Thursday, October 13, 2011

October Challenge: The Haunting


You have to love a good haunted house movie and this is a good haunted house movie, maybe even the best.
Again, my big surprise is I had never seen this one before.  I did see the 1999 remake back when it was new.

The Haunting (1963)
A great, moody, creepy movie that works on many levels.  Is Nel crazy or is the house haunted? Or both?  I think both.   There is a lot to like about this movie. Here are a couple of things I noticed watching it in 2011.  Amber Tamblyn today looks a lot like her dad did in this movie.  Secondly this movie accomplishes more with less than the 1999 remake.

This movie is almost cliche by today's standards; four people, staying in a haunted house investigating hauntings.  Classic stuff really.  This movie does it without gore, without any special effects to speak off and all with tone and mood.  Honestly I think this movie needs to be required viewing of all haunted house movie directors.
Nel's character is a bit whinny at times and we hear far too many of her thoughts that could have been better relayed through dialog.  Plus I would have liked to seen more psychic power from Theo.

Though now thanks to this movie and The Legend of Hell House and the House on the Haunted Hill (coming up soon I hope, though that one I saw years ago) I think I know exactly what to do if ever I change careers and become one of those guys investigates haunted houses.

Tally: 13 movies, 11 new.

Game material: Fantastic haunted house scenario.  I love how all the doors are off-center so the close an open all the time and how there are no right angles in the entire house.  Plus the history of house can be used as well.


3 comments:

Tim Knight said...

One of my all-time favourite movies and the one I always pull out when people moan that "horror films are all full of gore and violence".

Bizarrely I only really discovered The Haunting after a sequence in Waxworks II: Lost In Time where the characters are sent to a black & white alternate reality based on this movie!

Knightsky said...

Excellent movie. the book it's based on is also well worth looking into.

Jay said...

LOVE The Haunting. Lots to appreciate not only from what it brought to the genre, but just in terms o sheer atmosphere. One of Wise's best films.