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| Claire Bloom and Julie Harris in The Haunting (1963) |
It may be one of the scariest horror movies of all time -- at least among those that have no blood, no body parts, no chattering skeletons -- and it's surely one of the best adaptations of an American work of horror. Directed in 1963 by Robert Wise (
West Side Story, The Sound of Music, The Andromeda Strain), it stars Julie Harris as Eleanor Lance, alongside Claire Bloom as Theodora (with wardrobe by Mary Quant, credited as the inventor of the "mini skirt"), Russ Tamblyn (later to star in
West Side Story as well, but best known as Dr. Jacoby in David Lynch's
Twin Peaks), and Richard Johnson as "Dr. Markway" (oddly changed from the "Dr. Montague" of the novel). Interestingly, Wise's first choice for Markway was Peter Ustinov, but he declined due to other commitments (he was directing his own play, "Photo Finish," on Broadway).
Other than that, though, it's a remarkably faithful adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel
The Haunting of Hill House; Jackson was personally invited to one of the premieres by the director, and by all accounts she was delighted with it. The filmmakers even found a way to incorporate Eleanor's internal voice using voice-overs (a technique that's resisted by many studios and filmmakers -- there's quite a bit (from thaat point of view), but it's only a small selection of the far more constant stream of her thinking which runs throughout almost the entire length of the novel. The role of the psychic investigator's wife -- Mrs. Montague/Mrs. Markway -- is also quite different in book and film. And, since the film was shot in England, where people drive on the other side of the road, the producers simply flipped the film; they also added a few highway signs for "Route 128," though they neglected to change a placard on a home from "House to Let" to "House for Sale," the more usual American phrase.
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| Ettington Park Hotel |
The interiors of Hill House were all constructed on a soundstage, but for exteriors, they needed a real building -- and they chose an old manor house, since converted to a hotel, not far outside of Stratford-on-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace). Known as the Ettington Park, it is one of those places on some people's bucket list to stay -- alongside, no doubt, the
Stanley Hotel, which was used for exteriors of the "Overlook Hotel" in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." Those who do stay at Ettington Park will face just two slight disappointments -- there's no library with a spiral staircase -- and no haunted nursery, either. Perhaps they should consider adding them!
NB: I've added a set of
discussion questions -- they are
optional -- if responding to them is preferable, use them freely; otherwise, feel free to comment on any aspect of either the novel or the film. I also encourage you to consider responding to one another; that's often where the most interesting comments come about!
Also: here's an
excellent site with some background on the film's production.
3. I think that the only reason why the relationship between Theo and Eleanor could have some sort of "lesbian subtext" is because of how comfortable they seem to be with each other. In the scene where they're in the bed together and staring at the door. I think for one especially they're both in the bed where if it had been a man and a woman it would be totally fine. There is also that stereotype of the masc and femme lesbian relationship and I guess it seems like Theo and Eleanor fit that mold in that scene specifically. It seems to be taken out of context. They are both alone with no one else there but each other to look to for comfort while there is a loud sound outside their door and the knob is moving. The director could have done it on purpose but I doubt it, I think that if that had been a man playing Theo, viewers would not have a problem with it at all.
ReplyDeletealthough the film would be more visually pleasing in color, I think that the film was more significantly emphasized in black and white. it worked more in favor of setting a mood for the film as well as highlighting important factors. the contrast between light and dark is very important in the film. When Eleanor is having a "night terror" she is staring at a textured wall in front of her. The lightning of the wall keeps going back and forth from lighter to dim, and when it gets darker, there is a face you can make out in the wall. This emphasizes the terror within the wall.
ReplyDelete-Kayden Tyler
DeleteThis film being in black and white gives an eery feeling that u just wouldn’t get with a movie full of color. It adds a scary feeling considering things are 10x darker and hard to see. It also aids in adding more shadows and areas that something scary could be lurking.
ReplyDeleteThis film feels very nostalgic, and not just because of it’s age. The sound design and the the narrator’s deep and ominous voice. Old horror sound design isn’t something we see a lot in modern times. It’s similar to when you’re watching a Scooby Doo cartoon and you hear the special sound of the music. It’s something we don’t see anymore because so many films are hyper focused on making things as realistic as possible. Before CGI, all of the effects were done by hand and were designed by someone. Practical effects are very rare in modern film. It makes you appreciate classic film more with how little they had to work with back then, but still are able to make a good product.
ReplyDelete- Jamie Hartley
I think The Haunting would not have been as effective in color as opposed to black and white. The scene where the family is sitting in the living room is a good example of this. If the scene was in color, it would give off a warm feeling and connection, as opposed to cold and distant. When they reveal the hill house, it is dark and hidden in the shadows. The use of Eleanor’s internal voice adds to the effect of this distant feeling.
ReplyDeleteMy intake of this film gave me an interest to write about. The theme of the Haunting is the power of spirits to summon a living person and manipulate them for evil purposes. A gathering of people gathers at a haunted house in an attempt to solve its mysteries. Its members have empathy or a keen sense of the invisible.
ReplyDelete- Jamie Chaca
The effectiveness of "The Haunting" works so well because of the tension and psychological horror that is amplified by the black and white. When Eleanor experiences the chilling presence of a supernatural entity on her room, the monochrome colors such as the black and white i think emphasizes the eeriness. I think if it were to be in black and white it would have given a whole different vibe. The black and white creates a sense of dread and an uneasy feeling. -Prescilla da fonseca
ReplyDeleteWould "The Haunting" have been as effective a film if it had been shot in color instead of black-and-white"? Personally, I would prefer it stay in black-and-white to keep its mystery, horrible, suspicious, scary, and uncertain. If I have to pick one scene, I would choose the shot of "damage wavering swivel ladder" because it won't decrease the effectiveness. Or, the scene when Eleanor drove to the castle. It will provide more contrast.
ReplyDeleteThis film was definitely a favorite. I enjoyed the way there was little gore and jump scares, and instead more room for imagination and a buildup of suspense. I prefer this style of horror as it has a "clean" feel but still gets the point across. I also did enjoy the black and white scheme, it added to the suspense.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this film. Personally, I believe that if this movie was filmed in color, it would lose its main purpose. The black and white added a lot of personality to the movie and made it what it is today. In my opinion, the black and white made it a little bit more scary and added suspense to it. The black and white affect also added more depth to the architecture of the buildings.
ReplyDelete2 - In that creepy bedroom scene in "The Haunting," where Eleanor's freaking out over weird noises, the black-and-white vibe is everything. Shadows, contrast, and darkness amp up the tension big time. If it was in color, it'd lose that punch. No color let the filmmakers go wild with light and shadows, making us fill in the blanks with our own spooky imaginations. Black-and-white cinematography, with its texture and contrast game, really cranks up the feels, making the whole scene way scarier.
ReplyDeleteI personality liked the black and white because it adds the spooky affect. Also, I really did enjoy this movie because unlike the book they add a lot of visual symbolic images. The triangles on one of the gates while she's driving to hill house represents the fire element. I am copying this from wikipedia to prove my point about the Hill House story being related to the tarot cards: "Fire is associated with the suit of rods/wands, and as such, represents passion from inspiration. As an element, fire has mixed symbolism because it represents energy, which can be helpful when controlled, but volatile if left unchecked."
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I noticed in the film is the statue of Mr. Crain and his family. Mr. Crain is pointing up while also pointing down: this means as above so below. These are just two examples but the symbolic imagery all over the place. Even route 128 has a meaning is numerology that corresponds to a relationship with energy. That also goes along with my post on the novel about energy getting left behind.
There was a lot of this I wanted to add into the paper I submitted but honestly I ran out of time due to waiting to long O.o
Deleteits been a Long semester for me
Alsooooo forgot to add that the "as above so below" statue is a representation of the devil tarot. And if you want to know why just google the image and look at his arms. Rider Waite tarot deck.
Delete