The Haunting (Original)
Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard JohnsonDirector: Robert Wise
Year of Release: 1963
Robert Wise directed this between West Side Story and The Sound Of Music. And though it isn’t as grandiose as either of those, it is still an exceptional movie executed by a very talented director. It’s essentially a ghost story, and what I like about it is that it simply relies on sounds, shadows, and camera work to convey the terror. Shot in gorgeous black and white, it leaves more to the imagination than anything else, and that is always more effective at scaring the audience.
The Haunting is a horror story based in a Shirley Jackson novel. It centers around a house that is supposedly cursed and filled with a powerful negative energy. 4 people come to the house to investigate the paranormal activity. One of the characters, Nell, gets carried away by the house and is driven a bit crazy. There is a lot of inner dialogue going on with her as she becomes more and more enveloped in the house.
The house is pretty grand. It’s huge and you could easily get lost in it. And of course every shadow seems menacing. Loud noises plague the halls, unexplained coldness and footsteps. It’s very simple yet very well done. Even for an old black and white movie, it’s quite a scare.
There was a remake in 1999 which was less than appealing. Let’s look at that one.
