The Grim Cellar

1963, USA, Directed by Robert Wise

Black and White, Running Time: 107 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Warner, Video: Anamorphic 2.35:1, Audio: Mono

Hill House has a repellent history, one that suggests that the house itself is in some way supernaturally conscious and an embodiment of evil. A professor of the paranormal enlists the help of several people to stay in the house over a period of a couple of weeks for observational purposes; most of them are too frightened to turn up. The brave attendees include slightly potty daydreamer Eleanor, someone who supposedly experienced poltergeist activity in her own home, psychic Theodora, and Luke who is set to inherit the property and is primarily concerned with its (i.e. his) future. Before long the group are exposed to loud noises in the dead of night, later on coming across cold spots, automatically opening doors and other more frightening phenomenon, prompting the already neurotic Eleanor to start losing the plot a little.

Based on a Shirley Jackson novel and shot in England (though being an American movie, it does have a British feel) this is a fairly old fashioned haunted house movie, but one that is well crafted and strong enough to have impact on viewers, maybe even today. The supernatural occurrences remain largely unseen and are probably more potent because of it. While the dialogue has dated in places and the Luke character in particular is a cliché from the 50s, there are some spine-tingling moments, one of which sends a shiver through my entire body every time I watch this film (i.e. it’s lost none of its power through repeat viewings, quite the contrary). The cinematography is luscious and Wise’s direction is thoroughly inspiring, this film being much more visually accomplished than the horrors he made for Val Lewton two decades earlier. The Haunting is probably one of the best of its kind and, certainly up until the time of its creation, one of the scariest.

A carbon copy of the US disc the Warner R2 release presents generally gorgeous image quality, only occasionally looking less detailed or unstable (the variations must be derived from the source). It looks as fantastic as you can imagine. The commentary includes all four of the main cast, the director and the screenwriter. Flush the 99 remake down the toilet and watch this instead, with the lights out and nobody else in the house if you fancy experiencing a minor state of panic…