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Movies / On DVD / The Haunting
The Haunting

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The Haunting (1963)

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Reviews Counted:33

Fresh:28

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.8/10

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: A paranormal investigator invites a trio of people to help him examine Hill House, a sinister family estate haunted by the angry souls from its troubled past. While Eleanor (Julie Harris) looks for... A paranormal investigator invites a trio of people to help him examine Hill House, a sinister family estate haunted by the angry souls from its troubled past. While Eleanor (Julie Harris) looks for an escape from the memory of her recently-deceased mother, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the history of the huge, ominous house. Based on Shirley Jackson's lyrical novel, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, and one of the most frightening psychological horror films ever made, featuring virtually no blood, gore, or monsters for its effective scares. [More]

Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn

Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Lois Maxwell, Valentine Dyall, Fay Compton, Rosalie Crutchley, Ronald Adam

Director: Robert Wise

Director: Robert Wise
Screenwriter: Nelson Gidding
Producer: Robert Wise
Composer: Humphrey Searle

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Haunting

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A dark brooding atmosphere, disturbing psychological insights and a handful of suddenly executed surprises make this old horror as fresh and vital as the day it was made.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/19/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Properly creepy, unlike like the dodgy remake.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/25/07
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What makes the film so effective is not so much the slightly sinister characterisation of the generally neurotic group, but the fact that [director] Wise makes the house itself the central character, a beautifully designed and highly atmospheric entity.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
09/23/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
12/05/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

You might not have a lot of answers by the end but you'll find various scenes stay with you long after the movie is over.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/13/01
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The horror remains admirably attuned to the sense of solitude in a premature spinster

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
09/06/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

People stare about in terror and squeak: 'The house, it's alive!' The picture, it's dead.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/19/08
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The artful cinematic strokes of director Robert Wise and staff are not quite enough to override the major shortcomings of Nelson Gidding's screenplay.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/25/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An undeniably effective adaptation of the Shirley Jackson novel and remains one of the best haunted-house movies.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/25/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pretty effective when it came out; it may be a little stiff in the joints by now, but it's still a much better scare show than the recent stinker remake.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/25/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
02/18/07
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

Knows how to draw fright from its haunted house story.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/28/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

...easily ranks among the finest supernatural suspense films ever made.

Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | comment Comment
04/06/06
Mark Bourne
Mark Bourne
DVDJournal.com

Makes more goose pimples than sense.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

few filmmakers have drawn fright from nothingness as adeptly as Robert Wise did

comment Comment
11/06/04
Douglas Pratt
Douglas Pratt
DVDLaser

Ghosts! And they are unseen, frightening things in this creepy classic.

comment Comment
10/15/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

No review available.

comment Comment
09/02/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

The scariest movie of its day

comment Comment
02/03/04
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
01/13/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/05/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Haunting

September 15, 2005: Hollywood Giant Robert Wise Passes Away at 91
Master filmmaker and 4-time Oscar winner Robert Wise has died at the age of 91. Probably best known as the director of films like "The Sound of Music," "West Side... More...

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