Please don't mistake this film for the remake starring Liam Neeson, which was awful with its laugh-inducing special effects. After watching the original I have proof that Hollywood executives have no idea what makes a movie good. The original flick is not as scary, as it is eerie, while it weaves its intriguing psychological tale. We don't necessarily fear what lurks in the shadowy corners of the screen as much as we fear what lurks in the shadowy corners of the characters' minds.
Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson, 1970's JULIUS CAESAR), a parapsychologist, brings together three people to a haunted house for an experiment. His plan is to bring together psychically charged people into the house to make it come alive. All of his choices back away except for lonely spinster Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris, TV's KNOTS LANDING) and rich socialite lesbian Theodora (Claire Bloom, MIGHTY APHRODITE). Eleanor has cared for her aging mother for years and now that her mother has died she wants to free herself of her boring life. She hides a disturbing paranormal experience from her past deep in her mind. Theodora is snobby and uses her ESP to make harsh observations about people. Rounding out the group is Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn, WEST SIDE STORY), the young heir of the mansion, who really doesn't believe in ghosts at first.
Director Robert Wise (WEST SIDE STORY, AUDREY ROSE) creates a creepy atmosphere and paces the film wonderfully. The script really lays out the characters well and we slowly learn more and more about them. But one must forgive it for the bad jokes using plays on the word ghost. The crux of the story is Eleanor and her increasing attraction to the house. We're set up to like her from the beginning and when we start to doubt her mental stability we care about her future.
This is what sets this horror film above anything made today. The film is about real characters and how the strange occurrences around them play with their minds. Another treat is the style, which I loved. A lot of movies today are so plain -- it really gets me excited to see a film with a sense of flair. Wise uses light and shadow and oft-kilter camera angles to create a great otherworldliness. Too bad the only place I see that is in the horror films on AMC and Turner Classic Movies and not in any films I rent off the Blockbuster new release wall. Classic horror was a mind game, not an endurance race.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
