The Haunting [Blu-ray]

A gift to a favorite aunt who told me about it when I was 10 ! She made it sound so scary; She could never remember the name of the film. I seen it, remembered her telling of the story; (she originally seen it in 1963; told me in 1964/5) For her birthday I sent this to her. (51 years later) She loved it and thanked me over and over. The old flics made us WORK for our fright..using the imagination and suggestion of horror instead of visual, blatant, gore which film wise, does nothing for me. I still give this 5 stars...Auntie told the story well...Scared me to hear it at 10 years old, and still gave me shivers watching it at 61 years old.

Theres probably only one time in my entire youth that my brother and I were in total agreement on something...the day we walked out of the movie theater in Brooklyn in the 60s, after viewing this film. We both were scared out of our socks and thought it was the most frightening movie ever made, challenged perhaps only by the incredible CARNIVAL OF SOULS by Herk Harvey. Either of these would make great Halloween Movie Party Night selections, but I would recommend screening YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN afterward; otherwise youll never get your guests out from under the couch!

I bought this movie because I remembered a special scene when I saw it as a kid. I satisfied my curiosity, but as far as 60`s science fiction movies go I feel it is just OK.

Cant be beat for good old-fashioned TERROR - no need for blood & guts - not with the perfect acting; blatant & unapologetically creepy setting, and great contrast among the protagonists (cool, good-lookin doc; semi-hysterical, mysteriously catalystic Nell; strange and adversarial psychic in denial; and scornful, jaunty, young-man-of-the-world who will eventually inherit the mansion from hell.) This movie was made back in the day where they did not rely on special effects or gruesome visuals to shock (thats cheating, really) - just genuine talent & an intriguing, shivery story. Current horror flicks could (& should) take a lesson.

Every time I saw this movie on TV as a youg boy I ended up having to sleep in my parents room. When, a few years ago, I decided to view it again ( I thought it would be amusing to show my wife the movie that so terrified me as a boy) I rented it from the video store and figured the old movie would be good for a few laughs. After all, Im a grown man now. I mean,I used to think The Crawling Eye was scary! But I must honestly say that The Haunting was every bit as terrifying as I remembered it. My wife was equally impressed. Now I own the video and no matter how often I see it it is never any less spooky. I maintain that The Haunting is the single scariest ghost movie ever made (the remake is a joke). It is the classic gothic ghost story.

...and a good one, too. The film itself is riveting and beautifully constructed, and this DVD gives a great wide 2.35:1 Panavision transfer, showing the grotesque haunted house with a chilling perifery, and not the jumpy P&S close-ups of the original VHS. Best thing about this DVD is the commentary from the whole cast, plus director Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding; great insights (I wont blab anything away), and author Shirley Jackson was in on a lot of the scripting ideas. No doubt, the scariest ghost movie ever, and Im thrilled to have this DVD after a too-long wait.

Directed with restraint by Robert Wise (who later would show us the hills are alive with The Sound of Music), this is proof that less is more. Staying close to the original book by Shirley Jackson, the film builds its chills beautifully through the slow breakdown of its main characters and the imagined fear of what is just beyond camera sight. It is one of the best examples of a goreless horror film, using sound, camera angles, and acting to make the terror come to life.While the 1999 remake certainly has some amazing special effects, it trades sublety and plot (for the most part, only names and some character profiles remain from the novel and the original film) for over the top ghost antics. Fun as that might be, the Robert Wise version is the one that will continue haunting you long after the video has ended.

This is one of the all time great horror movies and I still cant understand how the remake managed to be so horrible! The booming sounds, splintering doors and unknown hands all inspire the imagination to create horrors beyond special efects or gruesome makeup. A movie to watch by yourself late at night! Ive never read the book, so I dont know which version is closer to the original story line, but this version is definitely the best, with Legend of Hell House second--and the pitful 98 remake not even worth watching. The introductory sequence to this movie is not very good--but dont let that discourage you from watching the real movie. This is a great movie-(I own the laser disc but I assume the VHS version is comparable--after all, its the story that counts, not the lines of resolution) Im waiting for the DVD and hoping for some added features--otherwise Ill just stick with the laser!

Great psychological thriller. Well crafted, well acted. You don’t see anything. It’s all mental terror. Your mind creates a deeper, more penetrating level of fear.

That movie not worth looking at the Netflix movie was way better