The Haunting (1963) User Reviews

Forget the silly remake; this "Haunting" is the real one.

[lee_eisenberg · 8/10 · 26 October 2005]

Robert Wise's recent passing brings "The Haunting" to mind. Less of a horror movie than a psychological thriller, it has Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris) coming to old house with several other people invited by Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson). This is no ordinary house; it has a very disturbing history. And the answers to the creepy incidents that have taken place may be closer than anyone realizes.

What makes this movie so good is that it relies on camera angle (rather than gore and special effects, as usually seems to happen now) to create the horror. You literally can't tell when something is going to happen. The only thing that gives the movie a slightly silly feeling is the presence of Lois Maxwell (aka Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond movies) as Dr. Markway's wife Grace. Still, it's a horror classic. The 1999 remake, as far as I could tell, was deliberately trying to be silly; if so, then they sure succeeded, because that was a poor excuse for a movie. This one is the real "Haunting".

The Mysterious Mansion...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 18 February 2023]

There's a house that sits atop an elevation, 90 years old, riven with cold, crooked damnation, uninhabited by the living, but surrounded by misgiving, not really sure, what's behind doors, but there's suspicion.

A curious anthropologist researching the paranormal gathers three souls who are sensitive to such things and envelopes them in surroundings simmering with the supernatural in the form of a haunted house on a hill (what more do you need). The cinematography is spectacular, all the performances outstanding, but you may struggle to keep your eyes of Claire Bloom in her prime. Watch it on a stormy night, on your own, with the lights out - if you dare!

Surprising how many people DON'T like it.

[john_vance-20806 · 9/10 · 26 February 2016]

Perhaps this is a movie that appeals only to certain people. Perhaps it has to be viewed at a particular moment in life. Perhaps it's just too dated for many to get into it. In any case, it's disappointing to see how many simply find it a waste of time.

I saw this under special circumstances. I was about 12 years old and my parents were out for the evening when it came on TV. I didn't know anything about it but considered myself quite the connoisseur of horror and sci-fi shown at the small local theater. I figured it would be along the line of Universal monsters and Roger Corman fare, nothing particularly notable.

It scared the absolute daylights out of me. Sitting alone the in house at night with the creepy sounds and images emanating from that little B&W screen got to me badly. Even after my parents were home and I went to bed I found myself looking for faces in the plaster walls of my room and imagining every creak as an approaching but invisible malevolent force.

I still get it out every couple of years on a dark dreary night, and though the lines of dialog sound more stilted to my now elderly mind I can still remember the effect it had on me so many decades ago.

I had an even more intense reaction from Hitchcock's "The Birds" and I've noticed the commentary about that film to be similar to this. Perhaps you just had to be there.

Are we talking frightening now?

[oyason · 13 August 2003]

THE HAUNTING(1963) is an important horror film because it is one of a tiny handful of films within the tradition that genuinely unsettle the viewer. Are the events at Hill House for real, or are they happening on the inside of Eleanor Lance's head? The author of the novel upon which this movie was based, Shirley Jackson, left us to wonder at the end of her story. A constant theme in Jackson's work was the displacement and the destruction of the hopes of women (Most of her work was written in the 1940s and 1950s).

Jackson, in her own intriguingly artful manner, asks us in The Haunting of Hill House to contemplate the domestic prison that many women like Eleanor Lance found themselves in. Eleanor is a spinster, the slightly dotty older sister compelled by restrictive family relationships to care for an ailing mother. She's been nowhere, she has had no experiences, and she barely has social skills. Like anyone else, she wants love, intimacy, friendship, and she doesn't know how to seek them. Naturally, she operates from a place of low-key fury. Julie Harris conveys this so successfully in the film that she actually bounces the viewer between feelings of empathy and feelings of exhaustion. "Why doesn't she make up her mind to go or stay?", we ask ourselves. Eleanor isn't an attractive person, and Julie Harris plays this to the "t". THE HAUNTING explores Jackson's extended metaphor of feminine anger damn near as skillfully as the author presented it on the page. Certainly whatever "walks alone at Hill House" is not such a distant cousin from the Corn Goddess, or other archetypal representations of the understandable rage of women whose lives have been restricted by domestic roles. But how much of it genuinely resonates from that house with its "doors that stay sensibly shut", and how much of it is between the ears of Eleanor Lance, who, even in a crowd, is walking alone, just as is whatever is in Hill House? In creating this book, Shirley Jackson was able to breach the same territory the 19th century feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman explored in her remarkable story The Yellow Wallpaper. And it is no small thing that the cast of The Haunting- Julie Harris and Claire Bloom foremost- were able to recreate on the screen and do this complex novel such justice. Director Robert Wise, who fifteen years before gave us the Val Lewton masterpiece THE BODYSNATCHER, labored diligently to establish the same stifling atmosphere found in that earlier film. Patterns in wallpaper that vibrate with voice, doors that breathe, and that steady, horrific hammering on the walls that chills as certainly as did Jackson's description in the book itself.

Certainly Rus Tamblyn and Richard Johnson do more than pull their weight in this piece, and it couldn't have been easy to play second line to talents like Harris and Bloom. The cast, the direction, the set, everything works in this movie, a remarkable work of harmonic convergence on celluloid. THE HAUNTING is an important film to see because it does what horror films rarely do, it freely explores the internal and takes us all along, and babies, we ain't laughing. But it works. And that's more than can be said for three quarters of the over-hyped movie offerings in the horror tradition. Among U.S. horror films of the 1960s, only PSYCHO and ROSEMARY'S BABY touch so boldly on the unspoken terror in the horror film:a common fear among our spieces that we may be unworthy of love. Are we talking frightening now?

Forty one years after its release, this movie is still frightening.

[jeklv · 9/10 · 4 April 2004]

ABC broadcast this film as a Sunday Night Movie in, I believe, 1965. I watched it with my best friend at his house, which happened to be next door. After the movie was over I was afraid to walk home. Thirty eight years later, this movie is still the scariest movie I've ever seen.

It's hard to put into words why this movie triggers such an emotional response. There is no blood and gore, no creatures or monsters in plain sight. In fact, there is very little physical presence in this movie that should evoke such a fear reaction. True, there are multiple angle exterior shots of the mansion that make one feel as if the house is watching them all the time. And there are loud unexplained noises, bulging wall panels, and door knobs that turn by themselves. All-in-all, the physical evidence is pretty tame, especially by today's standards.

The fear reaction lies not in the physical form, but in the psychological sense. For example, as Theo and Nell cling to one another as wall pounding draws closer to their room, only to stop and dead silence replaces the noise. Later in the movie, Nell and Theo are again in their room when Nell grabs hold of Theo's hand as noise begins to build outside their bedroom door. Finally, unable to stand the noise any longer, Nell begins to scream which awakens Theo, who happens to be halfway across the room, and thus not close enough to be holding Nell's hand. So the question is "who or what was Nell holding?". There are many scenes that are similar to the above.

This film was directed by Robert Wise who made me believe there was something lurking around every corner, or there was something that was going to happen, but you just didn't know quite when. This is the type of directing that has given this movie the classic status it so richly deserves.

So, if you are more into the physical style of a movie, go see "Texas Chain Saw Massacre", but if you are ready for a genuinely scary movie, go rent or buy the 1963 version of "The Haunting".

"The dead are not quiet in Hill House."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 20 April 2017]

Director Robert Wise was held to a million dollar budget by MGM to make this film, so he had to dispense with ideas he had for eerie special effects. Relying on his own creativity, Wise came up with a competent psychological thriller, though I didn't get the sense that this was all that scary for a horror flick. That's perhaps because one of the principal characters, Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris), carries on conversations with herself in a manner that suggests she may be delusional and suffering from some form of mental illness. The idea was further reinforced for me when her wild mood swings, particularly with Theodora (Claire Bloom), ranged from friendly warmth to psychotic hatred. I couldn't reconcile her behavior with someone who might have been a guest at Hill House experiencing unexplained bumps in the night that would have scared the pants off a normal person.

When I think of scary movies and when I originally experienced them, I always revert back to the Vincent Price creep-fest, 1959's "House on Haunted Hill". The main reason I think that that one affected me the way it did is because I was only about nine or ten when I first saw it, and one knows how impressionable a kid can be. If I saw this one at the same age, I might have formed a different opinion, especially because the film used a lot of great camera angles and offered up a neat batch of horror type elements, like the pounding on the walls, the harp that plays by itself and the breathing door. But in and of themselves, those instances didn't seem particularly frightening to this viewer.

But don't let all that stop you from catching this picture. I thought the film was competently made and the cinematography is quite rewarding. The idea that the house 'wants' Eleanor may have a profoundly different effect on you, whereas her breakdown at the end of the story suggested that her own personal demons were what were responsible for her demise. Now if you want to contemplate something really scary, take note of how much it cost for twenty four hour off-street parking in the city garage where Eleanor kept her car - one would have to pony up a whole two dollars and fifty cents!!!

One of my all-time favorite horror flicks

[Holmesister · 10/10 · 23 October 2005]

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....

Classic horror movie about temporary occupants of a strange mansion begin to face terrifying ordeals.

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 8 February 2012]

Based on Shirley Jackson's creepy tale titled ¨The haunting of Hill House¨, is a suspenseful and frightening terror movie by Robert Wise dealing with a haunted mansion and it was subsequently adapted (1999) by Jan De Bont . It's longly deemed one of the masterly crafted stories of terror ever brought to the screen ; ¨Haunting¨(1963) by Robert Wise , is a gripping film which still packs a punch . Hill House is a hundred-year-old haunted mansion , it is the setting for chosen group . The haunted house has an evil history with tragic accidents, suicide, and human misjudgement. It seems which the eerie mansion has been the place of several killing deaths . A psychologist scientist (Richard Johnson subsequently played by Liam Neeson) is a Pyschic researcher who assembles a group with histories linked to the paranormal . As three people are lured to a ghastly mansion deceived for fake pretenses realized by a psychological researcher . Nell (Julie Harris in posterior remake performed by Lili Taylor) was the subject of unexplained poltergeist activities as a child . She also is riddled with pain over her mother's death . Theo (Claire Bloom , ulterior role by Catherine Zeta Jones) is a clairvoyant who befriends Nell at Hill House . Furthermore , Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn , posterior character by Owen Wilson ) is a cynical scion and Bon Vivant sent to make sure that the property and not affected by other characters . Together the group explore scary Hill House and their own insecurities and finally face off the evil that inhabits with hair-raising results . Through the course of the night some will unravel , some will question , and all will fight for their lives as the house fights back. As the days and nights pass, the group slowly begins to learn the terrifying secret behind the house's former owner. They soon realize that the house is pure evil, and they must battle a terrifying spirit to escape the house of nightmares .

This interesting terror movie is packed with thrills, intrigue, suspense, horror and lots of interminable screams . Acceptable budget , fine performance and exciting issues make for big scary scream-feast and frights . This is a chilling adaptation from Shirley Jackson's novel based on an assortment of ghouls and ghosts and gets a high rating . Splendid Julie Harris as a fragile , lovely youth who results to have unexpected ties to the creepy ghost , she's the mainly redeeming feature of this movie . Robert Wise had seen Julie Harris in a play and decided she was perfect for the leading role. She later confessed that shooting the picture had been very hard on her. She saw her character, Eleanor, in a different way than director Wise but didn't feel it was her place to disagree, so playing the part was a struggle for her . Strange and thrilling musical score by Searle and atmospheric cinematography by David Boulton . Director Robert Wise created a taut drama where the real question is who is haunted and who may be unstable . Robert Wise made the film as a dedication to the memory of his mentor, Val Lewton, who had died 12 years earlier . The picture is very well realized by Robert Wise , a successful director of all kind genres as musical as ¨West side story¨, ¨The sound of music¨ , Sci-fi as ¨The day the earth stood still¨, ¨Star Trek¨, ¨The Andromeda strain¨ and Terror as ¨The body snatchers¨ , ¨ Curse of the cat people¨, ¨Audrey Rose¨ and of course ¨The haunting¨ .

It turns out to be a chiller , being well produced and compellingly directed . And followed by an inferiors sequel (1999) by Jan De Bont, a mindless and average film with all the FX budget can be created and contains several scenes without sense , no logic and in little common to the novel . This is an inferior version that relies heavily on the impressive special effects , however the classic version is the best and the greatest as acting as atmosphere .

This is a horror masterpiece that is very underrated and should be up there with the classics

[kevin_robbins · 10/10 · 29 September 2021]

The Haunting (1963) is a movie I recently rewatched on Amazon Prime for the first time in a long time. A doctor wants to prove a notoriously haunted house is indeed haunted and write a book on his studies. To prove his point he invites a group of people with a history of strange and paranormal events consistently happening around them. When the house grabs one specific member of the group and makes her a target the rest of the groups lives quickly become at risk. This movie is directed by Robert Wise (West Wide Story) and stars Julie Harris (East of Eden), Claire Bloom (Clash of the Titans), Richard Johnson (Zombie) and Russ Tamblyn (West Side Story). The opening narration brilliantly sets up the feel of the film. The cast is very well selected and execute their characters to perfection. The writing for this is awesome and the way the characters backstories are told and the characters are presented if very good. The way the film works in the horror elements around the characters back stories are subtle but very well executed. The cinematography is also excellent the way the house and horror elements are presented and the ending is perfect. Overall this is a horror masterpiece that is very underrated and should be up there with the classics. I absolutely love this film and would score it a 10/10.

The building blocks of true horror

[josephjanz · 7/10 · 28 September 2021]

This is a must see for anyone who follows the horror genre. It is truly amazing what you can accomplish with sound, shadow, and great delivery. This black and white classic will get the hairs on the back of your neck standing up and it does it without blood, gore, or special effects. This film was the motivation for all other haunted house movies to follow it.

The only movie that truly frightened me.

[Vanillaheart · 10/10 · 28 October 2005]

After watching "The Haunting" 1963, I slept with my hands under the covers for 3 weeks.

I was alone in the house, very late at night. Every sound amplified.. I was a full grown woman. For Pete's sake, I have watched almost every monster movie made. Even the original "Wolfman." Hummm, I could handle this.

Wrong! I have never been so frightened in my life. Who or What was holding her hand??...

The door at the top of the spiral stair almost gave me a stroke.

This movie made a believer out of me. The sound effects, the lighting, the "breathing door", plus the fact it was Black and White.. The house, well don't ask me to attend a dinner party there. You will be eating alone.

Perfect movie for Halloween.

I give this movie a "10", The "remake" ?? Was that from the same book?

Nuff Said.

"You may not believe in ghosts, but you can deny this movie."

[Jonny_Numb · 7/10 · 1 July 2006]

I was pulling for "The Haunting" for the duration of its 112-minute run time...I kept thinking all the proper elements were in place for a good scary movie, but something just didn't click. The film is well-acted by a group of familiar faces (Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn), Robert Wise ("West Side Story")'s experienced direction is top-notch, and the subtle manipulation of light and shadow produces ample chills. Why, then, was I so disappointed in the end? Like the haunting of Hill House, there might be no rational explanation. However, there are some noticeable flaws that keep the film from potential greatness: the dialog is poorly recorded and often difficult to make out (even on the current Warner DVD); the acting, while good, is in service to characters that are generally unlikable, thus axing the human element of the story (Julie Harris' neurotic voice-over narration is incredibly annoying); and on the whole, the film is just too talky for its own good, to the point where the scattered scare scenes are undermined by the relentless, silly blather. Overall, "The Haunting" is worth seeing at least once, as it is not a "bad" film by any stretch of the imagination...but it really could have been so much more.

The Haunting (1963) **

[JoeKarlosi · 5/10 · 29 August 2006]

I like Robert Wise as a director a good deal of the time (THE BODY SNATCHER; THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN). But only recently did I finally get around to seeing this so-called horror classic called THE HAUNTING, and it was quite underwhelming for me, unfortunately. I have always appreciated subtle and atmospheric horror flourishes and they're not typically lost on me; I really enjoyed the opening and the first half hour or so, where we are introduced to the quirky characters (particularly the neurotic Eleanor) and to the creepy Hill House, with all its spooky history and grandeur. And then the talk, talk, talk set in, with not much else to sustain my interest. This is considered possibly THE greatest "haunted house" film of them all, but that is a consensus of opinion I just can't share. For me, James Whale's THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) still takes that honor. ** out of ****

Scariest movie ever

[grrshimaD · 10/10 · 25 September 2005]

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.

Unexplainable Evil

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 11 September 2018]

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 balcony scene which made me jump and was another that gave me a cold chill. This film has lots of memorable moments that actually gave me genuine chills. From a simple scene where we suddenly see the doors to the Nursery Room are just open, that gave me an arctic chill because I know the doors were perfectly locked there was no way in or out, I remember thinking, "Alright, I know I didn't open them and neither did any of the group." And of course, that scene in the bedroom, that turned my blood to ice as we see the aftermath once the lights are turned on.

However, I think what really made the film scary is its enigma. The whole mystery surrounding Hill House to this day has no explanations, you guess is as good as mine. I really like that it's enigmatic it really ads to its menace making the house an unpredictable force of evil. But also, this is a film where as you watch it again you sometimes are able to uncover more but also draw your own analysis/conclusions.

I have really only three possibilities I drew up, One the previous owner Crane possibly dabbled in black magic, may 'be summoned some demons and didn't put them back. One scene we see some really bizarre books in the library scene which are nursery/fable books aimed for kids. But the content of them is very disturbing let alone I hardly consider it children's literature as each of the pages contain forms of sadistic consequences and abuse for every supposed bad thing they do. But also, the pictures are of demons and devils tormenting mortals. This made me wonder if Crane could have been part of some cult as these aren't the kind of books you find at a "Barnes and Noble".

Another is on Elenore being a reincarnate of Crane's daughter Abigail Crane. Throughout the film you do see some uncanny parallels of both the history of the house and Abigail but also Elinore's life also which in a way set up eerie foreshadowing. As we discover Abigail did suffer from abuse from her father just as Elenore suffered abuse from her mother, and also, we see how both the death of Abby and Elenore's mother are similar. Could these things somehow be the reason the demons of the house are targeting Elenore for history to repeat itself.

Though the other is Elenore herself, throughout the film there is this interesting character study on Elenore whom is the one protagonist that is from beginning to end having the hardest time of all. She's a person that clearly suffers deep depression that is taking its toll on her. She also suffers denial which has made her repress certain truths mainly about herself but worst of all not dealing with her personal trauma from the abuse she suffered from her ailing mother, which built more and more like mildew. Elenore is never truly secure and has little freedom from the time she was taking care of her mother to even afterward, has no place to really call home, no real family, but worst of all no life of her own which sucks.

But we hear that Elenore has psychic power as she told a little story about her past on exercising telekinesis. I can't help but think Elenore may 'be more powerful than she thinks but doesn't realize it, somehow the energy of the house has triggered it and made it work subconsciously. I'm thinking with these powers either she either inadvertently has summoned the demons in that house and their preying on her anxieties, or she has somehow made all her psychological demons manifest and is inadvertently making most to everything in that house happen. Like that message on the wall for her, could actually be message she made in her mind for her need for a home to call her own but also a sense of a family waiting for her to come home. I don't know like I said before I'll let you draw your own analysis/conclusions.

Overall if your into the supernatural subgenre of horror this is a vintage classic worth entering if you dare.

Rating: 4 stars

More faithful to the book

[To'kun · 3 January 2003]

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.

A good old fashioned ghost story

[dandbhouse · 7/10 · 10 April 2021]

This is a good old fashioned ghost story made by a master director. It is done in beautiful black and white which adds to the mood. There is no gore, no violence. It is purely based on you buying into the premise of the haunted house and the haunting of the minds of the people who are investigating the ghostly phenomenon in the house.

Caution: Must Possess Imagination To "Get It"

[afreimann · 10/10 · 5 August 2004]

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!

Has not aged well

[Figaro 1 · 6/10 · 3 August 2006]

I love a good haunted-house movie that eschews violence and gore for psychological terror ("The Changeling," I think, is an excellent example of the genre) but "The Haunting" falls short in this respect. It is a well-crafted film, especially with regard to the Caligari-like camera-work, but I found myself more involved in the richly appointed sets and imaginative score than I did in the story and its characters. Nell's constant inner-monologue voice-overs not only grew tiresome as the movie wore on, but also looked like a substitute for good screen writing and character development. It was as though she were providing footnotes to the audience so they knew what she was thinking. This may have been OK in the early sixties but now simply seems dated and quaint. The same can be said for the entire Freudian/Elektra-complex/lesbian subplot, which now provokes knowing titters the same way similar themes do in Hitchcock's "Psycho" and "Marnie" (which, however, remain far better and more watchable films). The few scares there were in the movie fell far short of compensating for these defects. Overall the film makes for quite a boring two hours, though it does have an undeniable historical interest.

And whatever walked there, walked alone.

[hitchcockthelegend · 10/10 · 19 April 2013]

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 there…

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 template haunted house movie, accept no substitutes and ignore stupid claims of homophobia, this is intelligent, scary and crafted with great skill. 10/10

Hmmm, Somewhat Over-repped?

[Gislef · 6/10 · 27 July 1999]

i guess I wasn't that impressed with it. It would be nice to say that the slow build-up is a directorial conceit, but it looks like Wise does a lot of his movies (Star Trek I, Andromeda Strain) that way. Sometimes this works (Andromeda), sometimes it doesn't (ST I), and sometimes the result is somewhere in-between. The main problem I have with the movie is motivation: even Eleanor seems to be more nuts than anything else. What motivates the house? What drives it? Is it just evil, or selfish (wanting Eleanor to stay with it?), or what?

As such, the House lacks the personality of, say, The Shining's hotel, and giving it such could have boosted the movie a bit. Richard Johnson doesn't do much for me as the narrator (he kinda reminds me of Vincent Price here), and there's too much focus on Eleanor, which never really becomes a sympathetic character.

On the other hand, yes, Haunting is a terrifying movie. The "horror" moments are well done. You can see where Sam Raimi got some of his inspiration for the Evil Dead movies. But ultimately, I found that the movie just dragged a bit too much.

Great implied and psychological horror

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 20 June 2021]

When director Robert Wise works on a small scale, with oppressive and/or claustrophobic settings, and uses less than mega box office actors, his films are usually good. Examples of this would be "The Set Up," "House On Telegraph Hill," "Andromeda Strain," "Odds Against Tomorrow" and "Born To Kill". It's also the case that when this director decides to go all "epic" on us he's a windy bore. I won't name those films, but you know who you are. Fortunately, this film is in the former category. It's just five characters in a creepy house and it grabs you from the get go with an effective montage of the house's macabre history and keeps your interest with acute examinations of the personalities of the main characters and the fear of the unseen.

What makes "The Haunting" so genuinely terrifying is the subtly expressed theme: that the house gradually devours Eleanor because her sad, pathetic life encapsulates the history of Hill House. This is made even clearer in the novel, where Hugh Crain had two daughters, who hated each other, and whose lifelong feud mirrors Eleanor's loathing of her own sister. Eleanor really has had no life up to this point - as a result she is emotionally all of thirteen. She doesn't get Theo's not so subtle hints that she is attracted to her. She also doesn't get that just because Professor Markway talks to her like a human being does not mean he is attracted to her. She's like the junior high kid in love with her teacher.

It has superb performances, a credible atmosphere, and gorgeous direction and cinematography. If you are after a body count ala John Carpenter look elsewhere, but if you like your horror implied this is worth your while.

a dramatic thriller with subtle horror elements and some great acting

[jdring2007 · 7/10 · 17 March 2022]

One of the most praiseworthy things about this movie are the transitions. Dillydallying with prolonged scenes of walking or driving to sites of interest, introducing new characters through mundane means, or rehashing exposition to other characters, as is so common in virtually all movies, is completely absent here. They cut to the chase every instance and I massively appreciate it. Despite this, it does take a solid half hour to get to anything genuinely interesting. But once it does, the intrigue builds and the eerie atmosphere is perhaps subtler than most horror movies but nonetheless effective. George C Scott depicts a very believable humanity and his reactions feel authentic. Ultimately the film feels more like a drama with a supernatural touch than a genre horror, regardless of the obvious "haunting" theme. Yet at just under the hour mark, things get especially interesting, taking on a "thriller" element. The finale, however, among the collective camera angles, panning, music, and sound effects, all point to horror. The performance of Melvyn Douglas also struck a chord in me. So while as a whole not as grand as I was expecting, it certainly isn't a bad or even mediocre film.

Not impressed...

[dzagar · 5/10 · 15 November 2005]

While the movie is visually quite inventive, overall it is a big disappointment. I'm really shocked by the gushing of virtually all reviewers, most of whom I'm assuming saw it at a young age, possibly when it first came out.

To start, the weakest aspect is Julie Harris' character, who I would agree stands as one of the most irritating leads of all time. This is compounded by the unfortunate choice of making her thoughts audible, which rarely do more than repeat the obvious, in the "wow, I'm really scared and what am I doing here" mode--hey, thanks for filling us in on that! Lastly, absolutely nothing happens for the entire movie! I enjoy slow build-ups, but that is all this movie has to offer. Visually creative, but stick with Psycho or Rosemary's Baby for good examples of '60's horror films...