Films: House on Haunted Hill (1999), Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007)

Alias: Various, notably Dr. Richard B. Vannacutt and the Darkness

Type: Mystical

Location: Haunted home

Height/Weight: Indescribable.

Affiliation: Evil

Summary: We feel a little bad for not covering the Vincent Price classic that this film was based on. But for what it's worth, this film has just enough originality to stand on its own two feet.

History: Long ago, the Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane became the epicenter of horrible experimentation. This was because Dr. Vannacutt had been driven insane by an idol of the demon Baphomet. Soon, his whole place was burned down by his inmates, with few survivors. Now, the place has been converted into a private residence, and a few people have been invited there for a cash prize. Little do they know that the tortured souls have merged together to form the Darkness...

Notable Kills: A guy's face is punched in, with a disturbing hole in its place.

Final Fate: The Darkness spares one guest for not being a descendent of one of the old doctors. However, once the Baphomet idol is removed from the place many years later, the spirits are free, tearing apart Vannacutt's spirit as they depart.

Powers/Abilities: Reality warping and nigh-invulnerability.

Weakness: If the idol is removed from the house, then that's it for the spirits.

Scariness Factor: 4-The CGI may look a little dated, but it just adds to the uncanny nature of the Darkness. Also, a lot of ghostly activity is privy to some major undercrank and-DEAR GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT GHOST'S FACE?!

Trivia: -The sequel came to DVD in a very special format. More than an hour of additional footage was provided so that the viewer could decide the outcome of some scenes in a sort of "choose your own adventure" scenario. Not a bad idea, really, so long as you commit.

-The appearance and nature of the Darkness was heavily inspired by Rorschach inkblots and the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Also, that's not just CGI. That's mostly a mass of footage of the crew.