Tonight's Midnight Movie: "The Haunting"

Year: 1963
Actors: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn
Director: Robert Wise
Formats: VHS, DVD
Price: £3.49

Mini Review

Do you believe in ghosts? Well a stay at the house on the hill will help you find out. A psychiatrist invites three guests to take part in supernatural research. The guests are given the run of the old Hill House and are asked to report on any goings on. As you can imagine it isn't long before things start going bump in the night. The activities seem to be targeting the most nervous guest, Nell. The mystery of the knockings and banging continue throughout the movie and create quite an oppressive feel. I did find that I wanted to know the source of the occurrences but was not overwhelmed by the "solution". What will the verdict on the ghost be? True, false or something else. Whether you are a seasoned mystery/haunted house movie goer or just venturing in to the genre, this is a great example of a well made movie.

Verdict

I'm always in two minds about this movie. On one hand it is a great watch and would definitely recommend for haunted house movie lovers. There's a strong plot development and the "ghosts" are an interesting take on what should make us afraid. The acting is also rather good for this genre. It's all too easy to put some strangers in a big empty house and the whole movie go very dull, thankfully the actors keep the plot going at a nice pace.

The reason I hesitate in getting too excited about this film though is that it is a little bit predictable. As I had such high hopes for this movie based on other reviews I think that it doesn't quite live up to the ground breaking reviews that it often receives. However, I can honestly say it is a good movie and very cheap to pick up on DVD these days. Give it a go, you may really like this one.

Pros: Very solid movie, good acting and good old fashioned story telling.

Cons: The character of Nell tends to annoy me a bit due to the persistent whining. Overall the story is reasonably predictable if you are familiar with haunted house movies.

The Haunted Cinema Rating: 7 unseen ghosts out of 10.

If you liked this try: The House On Haunted Hill,

Should our review not be enough for you try these links.

IMDB: The Haunting

Wikipedia: The Haunting

Amazon: The Haunting [DVD] [1963]

The Haunting (1963) Trailer

Happy hauntings, Jiblet.

Your views: Watched this? Own this? Recommend this? Have a question about this? Please feel free to comment.

Tonight's Midnight Movie: "The Woman in Black"

Year: 1989
Actors: Adrian Rawlins
Director: Herbert Wise
Formats: VHS, DVD
Price: £17.99 (due to a limited production number)

Mini Review

It's a simple set up. A young lawyer (Arthur Kidd) has been appointed to take care of the estate of a recently deceased lady. Her estate just happens to be in one of the most isolated and creepy marshes ever! Arthur soon arrives to the conclusion that something isn't right with the house, especially after an early encounter with the Woman in Black overlooking her own funeral. Arthur continues his business in the isolated house, trapped by both the incoming tide as well as the fret (sea fog) that surrounds the house.

As you can imagine, there's not too much dialogue but there is a lot of haunting music and silence. Can Arthur get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds him? is he mad? is their a ghost? It's a gripping movie that delivers genuine spine-tingling thrills.

Verdict

Pros: Yes, yes, yes! This is ghost story telling at it's best. There's elements of suspense, story development and above all it's easy to feel the same sense of unease that Arthur Kidd is experiencing throughout the movie. Do not hesitate, this is a best in class ghost story.

Cons: I nearly s*it my pants I jumped so much at one scene in particular (you all know which one). My advice is not to sit too close to the TV in the dark with the sound on high the first time you watch this one.

The Haunted Cinema Rating: 10 night terrors out of 10.The best of the best ghost story adaptations.

If you liked this try: The Haunting,

Should our review not be enough for you try these links.

IMDB: The Woman In Black

Wikipedia: The Woman In Black

Amazon: Woman In Black

Happy hauntings, Jiblet.

Your views: Watched this? Own this? Recommend this? Have a question about this? Please feel free to comment.

Tonight's Midnight Movie: "The House on Haunted Hill"

Year: 1959
Actors: Vincent Price
Director: William Castle
Formats: VHS, DVD
Price: £2.99 ($6)

Or watch for free at the bottom of this post! :-D

Mini Review

I reccomend buying the DVD as you will want this in your collection in decent quality. There's many editions, various cheap options, the re-mastered versions and very excitingly a re-mastered coloured version! It's a little "Pricey" but the re-mastered colour edition is worth the money.

I have all three but for this review I'm watching the re-mastered black and white edition as it's perhaps how the majority of viewers will see this for the first time. I first saw this one as a young boy back in the '80s and have had a lasting love of Vincent Price's work and haunted house movies ever since.

Vincent Price plays the role of a rich businessman who will financially reward his five guests ($10,000) provided that they can survive a night in the House on Haunted Hill. Price and his wife Annabelle hold a dinner party with a difference. Guests are given "Party Favours" in the form of hand guns (only in America). The guests themselves are a collection of locals, there's a pilot, a secretary, a psychiatrist, a writer and the house owner. All of which have a reason for wanting the cash reward more than most. Can they survive the many ghosts that are said to haunt the house?

The plot plays out with a creepy mystery/who dun'it/haunted house vibe. As the film is so story driven I don't want to give anything away here. There are jumps and scares along the way. It all hangs together very pleasingly as Vincent Price camps it up but at the same time seeming utterly convincing in the role. There are moments when you want to shout out "Don't separate in to groups you fools!" but it's all part of the nature of the film.

Verdict

Pros: It's well written, has solid pacing and above all it is story driven. The lack of special effects and the setting of a creepy looking house are what gives this film a delightful classic feel that is as watchable today as it was back when it was released.

Cons: I'm really struggling. There is one small nag I have regarding an event with a rope that looks/behaves supernatural yet isn't really explained how this happened. Overall though I'm literally picking at the most minor of film quirks.

The Haunted Cinema Rating: 9 disembodied heads out of 10. An absolute must for any haunted house fan.

If you liked this try: The Haunting, House on Haunted Hill (1999),

Should our review not be enough for you try these links.

IMDB: House On Haunted Hill

Wikipedia: House On Haunted Hill

Amazon: House On Haunted Hill [1959] [DVD]

"The House On Haunted Hill" Full Movie.

Happy hauntings, Jiblet.

Your views: Watched this? Own this? Recommend this? Have a question about this? Please feel free to comment.