Review of The Haunting (1963) by Vincent C — 16 Feb 2016

I'm probably being a little more than just lenient with my rating, but I did quite enjoy this. It's gathered a reputation for being one of the best American horror films, and I can see why. Simply from the beginning the the film sets an eerie tone that stays throughout the rest of film. The plot is quite simple really, four people meet at a house that is supposedly haunted and they all begin to witness bizarre supernatural things. It's executed very well though and at times it created quite a scare. I think it helps that I watched this at night when I was all alone and when it was over I had to listen to some music to help myself go to sleep. The second half of the film really got into my head and I was definitely scarred.

Now, in order for this film to work the leading actress, Julie Harris really had to sell the role and she did just that. She plays a woman that feels guilty for her Mother's death and when she gets to the supposedly haunted house the house seems to want her. She feels it and the longer she's at the house the more she doesn't want to leave. Some people say that they didn't find this film scary and it does make sense. To be honest, before I even watched this I wasn't expecting to be scarred like I was. The problem is, I think, that the "horror" provided in this film is psychological. The viewer never sees the ghosts and for all we know each one of the characters could just be losing their mind. However, it did have an affect on me, but it wasn't until some of the later scenes. This film is certainly worth a look, especially those into old Hollywood horror flicks.