The Haunting
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Movie Reviews of The Haunting
Movie Review: Haunted house masterpiece comes to DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
Forget the recent cgi-infused, over-the-top remake! Robert Wise's 1963 THE HAUNTING is one of the scariest films ever made and the chills are achieved by masterful restraint, rich atmospheric black and white photography and subtle psychology. Today's younger audiences may be perplexed by the absense of visual effects - you never see a ghost or heads rolling around - but yet the film is scary because we are frightened by what we don't see!About the DVD: The image quality is good but a tad disappointing. Darker scenes (of which there are many) suffer the most as blacks are rendered a soft gray. Daylight outdoor scenes and indoor scenes that are well lit look terrific. There are also quite a few noticeable nicks and scratches. However, it is still far superior to vhs quality and it is good to see the film in its original wide screen format.
A very interesting commentary features Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn, director Robert Wise, and screenwriter Nelson Gidding. Bloom and Tamblyn (and even Harris herself) talk about Harris's aloofness toward the other cast members (she was so deep into her part of the depressed Eleanor Vance that it overlapped into real life). The screenwriter talks about his initial interpretation of the script (he thought the haunting was purely psychological and not really happening - a point that writer Shirley Jackson told him he was wrong about). Director Wise talks about various aspects of the film, including how they achieved results on such a small budget.
Other features include a gallery of stills and a brief essay on the history of haunted house movies.
A must have for fans of the film!
Movie Review: A chilling movie about an evil house
Summary: 5 Stars
HIll House has been standing empty for almost 90 years. Whipsers of strange phenomena have kept would-be ocupants away for a long time; not even the owners will live their. That is, until Dr. John Markway assembles a small team to invesitgate the supposed supernatural events of the house. He invites Theodora, a psychic who lives a very different lifestyle; Eleanor, a sheltered young woman who recently lost her canterkaerous mother and has had experienece with poltergeist phenomena; and Luke Sanderson, soon to inherit Hill House and acting as the family's representative. Together, they begin to study the house, it's history and architecture. Or, has the house chosen one of the team for its own purposes?Horror film director Robert Wise does a magnificent job with this adaptation of the Shirley Jackson novel. Very few visual effects are used, instead relying on lighting (the one scene with the wallpaper in Eleanor's room is eerie), atmosphere, sound and the viewers own fear to create a creepingly chilling film. They make the viewer feel like actors in the movie instead of bystanders. All the actors give fine performances: Clair Bloom as Theo, Russ Tamblyn as Luke, and Richard Johnson as Dr. Markway. But, Julie Harris' performance of Eleanor makes the film. Her almost childlike confusion, fear and determination to stay the course keep you enrapt in the film.
It's very refreshing to see a horror film that doesn't rely so much on expensive special effects to get the chills across, instead using acting, lighting and story to convey terror and fright. This is a classic horror film that still delivers to this day.
Movie Review: The Implications are Better than Any Visual Frightfest.
Summary: 5 Stars
This old 1963 scarefest works for those of you (myself included) who are not into the screaming gorefest of so many others' preference and prefer a more sophisticated way to get a chill or two sliding up your spine.
We never actually see Hugh Crane outside the initial history of the house being unearthed to the viewer, but we feel him from the second the house's creepy window eyes set their sights on Elenor. This movie never shows us the undead monster that he is, but the sounds and invisible tangibility of the evil in the house is enough to scare the living crud out of anyone watching this movie only once a year. This past Saturday evening I had to leave my bedroom light on when Crane kept knocking on all the doors! It is more the history of the house, its various inhabitants, the nature of Crane himself, and the implications in Hill House which is, according to Elenor, "so ugly it's beautiful" that work on one's psyche, and that's what makes this old b/w movie work so well.
No, it's not in color, but it's 100 times better than that overly computerized piece of tripe with Liam Neeson, and it doesn't hit you over the head with obvious things you can figure out for yourself--like, say, Theo's gender preference? Gee, thanks, P.C. Hollywood, but I think most people weren't that clueless back in the day. I saw this version before the horrible new one and figured that out for myself. Check out this version for a genuinely old fashioned, yet somehow timeless, and sophisticated scare. You may not be terrified, but I recommend a goosebumb or two!
Movie Review: The Haunting
Summary: 5 Stars
A group of investigators are assembled to stay the week at the supposedly haunted Hill House in order to determine whether there is any paranormal activity occurring in the isolated mansion, but creaky floorboards and distant moans are only the start of the odd happenings that befall them. Unlike the other spook shows of the time (particularly in the cases of William Castle's gimmicky HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL or 13 GHOSTS), Robert Wise's THE HAUNTING reveals very little on screen, opting for subtly implied horrors and psychological terror over full bodied apparitions or cheap thrills. One could even argue that Hill House isn't even haunted, but rather that the four would-be ghost hunters are either giving in to their overactive imaginations or possibly suffering from a group psychosis. As we explore each of the characters, we find various breaks in each of there personalities that could easily allow for such delusions. Even the tragic ending can be seen as a complete coincidence, just another ambiguity left for the viewer to decide upon. The low angled exterior shots and long tracking shots through the cavernous hallways also give the house itself an ominous life of its own, including a dark heart and breathing walls. While the smart script is competently acted and engaging, the intent focus on its characters, lengthy dialog, and lack of physical specters may surprise new viewers expecting a more visual experience. THE HAUNTING is still a step above all other entries of its time, and a definite Horror classic!
-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies
Movie Review: The Haunting
Summary: 5 Stars
Es una elegante película de horror, mas psicológica que visual pues no tiene apariciones estrepitosas y sangrientas, sino que el mal o el peligro están sugeridos mediante la combinación de unos personajes particulares, construidos mediante la dirección adecuada de unos actores que hacen gala de una convincente actuación, y la fotografía en blanco y negro que aprovecha de la mejor manera un escenario sugestivo. Para las generaciones "educadas" visualmente por la TV (que copió películas como esta para vulgarizar sus paradigmas de genero) y esperan grandes efectos visuales como en la estridente versión de esta misma película realizada en 1999, The Haunting les puede resultar lenta o aburrida y por eso deben tener clara sus expectativas antes de verla pues está a siglos luz de películas con imágenes y situaciones horrendas explicitas y acción trepidante. Es una película de tenso desarrollo y como en otras de reciente éxito ("Los Otros" o "El sexto sentido" e incluso "El orfanato") el espectador es advertido sin estropicio y tumultos de que el mal puede subyacer agazapado en cada uno y que ciertos lugares o escenarios solo proporcionan la vía para su manifestación y triunfo atrapando a la victima de turno a la cual posiblemente ya tenia acorralada. Buenos subtitulos en español y los extras o bonus del DVD medianamente interesantes.