The Haunting (1963)

The supernatural sub-genre has always been appealing and scary because of its enigmatic nature that to this day we still don't have a full grasp on and understanding. This subgenre is based on that fear of the unknown, the truths that are invisible to the naked eye and yet exist all the same as air, but also how what we don't understand or have a full comprehension of could possibly turn against us. This is one of my favorite horror films in the supernatural subgenre, there have been a few in the past but it's really in the films execution that makes it timeless and to this day still one of the best.

This was based on a story by Sherley Jackson which is cool since she's one of my favorite horror authors and she was also one of the first female ones of her kind which is cool. What made her stories good was that it dealt with both supernatural and psychological horror which really do fit together since both ghosts and the demons haunting the human psyche are most of the time felt but not seen or touched.

I really love the cinematography; the film is shot in black and white but that to me makes it all the more better it sort of adds to the nightmarish quality of the film. I really like the mansion set piece which looks beautiful but at the same time foreboding as there is a bit of a gothic quality to both the interior and exterior. The use of the shadows from the interior to the exterior of the house as well as some cinematography of the house, all that helps to make the house a character. It a very imposing and menacing house sometimes whenever a light or two is on in the window it feels almost like an evil eye is watching you. I really like the interior designs of the house, some of them may have been a partial inspiration for some of the interiors of the mansion from the video game "Resident Evil."

The ensemble for this film is memorable as they all are unique and has different personas. Two characters I really like that are my favorites are Luke played by Russ Tamblyn his character is a bit of a sceptic of the group but he's not a stereotypical one as we do see from things happening his mind slowly but surely opens up as there are a few things that are unaccountable. But he's also a guy that seems like someone that is loose and wants to have fun, he's actually got a few really good lines, one that's my favorite in one scene where he gets spooked along with myself when he says "my feeling is telling me to get the hell out of here" his feeling is correct.

Theo played well by Claire Bloom, I'll admit I had a bit of a crush on this actress, really like how she fit well in that black cat like get up she was wearing just sizzles sexiness with the persona to boot. Really like how she has this spunk and feistiness about her, but I really emphasize with her as she's a person that beats to a different drummer. From her empathic abilities she isn't afraid to embrace certain emotions she holds and be herself, but also perceive certain things no one else can see.

The suspense is great, it's true it's a slow burn but like with most of these slow burners you get use to the pace, and as the film goes on and for most of these supernatural films I feel it works to its benefit. There are even moments in the film that can really catch you off guard, where for a while things are calm and peaceful and then the next minute something happens which I honestly didn't expect it really hit me like a ton of bricks and I like that. Like that ba

Fmovies: This is one of the best haunted house movies where you actually don't see the ghosts, you just hear them, and you wonder whether they're really there or just the people's imigination. The movie is about four people who go to spend a weekend at a well known haunted house and experience some real bumps in the night! Excellent acting and direction not to mention the creepy music. Highly recommended. they should make more movies like this! Hopefully the remake will good as well

The Haunting is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Nelson Gidding from the Shirley Jackson novel The Haunting of Hill House. It stars Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn and Lois Maxwell. Music is by Humphrey Searle and cinematography by David Boulton.

Hill House has a troubled history, death, either by accident or by suicide, has occurred there over the years. Today, Dr. Markway, an anthropologist and investigator of paranormal activity, leads a team of four for a stay at Hill House, where they will stay for a period of time in the hope that Markway can prove something paranormal resides thereÂ…

The haunted house premise has been a staple for horror film makers since forever. To place the viewer in a murky house, alongside some character unfortunates, and then scare the tar out of them has always been the aim. It hasn't often worked to great effect, in fact the number of genuine scary haunted house movies barely trouble the fingers of both hands. How strange, then, that the best of the bunch chose a simple formula that has never been replicated since with the same great effect.

The Haunting thrives not on what it throws at you by way of jumps and peek-a-boo visceral shocks, it deals firmly in the realm of what you can't see scares you the most. Where we have to use our own fretful imaginations to fill in the blanks for us, which is never a good thing in psychological horror parlance. Robert Wise, a most gifted and versatile director, uses oblique camera angles, thundering sound effects and angled close ups of his actors to get the maximum amount of atmosphere from the premise.

Distortion is very much a key component here. We are told the history of the house and some of its structural quirks, the camera angles heighten this for ethereal impact whilst simultaneously marrying up to the distortion of a key character's mental health. The story in essence sounds simple, yet there is much bubbling away in Hill House, both on the page and up there on the screen. This is not simply a case of a group of people being haunted by a spectre or otherwise, the mind is a key player here, very much so.

Along the way are some truly breath holding scenes; a bending door, pounding in the corridor, a face on the wall (the lighting here genius), Nell's hand holding incident, a rickety spiral staircase that we fear from the off, and the ghostly finale as Hill House reveals its hand and what we thought was a simple and true narrative is actually more clever, more chilling than we first imagined. Suggestion is a very big thing in The Haunting, it's what drives it to greatness, but it also has scenes that really bring the gooseflesh jumping up on your arms.

The acting is mostly great, with Tamblyn and Johnson correctly underplaying their roles to let the two girls take centre stage. Both Harris and Bloom are excellent. As Nell, Harris is nervous, introverted and caught up in the atmosphere of the house, it's the pivotal role and Harris instills a heart aching fragility into the character. Bloom as Theodora has mystical qualities, a sexiness and a devilishly playful disposition, things that play off of Harris' egg shell walking quite brilliantly. While the house itself (exterior is Ettington Park Hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon) is an ominous character all of its own. As Nell first spies the monolithic frontage she muses that it's a monster waiting to swallow her, a small creature, whole; we know exactly how she feels.

Still the t

The Haunting fmovies. This movie is a genuine Hitchcock-esque classic. Predating modern special effects, this movie subtly maneuvers the viewer into a crescendo of paranoia. My mother introduced me to this movie when I was still very young (and since the terror is of the psychological variety, it is a strangely age-appropriate movie for youngsters who wish to see scary movies).

I think that the casting, concept, and script are all brilliant. This movie does not need the glitz of Hollywood effects because there is enough cranial content to more than compensate for what most people nowadays consider necessary visual enhancements.

The cast has an amazing chemistry and plausibility. I don't recommend this movie to effects-addicts. If you appreciate well-executed theatre, believable acting, using your OWN imagination, then... see for yourself!

There is no blood, there is no slashing, today this would be rated "G." But, this is the scariest movie, ever. Every time I watch this masterpiece (and I have watched it over 50 times), I see or hear something new.

The density of the black and white is incredible. The camera angles and reflection shots are unsettling. The score is appropriately terrifying, from the ringing of tiny bells to the cannon ball rocking down the hall.

The cast is excellent. The direction superb. This is horror at the peak of perfection--it is in your mind. The only thing better is to read the book by Ms. Jackson on a dark night when you are all alone, and "far from town." As Stephen King said about Shirley Jackson, "She never had to shout." Mr. Wise is to be credited with bringing her whispers to the screen.

Rent this for Halloween. Or, own it forever. I still have trouble getting to sleep after I watch this.

I saw this movie the summer I got out of high school. I went with a date and he about dug a hole in the arm of my sweater, it scared him that much. What makes the movie really scary is the fact that it does not have any slashers, monsters, blood and/or gore. Robert Wise scared you with camera angles, the unknown "presences" that seemed to be always lurking behind every door, and the sound effects were very effective. Filming it in black and white also made it creepier. The audiences imaginations and their own personal fears make the movie very effective. We have all experienced a frightening event at some time in our lives (dark closets, what's under the bed, what's outside the window after dark, did you hear that?, etc.) This movie plays on those feelings as you watch it. The remake was disappointing at the least. It had a great cast, but the producers/directors were trying too hard. These days, it seems that special effects can sometimes ruin a movie. There's nothing to play on ones imagination. That's why the book is usually much better than the movie. I purchased this movie on VHS a few years ago and I watch it every once in awhile in the dark (of course) when my husband is here. I don't think I could watch it alone - in the dark - in the night....