The Haunting on DVD

Now this is a scary flick!

And you know what? There’s no violence to speak of, no gore, minimal special effects and only one person dies - and that’s at the very end of the movie, in a car accident (or is it an accident?).

In short, this movie has none of the elements modern day horror movies goers have been desensitized to expect.

Yet it’s one of the scariest movies this reviewer has ever seen!

Robert Wise produced and directed this dandy of a haunted house movie. Based on the novel “The Haunting of Hill House,” it’s a genuinely creepy film that’s almost enough to make you believe in ghosts.

Almost….

Wise wisely eschewed gore and the like for The Haunting, relying instead on lighting, mood, direction and misdirection, and things that go bump in the night. By the time the movie’s over, your insides are twisted into a pretzel, and you're really annoyed about it.

It’s really an ensemble piece, with four main characters, but it’s Julie Harris who gets top billing for her vulnerable performance as a woman who’s just too tuned into the horrors of Hill House for comfort.

She’s there at the invitation of Professor John Markway (Richard Johnson), a scientist investigating the paranormal. Hill House has a famed reputation for being haunted, and he wants to bring in susceptible suspects to stay in the house with him and see what happens.

Also along for the ride are Claire Bloom as a flakey psychic, and Russ Tamblyn as the heir to Hill House who’s there to take care of his inheritance.

The only other people around, and only during daylight, are Hill House’s caretaker and his wife. There’s a great scene where the wife rhymes off her memorized instructions to each guest, oblivious or uncaring that they aren’t paying any attention to her. It’s almost like the fine print at the bottom of a TV commercial or contract and is quite humorous.

Then the scary stuff starts. It’s mostly noises, but it isn’t the noises that are so scary - it's the reactions to them by the quartet (especially Harris).

The noises range from muffled wails and footsteps to deafening pounding, and there’s a really nifty scene where a door (with the typical twisting doorknob) appears to actually breathe.

The genius of the movie comes from its restraint. Almost all of the film's terror comes from its characters (and quite a bit is via voiceover “thinking” on the part of Harris’ character). The spirits, which today would be computer generated (as in the 1999 remake), are merely hinted at here and you never really see them at all.

This movie proves that you don’t have to show the scary stuff to make a scary movie. In fact, it works better because of that. Today’s horror movie filmmakers should take a look at The Haunting!

The DVD is excellent. Warners has released it in a pristine anamorphic widescreen version (16x9 TV compatible), and the black and white image is sharp and deliciously contrasty. Audio is Dolby Digital mono and, as with most films of this age, is unremarkable. Your home theater audio system won’t get a workout here, though your heart certainly will!

Extras include an interesting feature length running commentary featuring the four main cast members, director Wise, and screenwriter Nelson Gidding. There’s also a text essay on “Great Ghost Stories,” and a gallery of still pictures.

You also get the trailer.

The Haunting, from Warner Home Video
112 min. black and white, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital mono
Starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn
Written by Nelson Gidding,
Produced and directed by Robert Wise

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