.
I'm going with you.
But if he finds out you're alive,
no nora, you're safer here than anyplace else.
Now. Just lock yourself in and keep quiet.
If I find a way out, I'll come back and get you.
Ok.
Yeah.
Oh.
Oh,
no,
God.
Hm.
Ok.
An admission of guilt. Doctor.
Certainly not.
There's either somebody else in this house or one of us has left his room.
Did you hear anything?
Organ music
that
and someone walking?
You got yours?
Really?
You look downstairs
and I'll look up here.
Why not together?
There may be only minutes. Seconds left of someone's life.
Why waste time?
It's almost over. Darling.
Every detail was perfect.
Ok.
What's happening?
We've done it. A
perfect crime.
Beautiful.
Has she killed him?
Not yet?
But she will
get me out of this hanging harness.
But taking that girl so long, what time is it? At
first I couldn't get Nora to want to protect herself with a gun.
After you appeared at the window, everything began to work just as we had planned.
You were wonderful. Just the touch that finally drove her into complete hysteria.
It'll be worth all of our planning, darling.
Where's Nora? Now,
what's happening on her way to the cellar?
So scared she'll shoot the first thing that moves.
And Frederick on his way to the cellar too.
David. Are you sure? None of them will suspect us of what
an hysterical girl accidentally shoots somebody who would suspect that we
planned it that way that we drove her to it.
What about my suicide? But
just a ghost party gag,
we'll claim it was a dummy since I'm the only one who touched you
and the caretakers.
But they had no
what they were really doing.
What about Nora?
She's not stupid, you know, darling, believe me,
everything we've planned is working perfectly.
Nora is sure Frederick murdered you.
She thinks Frederick attacked her in the cellar, not me.
And now Nora's almost out of her mind with fear, the heads, the music,
you're hanging.
I tell you when Frederick walks in there, she'll shoot him.
It's taking too long.
David, you ought to be there
when you hear the shot
come down to the set.
Yeah.
No.
Yeah.
But
David.
Ok.
At last you've got it. All
everything I have for
even my life.
But you are not going to live to enjoy it. Come with me, murderess.
Come with me.
I,
good night doctor.
Good night Annabel.
The crime you two planned was indeed perfect.
Only the victim is alive and the murderers are not.
It's a pity you didn't know when you started your game of murder
that I was playing too.
There must be some way to get in here. It's right along here somewhat.
I've shut Mr Law and he's down in the wine cellar.
I don't think so.
It's him. He's alive.
You didn't shoot anyone? My dear.
I loaded your gun with blanks.
I can tell you all. Now,
Trent and my wife were planning to kill me.
They failed
Trent tried to throw me in the vat.
My wife stumbled and fell.
I'm ready for justice to decide if I'm
innocent or
guilty.
Now they're nine.
There'll be more many more.
You're coming for me now
and then they'll come for you.