Review of The Haunting (1963) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011

The best haunted house movie ever made! A professor (Adam) is investigating the notoriously haunted Hill House, but as help he hires six people. Only a few show up, including the lonely, creepy Eleanor (Harris), the mysterious psychic Theodora (Bloom), and a determined college student (Tamblyn).

Things get weirder the longer they stay, but it all suspiciously seems to be aimed toward Eleanor. Why? "The Haunting" was named the scariest movie ever made (I read it on Wikipedia), and even though it isn't, I LOVED IT.

This movie is remarkable. Look at the William Castle gimmick ghost movies-- they are nerdy and have terrible actors. This however, is quite the opposite. Robert Wise was smart to use only strange noises for the ghosts and not silly moaning like most people, because it added the scary effect to a higher level.

While are the actors are good (look at Lois Maxwell who would play Moneypenny in the James Bond series later on), it is Julie Harris that stands out. Though she made few movies, this out of all of them is her best performance.

She got very into her character at the time of her portrayal, and mocked how Eleanor acted in real life. That was a good choice-- she really seems completely insane in this movie, and that's what she was looking for, so good for her.

Robert Wise caught the horror/ghost movie right in his hand. I wasn't surprised that his direction, considering so many of his movies are legendary. This one stands out for a reason-- he didn't make many horror movies.

I played close attention to his film noir thrillers in the '40's, so this was a completely different experience to see. He was a master in his craft. "The Haunting" is a stand-out movie, and I can't imagine anyone not liking it.