House on Haunted Hill

Plot hole: Even if Dr. David Trent's and Annabelle Loren's elaborate plan had worked flawlessly (framing Nora Manning for Frederick Loren's death), the fact remains that they faked Annabelle's death for everyone to see, which would immediately arouse suspicions for investigators. Even if Annabelle and Dr. Trent somehow fled the scene before the police arrived the next morning, their actions would still raise many questions that implicated them; thus, their clumsy and convoluted scheme was far from being the "perfect crime" they imagined.

Charles Austin Miller

Plot hole: When Mr. Loren introduces his wife to everyone, he tells her, "You know Watson Pritchard of course." That can't be because at the beginning of the movie the characters are asking if any of them know Frederick Loren. No one personally knows him including Watson Pritchard. He says, "I don't know him, all the details about renting the house were done by mail." If that's the case, it's impossible for Annabelle to know Pritchard since Frederick invited all the guests without his wife's approval. (00:34:05)

DrLoomis1978

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: By no means a correction, but I always took this line as a reference to the fact that in the film's universe the case of the house being haunted, multiple murders on site, etc., is well known, and thus Watson Pritchard by default is already infamous/known of by the wife of Frederick Loren, rather than a reference to them personally knowing each other before the events shown on screen.

Factual error: As Frederick is explaining to his guests how to use their .45 automatics, he fires one round at a near-by vase, shattering it. However, it leaves no bullet hole in the wall directly behind the vase.

More mistakes in House on Haunted Hill

Frederick Loren: 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 vault. There's no electricity, no phone, no-one within miles, so no way to call for help.
Watson Pritchard: Like a coffin.

More quotes from House on Haunted Hill

Question: If Frederick picked the party members himself, without his wife's input, how did Dr. Trent (spoiler alert, his wife's lover) manage to get Frederick to pick him?

Chosen answer: Frederick knew that Trent was his wife's lover. That's why Trent was invited. The party was supposed to be an opportunity for Frederick to take revenge.

Charles Austin Miller

More questions & answers from House on Haunted Hill