when i first saw this i wasn not much of a fan and and that wasn not due to compare it to the original and a i hadn not see castle 1958 version . again while it isn not boring and due mainly to geoffrey rush effectively divert vincent price send up and and a saucy famke janssen . what we get be something of pretty sub standard quality that heavily rely on glossy special effect and nasty blood spatter and contrive shock of the tiresome kind . dick beebe screenplay of robb white original story ups the twist and and unpleasant nature in a straight lace supernatural story . even with it constant twist and it felt like they be there to cover how slight the premise be . the angle be more so serious and dark and though at time with a somewhat mock attitude compare with the plain outlandish and and overly campy style of the original . which do make that one far more enjoyable and even with the usual haunt house device . here director william malone go about thing in a conventionally slick and ultra kinetic manner where it be just too streamlined ( this be the art direction of the sombre look house ) and pack with many unconvincingly elaborated twist and and heavy hand jump scar that lack any sort of unsettle punch . the basic let go for something that sound really scary music score and couldn not escape it generic note of telegraphed predictability . at least the death be fairly twist and and the morbid flair of rush and janssen interplay be an unpredictable delight . the special effect weren not terrible and there a few well pull off moment ( like the jittery ghost doctor ) and but overall it do not enhance or cook up much of a lasting atmosphere when they finally pile it on far too much . the final 15 minute be a fine example . ali carter aggregately fluff around and and taye riggs pretty much have that concern face throughout . peter gallagher and bridgette wilson and max perlich make up the number . jeffery comb also appear in a spooky cameo part and that call out for more screen time .