Haunting (The)
- Director: Robert Wise
- Writer: Shirley Jackson; Nelson Gidding
- Producer: Denis Johnson; Robert Wise
CGiii Comment
Atmospheric and really rather scary - especially for its time.
Forget the re-make. It was pants.
The sexual explorations certainly add to the chill - for the early 60s, groundbreaking.
Wise certainly was an artful director.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. As time goes by it becomes obvious that they have gotten more than they bargained for as the ghostly presence in the house manifests itself in horrific and deadly ways.
Cast & Characters
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;
Amy Dalby as Abigail Crain, at age 80;
Rosemary Dorken as Abigail Crain's Nurse;
Verina Greenlaw as Dora Fredericks;
Claude Jones as Garage Attendant