Directed By: Robert Wise
Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson
Tag line: "You May Not Belive in Ghosts, But You Cannot Deny Terror!"
Trivia: Martin Scorsese has stated that THE HAUNTING is his favorite horror film of all-time
“An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country just waiting to be explored”.
This is how the narrator of 1963's The Haunting describes Hill House, a bleak, barren old structure that has “stood for 90 years, and might stand for 90 more”. He continues that the house is “now silent, and whatever walks there walks alone”, but when a few brave souls venture inside, the spirits that occupy Hill House break their silence in a big, big way.
Arguably the finest haunted house film ever made, The Haunting will have even the sturdiest members of its audience deathly afraid of things that go bump in the night.
The “brave souls” I speak of include Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson), a researcher with a keen interest in the supernatural and the man who arranged this little expedition. Of those he invited along, all chickened out but three: Theodora (Claire Bloom), a medium with an unusual personality; Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House and wishes to dispel the ghostly "rumors" that surround it, and Eleanor Vance (Julie Harris), a lonely spinster who has spent the majority of her life caring for her sickly mother.
The “brave souls” I speak of include Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson), a researcher with a keen interest in the supernatural and the man who arranged this little expedition. Of those he invited along, all chickened out but three: Theodora (Claire Bloom), a medium with an unusual personality; Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House and wishes to dispel the ghostly "rumors" that surround it, and Eleanor Vance (Julie Harris), a lonely spinster who has spent the majority of her life caring for her sickly mother.
Eleanor - called “Nell” by her friends - was chosen because, as a child, she supposedly witnessed a supernatural event (for two solid days, her family's house was bombarded by stones that fell from the sky). Of the four, it is Nell who has the most acute sense of what transpires inside Hill House, as if the walls themselves were calling out to her.
Over the course of several days, the others will come to fear Hill House. For Nell, it's like she has finally found a place to call home.
So many elements blend together perfectly in The Haunting, creating a horror film that, even decades later, will scare the piss out of you. In unison with the black and white photography, which perfectly conveys the dark, shadowy terrain of this most unusual abode, is the camerawork of Davis Boulton, who isn't afraid to tilt and turn his camera, signifying a situation that is quickly spinning out of control. Boulton's unique approach does its part to make this house one of the most fearsome structures in the history of horror movies.
So many elements blend together perfectly in The Haunting, creating a horror film that, even decades later, will scare the piss out of you. In unison with the black and white photography, which perfectly conveys the dark, shadowy terrain of this most unusual abode, is the camerawork of Davis Boulton, who isn't afraid to tilt and turn his camera, signifying a situation that is quickly spinning out of control. Boulton's unique approach does its part to make this house one of the most fearsome structures in the history of horror movies.
And then we have the actors. Claire Bloom brings an air of mystery to Theordora, enough to make the others (and us) question her true intentions, and Richard Johnson shines as the leader who tries to bottle up his excitement for the good of the group.
The key performance, however, is delivered by Julie Harris, whose Nell is a shy, withdrawn woman with a facial tick and a penchant for drawing the attentions of the spirit world. Nell is both terrified and invigorated by the goings-on in Hill House, and, despite the very great danger she is in, decides it's exactly where she wants to be, and where she wants to spend the rest of her days.
With so many excellent parts coming together as a whole, it's little wonder The Haunting is still a highly regarded genre classic.
I love a good haunted house movie, and have seen my share of great ones (House on Haunted Hill, The Legend of Hell House, The Amityville Horror). The Haunting is a masterpiece. Simply put, it is the best of its kind.