My Review of The Haunting (1963)

 

Written by Nelson Gidding 

Directed by Robert Wise

Eleanor: "Hill House has stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Within, walls continue upright, bricks meet, floors are firm, and doors are sensibly shut. Silence lies steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House. And we who walk here... walk alone."

A few months ago, I went on a Mike Flanagan Netflix miniseries binge watch and I absolutely loved The Haunting Of Hill House. As a result, I had to watch other adaptations of Shirley Jackson's classic book. This one in particular.

Somewhat closer to the book than the popular Netflix miniseries or the 1999 movie (that'll be next week), this adaptation continues to prove that some of the scariest movies really are in black and white.

You get a brief rundown of the titular house and the Crain family and the amount of death that seemed to coincide after they had purchased the house. Hugh lost two of his wives and while his daughter, Abigail (Amy Dalby) lived to an old age, she also died along with her nurse companion. 

Anyways, in more recent times, you've got Dr John Markway (Richard Johnson) who not only narrated the previous events of the cursed house but also enlisted three other people to spend time in there to investigate the paranormal activity. Those three people were something of a mixed bunch.

There's playboy, Luke Sannerson (Russell Tamblyn), who was also a distant relative of a past victim along with the bohemian psychic Theodora (Claire Bloom) and Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Julie Harris), who had past encounters with poltergeists as a child. Those experiences would prove to be both handy and fatal for Nell.

As the movie went along, the house certainly had it's fair share of paranormal activity, terrifying the foursome at various points, along with Markway's wife, Grace (Lois Maxwell). There's links between previous victims and the main protagonists, with Nell feeling more of a connection to the house than others and given it's history, it did get one victim trapped within its grounds.

- There's strong supporting roles for Mr Dudley (Valentine Dyall) and his wife (Rosalie Crutchley).

- The original cut had monologue from Mrs Sannerson instead of Dr Markway.

- Although it's not as overt as later adaptations, Theo's definitely attracted to women in this movie.

- Chronology: 1960s Massachusetts, though it was filmed in the UK.

The Haunting is an absolutely fantastic first adaptation. While it did strip some of the elements down, it's done in a good way and kept enough to really elevate the material. The scares are effective, voiceovers suitably haunting and lead performances are excellent.

Rating: 9 out of 10