13 Nights of Shocktober: The Haunting (1963)

by A.J.

This is my favorite time of year, second only to Christmas. Autumn has arrived, the weather is cooling down, and October becomes the month-long celebration of scary movies called Shocktober.  So, in the days leading up Halloween I’ll be posting some scary movie recommendations to help you celebrate Shocktober.

Night 4: Haunted House Night
“A House That Was Born Bad”

The Haunting (1963)

The 1963 version of The Haunting ranks among the top of haunted house movies. Based on the novel by Shirley Jackson and directed by Robert Wise, this horror classic remains just as moody, atmospheric, and scary for viewers today as when it was first released. It is also a great example of a horror movie proving that less is more. You won’t find spectral apparitions or bleeding walls or creatures locked away in hidden rooms, but there is plenty to put you on edge in Hill House.

A prologue explains the dark history of Hill House. It was built in the 1870's by a tyrannical man named Hugh Crane, whose first wife died when approaching the house by horse. His second wife and daughter lived longer but fared no better. It is a spooky sequence that effectively sets the tone of the film. It also efficiently, and spookily, gets a lot of exposition out of the way. The prologue is narrated by Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson), who is investigating the paranormal nature of Hill House with the help of two women, Eleanor (Julie Harris) and Theo (Claire Bloom). Both women possess psychic abilities to some degree. Also with them is Luke (Russ Tamblyn), a member of the family that now owns Hill House. Eleanor, or Nell, as Theo calls her, is the central character and we hear her narrate her thoughts in a thin and distant voice. She feels a connection with the imposing mansion right away and says she feels like she is home. Other times she cannot stand the effect the house has on her. As their stay in Hill House goes on and the paranormal activity increases, it becomes clear that the house has targeted Eleanor.

Everyone in the house believes in ghosts or the supernatural, but Dr. Markway comes across as the skeptic since he has an academic approach to investigating Hill House. Russ Tamblyn as Luke isn’t exactly comic relief but his character breaks the tension and lightens up certain scenes. Claire Bloom and Julie Harris have great chemistry together. As Theo, Bloom exudes a cool, easy confidence that is a perfect compliment to, and exact opposite of, Harris as the meek, insecure Eleanor. Harris does an especially good job portraying a put-upon person that draws as much sympathy as annoyance.

If acting is reacting then the cast has a lot to react to and does so quite well. A lot of horror movies from the classic era have over time lost the full force of their original scare value (though not their overall effect), but the scare scenes in The Haunting hold up to say the least. Using little more than sound effects and well-chosen camera angles, The Haunting creates some truly chilling and scary moments. There are a few well timed pop-up scares, but the scariest scenes involve the characters being menaced by eerie and violent sounds. In one scene the characters are huddled together as loud banging sounds grow closer and closer and the door bulges unnaturally from whatever is on the other side.

From the outside, the imposing Victorian style manor house is shot in just the right ways to make it look like a house that was born bad. Well framed shots of the garish ornaments and statues that decorate the inside of the house add as much to the film’s unsettling atmosphere as its creepy sound design. The film's pacing allows the scary moments to sneak up on you. This is a subtle but frightening film that is perfect to watch late at night with the lights off (and preferably without any interruptions or distractions). Once you watch it, it’s easy to understand why The Haunting is a horror classic.