Review of The Haunting (1963) by Matthew C — 02 Sep 2007

From the beginning credits of the film you know this is going to be a great gothic chiller. The film begins with the sillouehtte of a gothic mansion in the background. The camera is positioned down towards the ground looking up at the mansion, giving the viewer the impression that the mansion is alive and towering over us like a creature ready to devour a victim.

Then comes the ominous voice over narration telling us the infamous and deadly history of the estate. The narrator concludes the chilling history telling us that "Hill House has stood for a ninety years and may stand for ninety more, But whatever walks there walks alone.

" This chilling intro leads us into an equally intense psyhological thriller filled with all the elements of classic gothic horror. This film relies on suggestion, mystery, and story, not on an overabundance of CGI and other distracting elements that prevent lots of modern horror film makers from creating what's important, a compelling story.

This story has to be one of the most compelling haunted house flicks ever made. It's use of suggestion and psychological conflict really gets under your skin and makes you question what is real? Is Hill House really an evil entity, or is the protagonist simply falling into madness; or is it the demonic nature of the house itself that is responsible for the protagonist's descent into dementia? The truely horrifying thing about the film is that these questions are left open ended, and we must come to our own conclusions about the diabolical nature of Hill House.

This is the perfect film to watch at about midnight on a dark stormy night!!!!!