The Haunting [Blu-ray]

I have loved this movie since I was a child. So much so that I read the book when I was 12. Julie Harris is phenomenal. In my humble opinion this is more of a psychological thriller than horror movie. My daughter loves this movie, too.

Forget the recent cgi-infused, over-the-top remake! Robert Wises 1963 THE HAUNTING is one of the scariest films ever made and the chills are achieved by masterful restraint, rich atmospheric black and white photography and subtle psychology. Todays younger audiences may be perplexed by the absense of visual effects - you never see a ghost or heads rolling around - but yet the film is scary because we are frightened by what we dont see! About the DVD: The image quality is good but a tad disappointing. Darker scenes (of which there are many) suffer the most as blacks are rendered a soft gray. Daylight outdoor scenes and indoor scenes that are well lit look terrific. There are also quite a few noticeable nicks and scratches. However, it is still far superior to vhs quality and it is good to see the film in its original wide screen format. A very interesting commentary features Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn, director Robert Wise, and screenwriter Nelson Gidding. Bloom and Tamblyn (and even Harris herself) talk about Harriss aloofness toward the other cast members (she was so deep into her part of the depressed Eleanor Vance that it overlapped into real life). The screenwriter talks about his initial interpretation of the script (he thought the haunting was purely psychological and not really happening - a point that writer Shirley Jackson told him he was wrong about). Director Wise talks about various aspects of the film, including how they achieved results on such a small budget. Other features include a gallery of stills and a brief essay on the history of haunted house movies. A must have for fans of the film!

I have loved this movie since it first came out a long time ago, but I couldnt find it anywhere so I bought it. Much better than the newer versions. All in black and white with a lot of artistic camera angles, very scary.

Have watched this movie since childhood. Special effect for that period was excellent.

Best black and white spooky movie ever!! I had this in my collection for a while, but someone must have borrowed it and not returned. grateful amazon had this! its my favorite.

This movie is WONDERFUL. It will not satisfy those who love gore and sex in a horror film. The house in this original version of the movie is much scarier than in the one in the remake because it is older and more realistic. Rather than relying on shock and special effects to be scary, this movie is full of atmosphere. The scene where Eleanor sees the face on the wall STILL creeps me out. This is a truly good movie.

This is not only a full-blown haunted house tale but a story of one womans descent into madness. Actually, Eleanors instability is crucial to the plot and finely-tuned in the book version. (Author Shirley Jackson was, to say the least, an unusual sort herself.) Eleanor is weak, flawed, extremely vulnerable, a type of woman virtually obsolete in todays world : the repressed spinster who sacrificed her life and happiness for the needs of her family. Eleanors running commentaries inside her head, her waiting for something to actually happen to her, the fact she thinks of a trip to a haunted house as a vacation, the fact she is awkward in social situations (it was inevitable she would fall for Dr. Markway, likely he was the only man shed had contact with outside of her brother-in-law), all of this adds up to a remarkably sympathetic character. The relationship between Eleanor and Theodora is complex, at least on Theos side, and handled delicately. The house itself is truly beautiful in its creepy way, overwrought furnishings, odd angles, spooky shadows, weird mirrors and all. And the ghostly happenings are as horrific as your imagination wants to make them. As mentioned, this movie was filmed in England. Two trivia asides. In the scene where Eleanor drives out of the parking garage in supposed Boston, visible in the back window of the car are two British bobbies standing on the street. And one of the houses she passes on her way to Hill House has a sign outside that reads, To Let.

I have watched horror movies, read horror books, and listened to horror stories all my life. The genre is a passion for me. I am also a writer who has had several horror stories published in a wide variety of magazines. So I have very strong opinions about what makes a good scary flick. In my opinion this is absolutely the finest horror movie ever made. The strongest reason is its atmosphere. The proper atmosphere is essential to great horror. There must be a sense of isolation, of characters detached from the everyday world of sunlight and sanity. They must struggle against forces beyond their comprehension, fiends that threaten not so much their bodies as their souls. The film catches this type of atmosphere magnificently. From the eerie music tones to the shadows in Hill House, it conveys a sense of creeping menace. The actors and actresses, especially the one who played Eleanor, slowly unwind mentally, letting the evil of the house overcome their defenses. Another principle of great horror is that less is more. Were most afraid of that which we never see. This probably stems from our ancestors the cave dwellers, who would gather around flickering flames at night and tremble at the sounds of things just beyond the pale light of the fire. The Haunting employs almost no special effects, but the ones it does use (the pounding sounds, the door bending in) are just enough to accentuate the films weird atmosphere, creating a true sense of terror. At its best, horror is a peek into another world, one few of us have ever seen but which we all fear exists, where darkness reigns, and the best we mortals can hope for is to survive another day. The Haunting succeeds brilliantly at giving us a glimpse into this world, and for that I applaud it.

Best scary movie ever!

With little or nothing in the way of special effects, this film captures the terror of the unknown in compelling fashion. Instead of spider webs and rotting infrastructure, the haunted house is a solid and imposing structure. No loose floorboards to creak just an intimidating Victorian stone monument. Julie Harris is spectacular in her role as the mousy victim of the houses interest. She is at once needy in the extreme, a willing participant for the hungry spirit of the house, but also easily intimidated by anyone, human or otherwise. It is a sympathetic role, but one which the viewer comes to realize is fated for a bad end. Claire Bloom provides an admirable counterpoint to Harris as the catty clairvoyant. Russ Tamblyn supplies what little grim comic relief the movie offers. The atonal score of Humphrey Searle sets teeth on edge and maintains the proper tension throughout. The video transfer of sharp black and white images is impressive and does credit to this finely etched tale.