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Fresh and Exciting

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

THE HAUNTING is a horror drama about experiences of a small group of people who investigate paranormal phenomena in a haunted house. It is based on the 1959 novel "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson.Dr. Markway narrates the history of the 90-year-old Hill House, which was constructed by Hugh Crain as a home for his wife. His wife and other women who were staying in that house have mysteriously died. The house is shrouded in secrets and mysteries. Dr. Markway wishes to study the reported paranormal activity at Hill House. He has assembled a team of several people, but only two members of the team(two young women) has appeared in the house. There is also a skeptical young man who should inherit the house. During their first night in the house, they are terrified by supernatural occurrences. However, Eleanor, an unhappy spinster, is beginning to feel a strange connection with Hill House...Mr. Wise has tried to cover almost all aspects of a mysterious or paranormal story, such as a scandal, investigation, skepticism and madness. He has blended a paranormal appearance with everyday aspirations and the traumas. The direction is good, but the pace is rather slow. A neo-Gothic scenery fully corresponds with a dark and cold atmosphere. The fear blends into a certain shape of freedom in this film. This is interesting, because the story is basically tragic.Julie Harris as Eleanor "Nell" Lance is a distraught young woman, who is obsessed with an idea to change her life. She has a friend for the first time in her life, next to her is a man who pays attention to her, but she begins to hallucinate and escapes into the unknown. Her scars of the past have attacked her uncertain character. Ms. Harris has offered a good performance.Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway not fully answered to his task as a guide and calm voice of reason. Claire Bloom as Theodora "Theo" is a good support to Eleanor. However, her character has not developed. She is trapped between her fear and a haunted house. Russ Tamblyn as Luke Sanderson is a skeptical young man who changes his character in relation to plots and culminations.A rich idea has offered a poor product.

Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is rightly viewed as a classic of supernatural fiction, felt by some to be the best ghost story ever written (it's certainly one of the subtlest). I've read it at least 5 times and it never loses it's power to enthrall.Robert Wise's movie version, The Haunting, is a pretty faithful adaptation, presenting its four complex central characters marvellously well. Julie Harris, Richard Johnson, Claire Bloom and Russ Tamblyn are perfect casting choices, and there is the house itself...I don't think there's ever been a better "house with a personality" in movies than the depiction of Hill House here. Director Wise had form, of course, in the genre; having previously finished off Curse of The Cat People for Val Lewton and The Body Snatcher, both of which are superb films. The "Lewton Approach" is well served here in what Stephen King once described as "The world's only radio horror movie." That famous scene, where Harris and Bloom cling to each other in sublime terror while SOMETHING pounds on the door outside is one of my favourites in all horror movies. Eleanor even laughs at one point and makes a joke, a knowing comment from Wise, perhaps, on the reaction of audiences to horror movies.The basic plot is simply this: four people spend some time in a supposedly haunted house to investigate whether there is such a thing as the supernatural, and, as one of the four begins to submit to the aura of the house, Wise always keeps a balanced view - is it really largely in Eleanor's mind? Did she write the message to herself on the wall? Or is something really there, walking alone? The travesty of a remake that was produced in 1999 is a fine illustration of how low some of Hollywood movie-making has sunk. A total CGI mess, where the original is a masterpiece. Just my opinion - but this is a truly great film. Watch it at night, in the dark...

I really wanted to like 'The Haunting' because I am a sucker for horror movies with a slow buildup and I had read good things about this one beforehand, but it honestly didn't do anything for me and I'm very surprised about that myself considering its status as one of the greats of the genre.This movie feels dated and I'd be surprised if it could really scare a modern-day viewer in any way at all. There is nothing ghostly going on here except for some late night banging on doors and walls plus some freaky noises. That's about it and that's not enough for a 'horror' movie that runs for almost two hours. Well, maybe if the acting were exceptionally inspired, but it isn't. While the acting from the whole cast is not all bad, it also doesn't stand out, and the dialogues between the characters are mostly bland.I didn't care for any of the characters at all. They are all so unappealing and they act so weirdly, especially the main character, Eleanor Lance, who is one of the most annoying and psychotic persons I have ever seen on screen, and I don't mean that in a good way. She's just distracting and kept me from fully appreciating the good things about this movie that are certainly there.You see, from a technical standpoint, the movie is very well-made. There are many shots to be marveled at, such as a tracking shot up a spiral staircase or inventive shots of doors getting pushed in and such. I can certainly see that 'The Haunting' inspired many movies that followed and I appreciate it for that, but it's just not an effective horror movie for me.

We had a stormy weekend here so we decided to watch some films from my favorite genre...classic horror. I had picked up a TCM collection on DVD that includes a very nice sharp print of 'The Haunting' (1963). It was an okay film, I hadn't seen it in decades. Overall I was disappointed. I remembered it as being much better than it seemed to me now. Perhaps the buildup from all the positive things I've heard and read about it over the years since that last viewing had my expectations too high. I'm not saying it was a bad film, just that I didn't feel it was a great horror film.Here are some reasons I was disappointed. I usually like Julie Harris and I can see what she was trying to do here depicting a damaged, overly sheltered, woman, yet I found her character irritating and unsympathetic. I really didn't care what became of her. She acted too me much like she did as the immature young girl she played in 'The Member of the Wedding' (1952). I felt this part called for something more. I believe a more versatile actress like Deborah Kerr could have taken the character and film to a higher level. Also, there were long stretches of unnecessary and to me boring dialog between the scarce scary moments a horror film calls for. On the plus side when it was scary it did it the way I like, with atmosphere and by forcing the viewers to use their imaginations...not seeing just what is beyond that door making all the noise. I prefer this to the in-your-face gore and senseless violence of many more current horror films.For me 'The Uninvited' (1944), The Innocents (1961), 'Lady in White (1988), 'The Changeling' (1980) and 'Ghost Story' (1981) continue to be my favorite films of this type. I even liked 'The Others' from 2001 better. I realize this movie has many fans, these are simply my thoughts on it.