Rating: 
Summary: the best ghost story film ever made....period!!!!
Review: i enjoy a good speical effect(operative word is good)like the
next guy. but it doesnt take a rocket scientest to realize that
the overuse of said effects have generally bombarded us for years. this is why this film is so refreshing in 2004, thank you
very much! if this film can hold up decades later, its got to
be good. im not gonna go on and on here because many people have
expressed exactly what i feel and very eloquently too. suffice to say that you will not be disappointed with this movie. i
love the caretakers wife....."nobody lives nearer than town,
no one will come any nearer than that. in the night...in the
dark."
Rating:
Summary: william moore
Review: It is amazing how a film with so little special effects in this modern day and age can be as hauntingly chilling as this film! Truly one of the best, if not the best, haunted house film ever made.
Rating: 
Summary: Psychologically scary, and well-made for its time
Review: This film is worthwhile if only because it's a shining example of how you don't need gore and special effects to make a film scary. Kids these days might find it boring and dated, but I myself thought this to be a wonderful haunted house tale. I also cannot help but compare this movie to Steven King's television dramatization, Rose Red, in that Rose Red is incredibly close to The Haunting in terms of plot and content. But Rose Red is not nearly so well executed, and relies too heavily on visual shocks/spooks as opposed to the mental aspect, which carries The Haunting entirely. No monsters, no ghosts, almost nothing that we can see at all. And yet this old film delivers shivers and quivers aplenty! I think it's a must for any student of the horror/scary movie genre, and I'm not even a fan of that genre.
Rating:
Summary: Watch Your Step In Here, It's Dark
Review: Man, what can I say that hasn't already been said. This was a great horror experience. And this is truly the only version on film that represents Shirley Jackson's original novel. It is a dark and frightening place these unsuspecting people step into, and it only gets worse.Hill House is haunted, and a parapsychologist (Richard Johnson) chooses three other "researchers" to help him investigate what exactly is going on in this house. However, none of them are prepared for what will unfold. The cast is superb, with Julie Harris playing a vulnerable "runaway" adult trying to gain respect and freedom for herself. Richard Johnson is the brave, level-headed researcher, hoping to find proof of life-after-death. Claire Bloom, sexy and unpredictable, plays the self-reliant psychic with a secret of her own. Russ Tamblyn as the synic turned believer. And watch for a surprising appearance of Louise Maxwell, Bond's Miss Moneypenny. The film is a black-and-white masterpiece of gathering darkness and horror. Robert Wise fought Warner Brothers to keep the movie in black-and-white at a time when all major studios were insisting on color. The DVD presents the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio. The camera work here is tricky and masterful, catching you with odd angles and directions that cause a vague, and growing sense of angst, very much like the narrative in Shirley Jackson frightening novel. The sound quality is excellent. And the extras on this DVD are exceptional, with a full-length commentary including Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Director Robert Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding. Turn out the lights kids, it's the only way to meet this thing; in the dark.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greats, but......
Review: For the movie and the genre I gave this classic a five+. Truly it is one of the best I have seen and it holds up unbelievably well over time. The "but" enters into this with regard to the DVD version. I already own the VHS version and though it was good I figured the DVD version would be outstanding. Wrong!!! A big part of why this movie works so well is the music and sound effects. Naturally when it was released in DVD I figured they would digitalize it into 5.1 Dolby and give everyone an unbelievable surround sound experience. I should have read the sound specs. Needless to say what could have been a great experience turns out to be no better than watching this on your old VCR. Anyway, don't let this stop you from enjoying one of the best ghost stories ever told.
Rating:
Summary: If you're boring -CAUTION - you will be bored!
Review: The feeling of dread - the potential horror of THE HAUNTING is limited only to the potential you bring to it. Can you imagine horrors vile enough to keep you awake at night? I can - and that's what makes this artfully directed film work so powerfully.
Robert Wise lets you know that something is happening - the consumate nightmare- but he leaves enough unsaid so that we must fill in the blanks with our own personal definition of what the worst might be. Unlike later films that rely on full frontal gore and worn out ploys like "the sudden corpse" shot, the haunting quietly but steadily creates an uneasy, morbid tone after which absolutely anything that might happen will seem creepy. If you need an illustrated guide to fear then you will not get this film. If you know a little about fear and revulsion - well - no where else will a little go such a long way.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth watching, not worth treasuring
Review: The most immediately striking thing about this film compared to Shirley Jackson's novel is the character Eleanor -- she's considerably more frantic and unstable that what I had perceived in the novel right from the start. In fact, the on-screen personification of this character is so disagreeable that whatever sympathy you may expect to have for her completely evaporates straight away, which also might explain how the Theo character in the film seems that much more acerbic and cold than in the book. Indeed, the relationship between the two is quite a bit less developed than in the book, however this may not appear to be lacking or problematic to one who has only seen the film. Luke, however, was similar to his character in the book, if not rougher around the edges, and lacking as much charm. The doctor, rotund and scholarly in the book, is found here in the film with more typical leading-man qualities, roughly translating into more of a sex symbol of sorts. The story presented as film itself wasn't the slightest bit scary to my standards, nor was there anything really laughable. It certainly was not completely bad and I'm sure it was a decent date movie back in 1963 when it was on the big screen. As far as comparing it to the 1999 remake, I wouldn't argue that either is better than the other. In fact, the remake did the right thing by not trying to copy this version exactly (an unbelievable occurance in the "Psycho" remake.) I would recommend this film to those who simply like the old black and whites, and have a taste for suspenseful tales. If you scare easily, this might be perfect for you, as I consider it very tame. Read the book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Movie
Review: I love the Haunting. It's one of my favorite movies and I think that it's the best work of Julie Harris and Richard Johnson. It's not just a horror story, but a interesting character study on the main character Eleanor Lance. The GOOD:
You don't have to worry about violence, bad language, and nudity.
A Scary story, and very mysterious too. Julie Harris is terrific as Eleanor. A character that I can closely relate to. You get interesting revelations from the cast and crew about the making from the film. The theatrical trailer is included, and there is a picture gallery that you can look through. The story, the direction, and the acting is perfect and just right. The BAD:
There isn't enough commentary from Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, or Russ Tamblyn. But Richard Johnson (Dr. Markway) gives a full commentary for the film. Overall, this is a classic and brilliant film, which I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Outdated
Review: Although I'm no fan of the boring Jan De Bont remake, the original is much too dated to scare anyone above the age of 8. The Others and The Sixth Sense are much better and much scarier.
Rating:
Summary: The Wise choice for the Occult!
Review: Call it horror or a supernatural thriller, "The Haunting" (1963) ruled out the pitfalls that made others of the genre seem pretentious. On first sight you are treated to a mansion set in an evil aura with baroque décor and looming statues. Doctor Markway (Richard Johnson) presides over the investigation, supplying us with an excellent catalog of phenomena to fuel our apprehension. Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris) is the hysterical spinster whose emotional fears become bound with ours. Then there is the wild soundtrack. Humphrey Searle composed a creepy score with a strong arrangement of brass and strings, creating an abstract and crazy effect to attack the senses. A perfect plot, script, narrative and good casting builds the horror through the viewer's own imagination. The best example of a movie to triumph over gore, intense violence and CGI. More evidence that "black and white" is not an obsolete format but an underused film technique. Robert Wise is a versatile director who showed a genuine skill in fright. You will not find "The Haunting" in any shallow top ten list with other famous horror films. You will find it taking refuge in your personal list of what you fear. A movie with a formula to survive repeated viewing and perpetual quality on DVD.
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