Rating: 
Summary: Best GHOST movie ever...
Review: This is without exception the best ghost story put on film. Shirley Jackson is proud (the sorry 1999 trash couldn't come close...). This will be coming out soon on DVD, and I can't wait. The Widescreen version has been shown often on TCM. In my opinion, there are only 3 GREAT Ghost movies: this one, "The Innocents" (1961 with Deborah Kerr), and "The Uninvited" (1944, Ray Milland). I can't think of another film that used the viewer's imagination to create terror, without using smarmy special effects. Finally, a DVD!! So...when do we get "The Innocents" & "The Uninvited"? Do the studios know that this is what we want? They're putting so much garbage out there...where's the class?
Rating: 
Summary: Way overrated
Review: Hell hath no greater fury than this film slighted; the almost unanimous raves are sufficient to compel viewers with the slightest pretension for intelligence to fawn in servile prostration to its supposed greatness, apparently.Granted, The Haunting might have been scary in its time, but to a jaded modern audience it is nothing more than a test of stoic resistance to irritation--truly a pathetic loss considering what a great film it could have been had the execution been a bit more finessed. The technical aspects surely could be excused, but it is the directorial decision that is on trial here. With a whiny protagonist impossible to commiserate, annoyingly repetitious voice-over, contrived and stilted dialogues (did people really talk like that then?) The Haunting is interesting only for its attempt to occasion a refreshing change in the horror genre. As a piece of cinema it is a relative success; as a timeless movie for entertainment, it is an unnecessary failure.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever walks there, walks alone....
Review: Without a doubt the finest ghost story ever filmed, and the most frightening. Julie Harris and Claire Bloom give unforgettable performances, nuanced by repression, desire and yes, sheer terror. Director Robert Wise once again affirmed his standing as one of the premier artists of his (or any other) time.
It is troublesome that some reviewers warn younger viewers away from this treasure due to the fact that it has few special effects--this film rather proves that such additions would actually detract from the story. It is, pure and simple, a deeply psychological exploration of both the human mind under extreme stress, as well as a peek into another world.
Are there ghosts in Hill House, or has Eleanor (Julie Harris) simply conjured them with her tortured mind and powerful telekinetic abilities?
We never know for sure (as author Shirley Jackson intended).
This film is remarkably faithful to Jackson's novella as well as to her themes of psychic turmoil and repression resulting from guilt and wasted lives.
By all means AVOID the recent remake (Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones)--it completely ignores the source material and goes the literal route of protraying the ghosts as absolute entities, playing down Eleanor's instability. A really bad film and in no way comparable to the original--as much a travesty as was the recent remake of "Psycho".
The entire point of this exercise is to induce terror in the viewer by subtly encouraging us to weigh the possibility that the events occuring in Hill House are driven by Eleanor's preternatural psychic abilities in combination with her extreme mental distress. Eleanor's existence in Boston is suffocating, both for her and for us. She is repressed in every way, harbors extreme guilt over the death of her mother, and lives the "spinster aunt" life in a controlled, emotionally vacant environment. She is one huge primal scream waiting to erupt.
After all, which scenario is more frightening: actual ghosts or the possibility that one's personal demons could actually be literalized and brought to "life" by the mind alone? For me, the latter scenario is much more frightening, as it implies a complete loss of control over both the mind AND the physical events surrounding you!
Taken either way, the film is both terrifying and groundbreaking by any standards.
A benchmark in psycholical horror for the ages.
Rating:
Summary: The best Ghost Movie of all time!!!!
Review: This is one of those films that dosen't need goring or homicidal killers to scare the... out of you! The original 1963 'The Haunting is the most terrifying ghost movie I have ever seen! It is better than the 1999 remake, The old haunting mansion, and this incredible cast are absolutley spectacular. The background history of the house, and everything in it is unbelievable. I have never seen a more haunting and chilling ghost movie. I have a great DVD collection of them, but this one tops them all. The setting, the plot, and all the characters in it are great! I'd deeply recommend this movie to any Ghost Movie fan! After all these years, it is still absolutley amazing!
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Summary: The most intense use of my spooky side!!
Review: This movie has a really good story, some wonderful actors, a magnificent house, and the most impressive use of my startle reflex. I loved this movie. It keeps you watching, keeps you guessing, and scares you silly. The remake done a few years ago was more computer aided wizardry. This original makes your imagination work for the screams and they last a long time and are just delightful. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful movie.
Rating:
Summary: Horror "done right"
Review: This movie is a great example of what truly frightens us: The Unknown! Forget the stupid slasher, blood-drenched excuses for fright that saturate the movie market. The special effects in those movies are so obvious as to be laughable. What sets this original version of The Haunting apart is its ability to bring us close to the types of situations we all might really confront, things that "go bump in the night," and for which we never seem to have a good explanation. Even adults are genuinely frightened by the possibilities that are presented in this film.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best ever...
Review: Robert Wise's 1963 "Haunting" is one of the great gothic ghost flicks ever. Period. Filmed in glorious black and white with a great cast, this is a wonderful example of how sound and insinuation do more to frighten you than expicit graphic violence and gore. The downside is that the script is a bit cliched, like an old 50's romance (Oh Nell....my dear sweet Nell...). Apart from that, I believe it is a nearly ideal story with superb subtely naunced performances. A bit risque for it's time with thinly veiled innuendos: Eleanor and the good Dr., Theo and Nell, and Luke with his drink. A good cast led by Richard Johnson as Dr. Markway and Julie Harris as the socially stunted Eleanor, with Claire Bloom as the flamboyant Theo and Russ Tamblyn as the thirsty and fast-living sarcastic Luke make for a wonderful down played ensemble. Even the minor roles are well done, especially Mr. and Mrs. Dudley, who are superior to their counterparts in the terrible remake. The most effective scenes are where you see nothing (save for a message on a wall or a twisting doorknob), but hear plenty. And what is this entity that calls for Nell? We don't know, and we don't care! Somethings are better left veiled without the explanation of an old Indian burial ground or the revealing of Nell's intricate family history which was made up for the unimaginative remake. Nicely enhanced by a tremendous score, this isn't a film to make you jump at every corner, but will,through atmosphere and subtlety, make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and have you reach for the light switch. Let's just hope that the DVD
does it justice! While there are less than a handful of innovations or improvements in the remake, such as the opening scene with Lili Taylor arguing over her mother's apartment, or the subtle movements of figurines on the mantles, there is little else to remotely reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Oh my god!!!
Review: This is one of those films that can scare the poo out of me. No blood, no gore. Just a total mind game. I slept with the lights on for a week after this flick. It doesn't need the usuall things that follow a horror picture now, it messes with you the way it should. Way better than the remake, even without Zeta-Jones eye candy. Get this DVD and be prepared to have some bad dreams.
Rating:
Summary: The Granddaddy of Haunted House Pictures
Review: "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality... Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within... silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone." Thus begins Shirley Jackson's classic and harrowing tale, "The Haunting of Hill House." (If the last part of the introduction sounds vaguely familiar, perhaps that is because Stephen King quoted it in his novel, "The Shining" - a modern master paying homage to an earlier one. This first - and finest - film version, made by Robert Wise (who also gave us "The Sound of Music"!), has a stand-out cast headed by Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn. And Hill House. (Though, for some reason, the director couldn't quite find a house to his liking in New England, where the story takes place, so went "across the pond" to England to find one.) Although some changes were made between the novel and screenplay, the result is a truely terrifying film - in a cerebral way. If you're looking for graphic mayhem and gore, try the remake - or any number of "dead teenager" pics. THIS is the genuine article: four people reasearching the supernatural take-up residence in an old New England house reputed to be haunted. This proves to have been a very bad mistake. Filmed in superbly atmospheric black and white by Davis Boulton and employing a specially ground lense for many of the interior shots, which adds to the mounting sense of unease and discomfort for the viewer (especially when seen in widescreen), "The Haunting" is a true classic. There are some memorable special effects in the "less-is-more" genre (one was borrowed by Disney for their Haunted Mansion). Well-paced, the film is centered upon the supernatural haunting within Hill House, and the haunting torment within the mind of Eleanor Vance (Julie Harris), for whom the house reaches. There is no contest. As The New York Times said in a review of this picture once, "A truely terrifying film...see it with a friend."
Rating:
Summary: A chilling, sinister, sophisticated things that go bump
Review: It is not often I love a book and go on to enjoy the Movie adaptation. To Kill a Mockingbird, comes to mind. But this is the case with the marvellous movie The Haunting. Since I adore spooky, sinister tales, I treasured Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. And forget the silly, inane remake, this is the Mount Everest of Haunted House movies, only rivalled by The Legend of Hell House made nearly a decade later with Clive Revill, Pamela Franklin and Roddy McDowell and the Innocents with Deborah Kerr and Pamela Franklin. These three would make a super triple-feature of Houses with Things that go Bump, since all three deal not only with the supernatural, the complexities of the mind, but the force of the will lingering after death. The Haunting is a rather faithful adaptation of Jackson's dark and spooky novel. The key word being spooky - not gory. If you are looking for buckets of blood, search on. This is a sophisticated movie that chills rather than shocks. Staring the gorgeous Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway, a man determined to prove ghosts do exist. And since he believes he will find them at Hill House, he arranges with the current owner to rent the house to carry out his research - though part of the pact is he must accept her grandson Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblin) to keep an eye on things. Markway invites a wide range of people to come and take part, people with a past that showed their lives were brushed by the paranormal. However, only two come: Theodora, a clairvoyant with vague lesbian hints played by Claire Bloom, and Eleanor Lance brought to aching life by the brilliant Julie Harris. Eleanor is a timid woman, browbeaten her whole life. She spent her youth tending her ailing mother and is now forced to live with her sister and her family. They are quick to take her money for rent, but show her little respect. In her one act of rebellion in her whole life, she accepts the invitation from Markway. When she arrives at Hill House, no one is there except a cranky gatekeeper and his equally cranky wife, who inform her they leave when it gets dark and there won't be anyone to help her. Eleanor gets spooked, but finds Theodora, a chic, smart woman with a biting sense of humour. Despite the women being total opposites, they instantly like each other and set about to explore the dark, brooding and nearly suffocating house. Just as they are about to panic, they stumble into the dining room where Markway is. He performs introductions, and takes them on a tour, while giving the strange history of the house. Seems despite the house's ancient feel it is not that old. Hugh Crane built it for his first wife. However, she never saw the house, being killed as the carriage crashed into a tree on the way to occupy it. We learn Hugh was an overbearing, macho, zealot who tormented his daughter with devils and Hell rather than nursery rhymes. The second Mrs. Crane met an equally strange death in the house, leaving it to go to Hugh daughter, Abigail. She grows old and dies in the room that was her nursery, tended by a nurse/companion. Since there was no family, the nurse inherited the house. However, her enjoyment is short lived, as she later hangs herself from the ceiling in the library. Since then, no one has been able to live in the house. It is not long before all sorts of sinister and chilling todos begin plaguing the women, especially Eleanor, for it seems the House has targeted her, even to a mysterious "welcome home, Eleanor" scrawled across the wall. Eleanor begins to remake her
image into the person she would like to be in her heart. She starts to have romantic illusions about Markway, only to have them shattered when his strong willed wife ( Lois Maxwell, Moneypenny from the Connery Bond films!!) shows up demanding he stop this nonsense about ghosts. The movie is quite believable, walks the thin line in the Henry James' Turn of the Screw style story, of how much is real and how much is within the mind. The acting is faultless with the four leads turning in understated, yet oh so perfect performances. In Black and White, I could not imagine this movie in the brilliant washes of colour needed for colour filming. The dark lensing of The Haunting lets those shadows rule and give it threatening, disturbing feel that sets the tone for the movie. So turn out the lights and enjoy one of the best haunted house film, and if you are lucky enough have that triple feature with The Innocents and The Legend of Hell House! A great way to spend a rainy Saturday night!
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