Robert Wise cut his teeth on horror films. He worked with two of the best stars of the genre, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. His past experiences working with the masters of horror, shows in The Haunting. It is a thriller, based on the Shirley Jackson novel, The Haunting of Hill House. It was adapted to the screen by Nelson Gidding, who previously had worked with Wise. The director shows great skill with the camera. This lends to the chilling atmosphere of the movie.
It is Julie Harris who keeps the film moving. She plays a repressed spinster named Eleanor Lance. She is invited to stay at Hill House, by Dr. Markway, (Richard Johnson). He is a psychic researcher, who has rented the house from it’s owner, Mrs. Sanderson, (Fay Compton). The house is allegedly haunted, due to the mysterious deaths surrounding it. Dr. Markway has also invited Theodora, (Claire Bloom). Eleanor and Theodora, have something in common. They are both linked to the supernatural. Theodora has psychic abilities, and Eleanor had an encounter with a poltergeist, when she was ten. Markway is accompanied by Luke Sanderson, (Russ Tamblyn), the selfish nephew, and apparent heir of Mrs. Sanderson. Luke is a skeptic about supernatural things, and is only concerned about remodeling the house he will own one day. Dr. Markway is later joined by his wife, Grace, (Lois Maxwell). The Dr.’s spouse, doesn’t understand his interest in the house. She is only there to accompany him. Lois Maxwell may look familiar. She played in several James Bond films as Miss Moneypenny.
The film, after developing its characters, gets rolling. There are many odd things that happen in the house. They are at first dismissed, but later they are impossible to explain. These happenings at first disturb, and later terrify the characters; even Dr. Markway. The audience later sees that Eleanor, has a strong link to the house. This is shown in gripping fashion, when she climbs an unstable staircase. A resident of the house climbed to the top, and hanged herself. It is one of the most riveting parts of the movie. The house itself seems to have a life of it’s own. A few scenes in the movie not only scare the characters, but has that effect on the audience. One scene even causes Luke Sanderson, to drop his bottle of liquor.
The effectiveness of the movie has a lot to do with the sound department. The recording supervisor, A. W. Watkins, has done a terrific job, of getting the feel of a house full of spirits. The cinematography by Davis Boulton is stunning. He makes the house seem alive. It gives anyone chills. He does a great beginning. There is darkness, and the house slowly comes into view at night. After this, there is an excellent sequence telling the tragic history history of Hill House. Sound and cinematography are a big part of horror films. A.W. Watkins and Davis Boulton have lived up to the legacy of this genre.
It takes a quality director to film various genres successfully. Robert Wise was able to do this. He won an academy award for West Side Story, a year before this movie. He gets a great performance from Julie Harris. She had done a few films, but was primarily a very successful stage actress. After this movie, she expanded her resume, by doing many films and television. She later returned to her first love, the stage, where she won awards and became one of the most famous ladies of the theater. Robert Wise only did ten films after The Haunting. Two of them are significant.They are The Sound of Music, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He won another academy award for The Sound of Music. It was his direction that helped make it one of the best musicals adapted from Broadway. Star Trek: The Motion Picture, launched a film franchise.
There are so many horror films to watch. Some are outstanding, some can give us a laugh. There are many that are mediocre to bad. Some are psychological. This was the Alfred Hitchcock style. The Haunting is patterned slightly after it. It even has a few clues in it, which the famous director called Mcguffins. It doesn’t matter what sub genre it is. This is a very good movie. It would be an excellent idea to watch this with friends. You should keep the lights on in the house, when viewing The Haunting.
Very detailed review of an outstanding horror yarn! Great job and very insightful