News

Horror in Black and White: ‘The Haunting’ (1963)

Published

5 years ago

February 28, 2019

In 1961, Robert Wise was finishing up post-production on West Side Story, when he happened upon a review of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House in Time magazine. Intrigued, he sought out a copy of the book and upon reading decided he must bring it to the big screen.

He spent some time talking to the author and had soon optioned the rights to adapt the novel as a film.

It has been said that during their conversations, he asked if she had ever thought of a different title for the novel, and she replied that the only other title she’d ever considered was simply The Haunting.

The rest, as they say, was history.

Wise brought the novel to screenwriter Nelson Gidding who soon found himself crafting what would become one of the greatest haunted house films ever created.

I’ve wanted to write about this film for this series since I started writing about Horror in Black and White a few weeks ago, and today felt like the day.

You see, Robert Wise, rightly, decided that black and white was the perfect medium for this particular story because the monochromatic look would enhance the depth of the shadows and increase the tension of the psychological elements of the story.

When you’re right, you’re right.

For the uninitiated or for those only familiar with the more recent Netflix adaptation, Wise’s film told the story of Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson) who, in an attempt to study the paranormal, invites psychically sensitive Nell (Julie Harris) and fully clairvoyant Theodora (Claire Bloom) to spend a weekend at Hill House.

The Haunting Cast — THE HAUNTING, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Claire Bloom, Julie Harris, 1963.

It is said the house is one of the most haunted in the world, and Markway hopes that the gifted women will stir the spirits of the house to present themselves.

Along for the ride are Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn), who stands to inherit the house, and Grace Markway (Lois Maxwell). The latter turns up unannounced and fully in doubt of her husband’s work.

The house is soon alive with echoing booming sounds in the night, and timid, mousy Nell, who wasn’t wholly stable to begin with, soon finds herself the focal point of an increasingly dangerous haunting.

Harris is vulnerable and raw as Nell. While filming, she kept herself isolated from the rest of the cast, rarely joining them for dinner or to chat during filming breaks.

The Haunting Harris — Julie Harris as Nell in *The Haunting*

Apocryphally, it has been said that she suffered terrible depression during the shoot, but Claire Bloom later recounted that Harris turned up at her home bearing gifts and an explanation for her behavior.

Bloom had been worried that Harris kept her distance because the character of Theo was a lesbian. In fact, it was this particular part of the character is what drew Bloom to the role.

By the 60s, the film industry had begun to loosen some of the stringent requirements of its past, and queer-coding, though still alive and well, was giving way to queer characters–though their portrayals were still problematic.

Theo was an exception. While certainly coded in some respects, she was not in any way what had been presented previously. She was not a “hard” woman, nor was she predatory.

On the contrary, she was a lovely, sophisticated woman, and while her sexuality is only hinted at throughout the film, it’s hard to deny who she is when Nell, in a fit of rage calls her one of “nature’s mistakes.” The epithet was a common term at the time.

It’s interesting to note that in an early version of the film there was a scene which involved a recent breakup of Theo’s. Wise went so far as to film the scene, but unfortunately he was forced to cut it.

Harris and Bloom were phenomenal in their respective roles and the rest of the cast was equally good, but the true star of the show was house itself, and the ways in which it seemed to come alive. Much of that has to do with Wise’s direction.

The Haunting Claire Bloom Julie Harris — Julie Harris and Claire Bloom in *The Haunting*

With sound and shadow, he created a terrifying claustrophobic environment without ever actually revealing the spirits of Hill House. In fact, it is incredible just how well those two elements work together in this film.

The shadows seem to elongate and move while deafening sounds from the heart of the house itself unsettle the viewer as much as the actors onscreen.

Furthermore, Wise used lenses that gave a curved appearance to the walls, creating an even more unsettling skewed view of the sets.

The film opened to mixed reviews and an average box office for the time, but its popularity has grown over the years with a devoted fan base.

The film was later remade in the late 90s starring Lili Taylor, Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Owen Wilson, but it lacked the spark of the original.

The Haunting is available for streaming via Vudu and other platforms. Check out the trailer below and for more Horror in Black and White, check out our other entries including Cat People and Strait-Jacket!

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News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

16 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

19 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film

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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

^Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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