The Haunting (1963)

Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Nelson Gidding (screenplay), Shirley Jackson (novel)

Stars:

Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Julie Harris	...	Eleanor 'Nell' Lance
Claire Bloom	...	Theodora 'Theo'
Richard Johnson	...	Dr. John Markway
Russ Tamblyn	...	Luke Sanderson
Fay Compton	...	Mrs. Sanderson
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Mrs. Dudley
Lois Maxwell	...	Grace Markway
Valentine Dyall	...	Mr. Dudley
Diane Clare	...	Carrie Fredericks
Ronald Adam	...	Eldridge Harper

Storyline

Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. As time goes by it becomes obvious that they have gotten more than they bargained for as the ghostly presence in the house manifests itself in horrific and deadly ways.

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Plot Keywords:

House | Mansion | Ghost | New England | Psychic | 

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Taglines:

SCREAM...no one will hear you! RUN...and the silent foosteps will follow, for in Hill House the dead are restless!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Casa Maldita

Filming Locations:

Alderminster, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argyle Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Claire Bloom was intrigued to the play the role of a woman who was attracted to another woman. She said she got along with everyone on the set, except for Julie Harris, who tried everything to avoid her and not talk to her. At the end of the shoot, Harris went over to Bloom's house with a present and explained that the reason she had kept to herself was to stay in character, because Harris' role in the film was that of an outsider that none of the others understand or will listen to. Bloom was happy to hear the real reason behind Harris' behavior, since Bloom stated that she really liked Harris and could not understand what she herself had done wrong to be treated like that by her co-star.

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Goofs

When Nell is leaving the Garage in Boston, she sees a signpost that is, for the most part correct with respect to route numbers and directions for the towns indicated. However, one sign refers to "US 50" and Nell then reads aloud her directions to take "US 50 from Boston and watch for the turn-off to Route 238." US 50 is nowhere near Boston; prior to the advent of the Interstate system of highways, US Route 50 was one of the principal highways that went straight through the middle of the country from Maryland on the East coast to California on the west coast.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. John Markway: [voice-over] An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there... walked alone.

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Connections

Featured in The Nostalgia Critic: The Haunting (2011)
Critic talks about the original

User Reviews

More faithful to the book

After finding this gem at the public library's VHS section, I finally received the chance to watch the 'better' version of The Haunting. With what I could recall from reading the original novel (after seeing the modern version), I found this cinematic version infinately better and denser in character exposition than the 1999 version. In this 1963 version, the ending stayed closer to what happened in the novel and that was the definitive moment of The Haunting. I can't say much for the modern version, other than it was an effects film.

What I found original in this 1963 version is that there were some clever uses of lensing effects to heighten the strangeness of Hill House. By adjusting the props in the sets so that they are off by a few degrees, it helps to unsettle the viewer.

I'm hoping for a dvd release so that I can own both versions of the film. In the meantime, read the novel. There were a few details left out.