The Haunting (1963 film)

The Haunting
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Wise
Produced by	Robert Wise
Screenplay by	Nelson Gidding
Based on	The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Starring	Julie Harris Claire Bloom Richard Johnson Russ Tamblyn
Music by	Humphrey Searle
Cinematography	Davis Boulton
Editing by	Ernest Walter
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	September 18, 1963 (1963-09-18)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$1.4 million

The Haunting is a 1963 British psychological horror film by American director Robert Wise and adapted by Nelson Gidding from the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It stars Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn. The film centers around the conflict between a team of paranormal investigators and the house in which they spend several nights. This film was remade in 1999.

Plot

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Julie Harris), Theodora "Theo" (Claire Bloom), and Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn) accompany Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson) during an investigation into the paranormal. Markway believes that an old mansion with a sinister past called Hill House will provide him with the proof he seeks of the existence of the supernatural. Luke is the next in line to inherit the house, and is volunteered by the current owner to join Markway both as a sceptic and overseer. Nell and Theo are the only responders to an invitation Markway sent out to various people who had come in contact with the supernatural at some point in their lives. After the four meet up in Hill House, strange things begin to happen, most of which seem centered on Nell. She finds that she is both frightened of, and enjoys the attention the house affords her, and becomes drawn deeper and deeper in by the forces within the house.

Cast

• Julie Harris as Eleanor "Nell" Lance
• Claire Bloom as Theodora "Theo"
• Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway
• Russ Tamblyn as Luke Sanderson
• Fay Compton as Mrs. Sanderson
• Rosalie Crutchley as Mrs. Dudley
• Lois Maxwell as Grace Markway
• Valentine Dyall as Mr. Dudley
• Diane Clare as Carrie Fredericks
• Ronald Adam as Eldridge Harper
• Pamela Buckley as First Mrs. Crain (uncredited)
• Amy Dalby as Abigail Crain - Age 80 (uncredited)
• Rosemary Dorken as Abigail Crain's Nurse-Companion (uncredited)
• Verina Greenlaw as Dora Fredericks (uncredited)
• Claude Jones as Garage Attendant (uncredited)
• Freda Knorr as Second Mrs. Crain (uncredited)
• Howard Lang as Hugh Crain (uncredited)
• Janet Mansell as Abigail Crain - Age 6 (uncredited)
• Paul Maxwell as Bud Fredericks (uncredited)
• Susan Richards as Nurse (uncredited)

Production

Production began on October 1, 1962 at MGM Borehamwood, England with a budget of $1.4 million. The external shots of the house are of Ettington Hall, near Stratford-upon-Avon (now the Ettington Park Hotel). Wise used infra-red film for exterior shots to emphasise the "striations of the stone" and make it look "more of a monster house". The film was remade in 1999, also titled The Haunting, but with little critical appreciation.

Reception

On the Bravo network television show 100 Scariest Movie Moments, The Haunting was listed at eighteenth on the list.^{[citation needed]} The Haunting opened in 1963 to mostly positive reviews, including Pauline Kael's, who praised it as "elegantly sinister... good fun".

The film's stature and following has grown steadily since its original release. Director Martin Scorsese placed The Haunting first on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time.

In 2010, Cinema Retro magazine hosted a screening of the film at Ettington Hall, where Robert Wise shot the exteriors. Richard Johnson was a special guest at the event and participated in a Q&A prior to the screening. Johnson recalled that Ettington Hall, now an elegant hotel named Ettington Park, was a private residence at the time and that this was the first occasion he had actually been inside the premises.

Pop culture references

The 1988 alternative/dance single "Cruel Lovin'" by studio group A.K.A., a side project by Kurt Larson and Mithat Konar, contains samples of dialogue from "The Haunting" spoken by Julie Harris, specifically the lines, "The house is coming down around me. The house is destroying itself!"^{[citation needed]}

The 1995 White Zombie single "Super-Charger Heaven" contains film dialogue spoken by Richard Johnson: "Look, I know the supernatural is something that isn't supposed to happen, but it does happen."

The Misfits released a song called "The Haunting" on their 1997 album American Psycho.

Home media

In 2003, Warner Home Video released the film on DVD in its original screen format, including voice-over commentary from its director, screenwriter, and four lead actors.

External links

• The Haunting at the Internet Movie Database
• The Haunting at AllRovi
• The Haunting at the TCM Movie Database
• The Haunting at Rotten Tomatoes