The Haunted Review.

The Haunting

1963

[1]

The Haunting is a 1960s horror film directed by Robert Wise and is considered he "little old woman" of the horror film genre. It is a very suggestive film about the study of paranormal activity in a haunted house.

First thing I would note about the film surprisingly is the music used, which is what I liked most about The Haunting. Being a suggestive film (like Cat People, which Wise also has credit for) music is a heavily reliant factor when trying to build an eerie atmosphere, along with the creepy looking house etc. It is very dramatic when need be and definately builds tension in the scary scenes.

[2]The Haunting (1963), Eleanor & Theo

The films characterization is quite varied aswell, each character invokes an intriguing personality but they work together in an odd but successful thematic way. Dr Markway fell for Nell during his study of the house, but didn't make it completely clear. Nell seems to realise this however but never is there a scene of them giving in to eachother, especially after Markways wife turns up to stay at the house.[1] "Theo is an artist and a psychic, and is instantly drawn to the fragile Nell – it’s strongly suggested that she’s a lesbian/bisexual — a fact that is backed up by the sexual tension between her and Nell." (Voodoun Romance, 2010) I also picked up on that wierd relation between Theo and Nell, they always sleep in the same room and Theo is quite "touchy" with Nell and always instigates those situations, Nell however seems oblivious to this. Luke is an arrogant playboy, but is easygoing and likable enough. Mrs Markway is also a bit arrogant but shes not around that long and her role changes towards the end. Dr Markway is the leading figure of the group and holds them together. Overall the acting is quite solid.

[3]The Haunting, 1963, Hill House

Hill House is the main attraction of the film ofcourse, with its cold eerie corridors, organic structure and spooky noises at night. [2]"A particularly interesting aspect of the film is that Hill House can be regarded as a character. It has its own wants and needs, and is an entirely foreboding figure, illustrated even more so by Humphrey Searle’s fearsome instrumental score (even if it is, admittedly, a little overdramatic at times)" (Voodoun Romance, 2010)..This statement can be backed up by the scene where Nell is looking at and reffering to the house saying "he wants me", which is then followed up by quick shots of the empty dark windows and then the door almost as if we are identifying a face. Also in some of the banging crashing scenes in the night you hear a ghostly voice talk to Nell and at one point we see an actual ghost when shes at the top of the spiral staircase.

[4]The Haunting, 1963, Dr Markway & Nell on staircase

The films visual quality is quite good and very effective in black and white, probably more so then if it had been in colour. A downside is that everything seemed to be in the same focus so there was no real sense of depth i.e when looking down long corridors. Also, for a film with the name "The Haunting" you would expect a more horrifying film, this film resides more in a dramatic love drama genre. [3] This is really a film about relationships and the complex triangle (which at various times becomes a weak quadrangle) between Theodora, Eleanor and Dr. Markway (Sponseller, 2001), this is really what the film is about.



Illustration List:

[1] The Haunting, 1963, The Haunting(1963). [electronic print] Available at:
http://www.fatally-yours.com/wp-content/uploads/The%20Haunting%20DVD%20cover.jpg

[2] The Haunting, 1963, Eleanor & Theo. [electronic print] Available at:
http://www.shadowsandscreams.com/storage/haunting3.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1253062686166

[3] The Haunting, 1963, Hill House. [electronic print] Available at:
http://flavorwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/haunting-of-hill-house.jpg


[4] The Haunting, 1963, Dr Markway & Nell on staircase [electronic print] Available at:
http://www.homevideos.com/photos4.00/scifi172.jpeg

Bibliography:

[1][2] Voodoun Romance, 2010, Fatally Yours for the love of horrors. [online] Available at:

http://www.fatally-yours.com/horror-reviews/the-haunting-1963/

[3] Brandt Sponseller, 2001, Classic-Horror.com. [online] Available at:

http://classic-horror.com/reviews/haunting_1963