412. The Haunting (1963)

Running Time: 112 minutes
Directed By: Robert Wise
Written By: Nelson Gidding, from novel by Shirley Jackson
Main Cast: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Lois Maxwell
Click here to view the trailer

WISE WEEK: PART 2

"Do not watch this one alone!" - That is the citation, as quoted in the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" text and I couldn't disagree with it more. By all means, watch "The Haunting" alone, because it simply isn't that scary and another near dud for "Wise Week".

The title kind of says it all, as "The Haunting" is about a big, supposedly haunted mansion known as Hill House. When the film gets underway, a narration from the character of Dr. Markway (Johnson) is heard, as he tells us all the ghastly details about the tumultuous history of the very evil Hill House. The house was built in the mid/late 19th Century by Hugh Crain and ever since it's inception has wreaked havoc on most of the people who dared call it home. When we snap out of the narration and into the actual plot of the film, we meet Dr. John Markway in person and hear of his plans to inhabit Hill House for an undetermined period of time, so that he can study the supernatural elements that are supposedly at play there. In addition to himself, Dr. Markway will also require the company of a few tagalongs, people who have had experience in the supernatural and won't be quick to laught it all off. One of the people joining him will be Eleanor (Harris), a middle-aged, sheltered woman, who has spent most of her adult life taking care of her sick mother, who has recently passed away. Eleanor is ecstatic about the idea of getting away, as she lives with her sister and isn't entirely welcome there, to say the least. Also joining Dr. Markway are another female and prospective psychic Theodora (Bloom) and the man who stands to inherit Hill House one day, Luke (Tamblyn).

SPOILER ALERT!

I guess my biggest problem with "The Haunting" was the fact that nothing was ever really, fully explained. Now, I realize that this is a horror movie and in most horror movies explanations aren't at the top of the priorities list, but the biggest thing that is never explained is why the house wants Eleanor. In fact, the entire climax of the film (or at least they passed it off as a climax) hinges on the fact that this house will not let Eleanor leave and she will (and does) die before she'll exit through the gates. The character of Eleanor was an interesting one, in my opinion, as she was 100% suited for the confines of a horror movie. In fact, the story she recalls, about midway through the picture, about a storm taking place directly over her home and no one else's, kind of reminded me of "Carrie". There were a few other resemblances to "Carrie", that I picked up on, most notably the way the character seemed to be controlled, all her life, by her mother. But I'm getting sidetracked...

Eleanor WAS interesting, but her character never really went anywhere. Did she die in the end because she was the only one who intended to make Hill House her home? Did Hill House not want to have inhabitants of any kind, especially the kind that intended to take permanent residence there? This is all eluded to, but nothing is ever confirmed and these theories are much too loose to be assumed. I kept waiting for a big moment to come at the end, but it never came. The whole film just seemed like something exciting and ominous was going to be revealed at the end, but I was wrong and nothing really ever came. Visually the film was a home run, as the camera was obviously being moved by a true professional and one who knew exactly what it took to shoot a horror flick. The characters were fleshed out enough and really fantastic, except they were not only confined into an evil house, but also a sub-par film, and never really got a chance to shine. Even acting wise, Julie Harris was fantastic as Eleanor, but it was all lost in a film that simply didn't work for me.

If this journey has shown my anything, it has made me realize that I'm not much of a horror fan. Either that or I'm just very picky about the kind of horror that I'll admit to enjoying. I used to consider myself somewhat of an aficionado when it came to "fright flicks", but with films like this one, "Cat People", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" all coming up short, I'd have to rethink that train of thought. Oh and speaking of "Cat People", this picture was apparently Robert Wise's tribute to Val Lewton films, which may further explain my dislike for it. I'll end my rant there and call it a night.

RATING: 6/10 Not absolutely awful and few key scenes (like the spiral staircase scene, near the end and first instance of Eleanor and Theo hearing the pounding at their door) make it worth, at least, one viewing. But I don't think you'll be wasting the paper and ink to write home about this one. "Wise Week" continues - Next up: "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

MOVIES WATCHED: 362
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 639

December 7, 2011 1:04am