The Haunting is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Nelson Gidding from the Shirley Jackson novel The Haunting of Hill House. It stars Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn and Lois Maxwell. Music is by Humphrey Searle and cinematography by David Boulton.

Hill House has a troubled history, death, either by accident or by suicide, has occurred there over the years. Today, Dr. Markway, an anthropologist and investigator of paranormal activity, leads a team of four for a stay at Hill House, where they will stay for a period of time in the hope that Markway can prove something paranormal resides there…

The haunted house premise has been a staple for horror film makers since forever. To place the viewer in a murky house, alongside some character unfortunates, and then scare the tar out of them has always been the aim. It hasn't often worked to great effect, in fact the number of genuine scary haunted house movies barely trouble the fingers of both hands. How strange, then, that the best of the bunch chose a simple formula that has never been replicated since with the same great effect.

The Haunting thrives not on what it throws at you by way of jumps and peek-a-boo visceral shocks, it deals firmly in the realm of what you can't see scares you the most. Where we have to use our own fretful imaginations to fill in the blanks for us, which is never a good thing in psychological horror parlance. Robert Wise, a most gifted and versatile director, uses oblique camera angles, thundering sound effects and angled close ups of his actors to get the maximum amount of atmosphere from the premise.

Distortion is very much a key component here. We are told the history of the house and some of its structural quirks, the camera angles heighten this for ethereal impact whilst simultaneously marrying up to the distortion of a key character's mental health. The story in essence sounds simple, yet there is much bubbling away in Hill House, both on the page and up there on the screen. This is not simply a case of a group of people being haunted by a spectre or otherwise, the mind is a key player here, very much so.

Along the way are some truly breath holding scenes; a bending door, pounding in the corridor, a face on the wall (the lighting here genius),Nell's hand holding incident, a rickety spiral staircase that we fear from the off, and the ghostly finale as Hill House reveals its hand and what we thought was a simple and true narrative is actually more clever, more chilling than we first imagined. Suggestion is a very big thing in The Haunting, it's what drives it to greatness, but it also has scenes that really bring the gooseflesh jumping up on your arms.

The acting is mostly great, with Tamblyn and Johnson correctly underplaying their roles to let the two girls take centre stage. Both Harris and Bloom are excellent. As Nell, Harris is nervous, introverted and caught up in the atmosphere of the house, it's the pivotal role and Harris instills a heart aching fragility into the character. Bloom as Theodora has mystical qualities, a sexiness and a devilishly playful disposition, things that play off of Harris' egg shell walking quite brilliantly. While the house itself (exterior is Ettington Park Hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon) is an ominous character all of its own. As Nell first spies the monolithic frontage she muses that it's a monster waiting to swallow her, a small creature, whole; we know exactly how she feels.

Still the template haunted house movie, accept no substitutes and ignore stupid claims of homophobia, this is intelligent, scary and crafted with great skill. 10/10

Robert Wise's recent passing brings "The Haunting" to mind. Less of a horror movie than a psychological thriller, it has Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris) coming to old house with several other people invited by Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson). This is no ordinary house; it has a very disturbing history. And the answers to the creepy incidents that have taken place may be closer than anyone realizes.

What makes this movie so good is that it relies on camera angle (rather than gore and special effects, as usually seems to happen now) to create the horror. You literally can't tell when something is going to happen. The only thing that gives the movie a slightly silly feeling is the presence of Lois Maxwell (aka Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond movies) as Dr. Markway's wife Grace. Still, it's a horror classic. The 1999 remake, as far as I could tell, was deliberately trying to be silly; if so, then they sure succeeded, because that was a poor excuse for a movie. This one is the real "Haunting".

Robert Wise took the time between WEST SIDE STORY and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, two very different musicals, to direct this cult-ish film of a house gone bad which seems to have a will of its own and is looking to acquire another soul to inhabit its walls.

The production is a homage to Val Lewton's less-is-more taken to the extreme. From the moment the house is introduced, there is only mounting dread and things that go bump in the night and three scenes are a standout of modern horror. The first sequence is of course, the first sequence with the relentless pounding that is slowly moving towards the rooms where Eleanor Vance and Theo -- two of the psychics chosen by Dr. Markway to assist him in his ghost hunting. All they, and we, can do is focus on that twisting, turning door knob. The second sequence is even more disturbing: Eleanor Vance is sleeping with Theo in her bedroom, and as Theo holds her hand, Eleanor spots a pattern on a wall which seems to be malevolently observing her as unintelligible rants and raves by what seems to be an old man and the whimpers of a frightened child are all she can hear. When she reacts she finds she's not even in Theo's room (or bed) anymore.

The third and scariest sequence revolves around the events after the arrival of skeptical Mrs. Markway (Lois Maxwell from the JAMES BOND series) who could care less about his paranormal investigations and is staying in the nursery -- a room reputed to have a dank, cold spot. The crew huddle together, listening to the increasingly deafening pounding with a will of its own and then staring in mute horror as the door separating them from that unseen entity seems to bend inwards, in a breathing fashion. This is the most claustrophobic moment in the entire movie, full of the power to scare the wits out of anyone. (Stephen King adapted numerous elements from this movie to re-create them for his classic horror novel THE SHINING with incredible success; ergo the influence this film has on the appreciation of cerebral horror.)

THE HAUNTING is excellent in establishing character instead of making its players behave like they were automated puppets meant to do the very thing that they're not supposed to. Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) is a serious minded fellow who has a paternal approach to his assistants. Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn, well cast) is a playboy, arrogant young man whose very insouciant nature will be tested. The ambiguously named Theo (a silky voiced Claire Bloom) is icy cool, someone in touch with herself, who can't understand why Eleanor can't be. She has a predatory quality about her, although she genuinely likes Eleanor. Lastly, Eleanor Vance is a wounded individual full of baggage whose impressionable nature is just what Hill House is looking for: someone whom it can suck the will out of, using her own weaknesses and inner turmoil as a weapon against her.

THE HAUNTING is also keen in its images: black and white make way to light and dark and smothering shadows. Robert Wise amps the suspense as the "presence" that is Hill House tightens its grip on the characters. While maybe the music is a little too shrill at times, seeing a door wide open when it shouldn't be is more unsettling than seeing a full-fledged ghost drenched in pallor, and the only thing remotely close to one is Mrs. Markway near the end. Lighted from below at a key scene, she might as well be one of the walking dead.

Where this movie fails is in the casting of Julie Harris as Eleanor Vance. Her performance is the only weak link here: she's much too shrill, even when in repose. One gets the hint that her Eleanor is already unhinged as it is and may be causing these events to herself for attention. So needy is Eleanor that it seems she would want to put herself in danger as seen when she climbs the already wobbly staircase and as Dr. Markway reaches out towards her, she veers so far backward it's a miracle she didn't actually fall. And if that isn't enough, another flaw in the movie is Harris' intrusive voice-overs. A little is fine, too much, and coming from her as petty drones and moans, is almost like getting a molar wrenched out without Novocaine. It would have been best to have Harris approach her acting with subtlety and eliminate the voice-overs.

A film that has become the haunted house to beat despite the stilted acting of Julie Harris, THE HAUNTING can still give the feeling one is not alone at home and will make people think twice before listening to the rustling noises that linger after everyone has gone to sleep.