“The Haunting” is generally considered to be one of the
scariest horror movies ever made, and I added it to my “life list” several of
years ago after seeing it on a couple of “best of” lists. Thanks to NetFlix, I
scratched this movie off my “life list” during the past week when I watched it
for the first time ever Wednesday of last week.
Based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel, “The Haunting of Hill
House,” this movie was released in September 1963 and is about a group of
paranormal investigators who try to spend the night in a (very) haunted house.
Directed and produced by Robert Wise, the primary cast included Richard Johnson
as Dr. John Markway, Julie Harris as Eleanor Lance, Russ Tamblyn as Luke Sanderson
and Claire Bloom as Theodora.
As mentioned, “The Haunting” first caught my eye after I saw
it on a couple of great “best of” lists, including Fangoria Magazine’s list of
“300 Best Horror Films” and Stephen King’s list of favorite horror movies. Fangoria’s
list of “300 Best Horror Films” was published in January 2010 in celebration of
Fangoria’s 300th issue. On that list, “The Haunting” found itself among such
all-time horror classics as “The Exorcist,” “Friday the 13th,” “Halloween” and
“A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
In 1981, horror writer Stephen King published a nonfiction
book about the horror genre called “Danse Macabre.” The back of that book
included two appendixes in which King listed his favorite horror books and
films, including “The Haunting.” On that list, “The Haunting” found itself
among such classics as “The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” “Alien” and
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”
I’ve also read that The Guardian newspaper ranked “The
Haunting” as the 13th best horror movie of all time during a ranking they
published in 2010. Earlier this year, in the Halloween edition of The Daily
Beast, famous movie director Martin Scoresese ranked “The Haunting” No. 1 on
his list of “11 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time. Others making that list included
“Isle of the Dead,” “The Uninvited,” “The Entity,” “Dead of Night,” “The
Changeling,” “The Shining,” “The Exorcist,” “Night of the Demon,” “The
Innocents” and “Psycho.”
I read Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House”
several years ago, so I was somewhat familiar with the movie’s plot, and for a
movie produced 50 years ago it was very creepy. Unlike a lot of horror movies
today, it didn’t rely on a lot of over-the-top special effects, blood and guts
and gratuitous violence. Instead, the movie dished up a savory amount of
suspense and terror based more on what you didn’t see and know that what you
did.
I also enjoyed watching the 1999 remake of “The Haunting,”
which was directed by Jan de Bont and starred Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones
and Owen Wilson. It’s hard for me to say which version of the movie I like the
best, 1963 or 1999. The 1963 original was good in an old-fashioned way, but I
liked the slick modern remake for its up-to-date feel.
In the end, how many of you have seen the 1963 version of
“The Haunting”? What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? Let us
know in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment