The
Uninvited was released September 1, 1944. Directed by Lewis Allen and
based on the 1941 novel Uneasy
Freehold
by Dorothy Macardle.
While
vacationing on the English coast, Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland)
and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) come across a long abandoned
mansion. When their dog chases a squirrel into the house, they enter
the house themselves to retrieve the dog and save the squirrel. After
exploring the dwelling, they fall immediately in love with the house
and decide to try and purchase it. The owner, Commander Beech (Donald
Crisp) is only too happy to sell in order to provide a nest egg for
his granddaughter Stella Meredith (Gail Russell) and because previous
tenants had spread rumors about the house being haunted by the
Commander's deceased daughter, Mary Meredith, who met an untimely
death by taking an unscheduled dive off a nearby cliff. You know
without me telling you that the haunted house rumors aren't rumors at
all as Roderick and Pamela soon find out for themselves after moving
into the home. Why the house is haunted, and by whom is yours to
gleefully discover as the film slowly unravels the secrets hidden
within the walls of the house.
There is no doubt that The Uninvited is a talky film. There are many conversations that take place but most are not here just as screen filler. Each conversation seems to unlock a part of the mystery. All this is complicated by an added love story as Roderick begins falling for the young Stella, who is drawn to the house by the ghost of her dead mother who may or may not have good intentions. The film is in black and white, but if ever there was a reason for black and white films The Uninvited tells us why. The stark cinematography by Charles Lang perfectly captures the eeriness of the house to perfection, especially in the dimly lit night scenes which are lit only by flickering candles. Candles flicker when they shouldn't; the house is filled at night by the uncontrollable sobbing echoes of an unseen entity. A flower inexplicably wilts in a matter of seconds. Anyone who enters the studio where Stella's father painted her mother is overcome by a huge sense of dread and depression. Pets refuse to go up the steps. While playing a love song for Stella on the piano the music Rod is playing turns haunting and surreal. This is great stuff folks, told with mysterious atmosphere and a continual sense of foreboding that edges slowly toward its climactic ending. Not one single headless rotting guts hanging out corpse makes an appearance. Yes we do see the ghosts, but by using the simplest of special effects, they are more realistic and haunting than any amount of CGI could ever hope to duplicate. To top it all off, we are treated to what I consider to be is of the best seance sequences I've seen in any film.
A film like The Uninvited will probably not appeal to many of today's youthful film watchers. Things like subtlety and atmosphere are too foreign to those waiting for the next special effects extravaganza to hit the big screen. For a serious film viewer, who wants to see what a true haunted house film should be, The Uninvited is a must see. It's a genuine puzzling mystery film that will leave you guessing and a truly chilling ghost story with just enough romance and a few light comedic touches thrown in to top things off.
There is no doubt that The Uninvited is a talky film. There are many conversations that take place but most are not here just as screen filler. Each conversation seems to unlock a part of the mystery. All this is complicated by an added love story as Roderick begins falling for the young Stella, who is drawn to the house by the ghost of her dead mother who may or may not have good intentions. The film is in black and white, but if ever there was a reason for black and white films The Uninvited tells us why. The stark cinematography by Charles Lang perfectly captures the eeriness of the house to perfection, especially in the dimly lit night scenes which are lit only by flickering candles. Candles flicker when they shouldn't; the house is filled at night by the uncontrollable sobbing echoes of an unseen entity. A flower inexplicably wilts in a matter of seconds. Anyone who enters the studio where Stella's father painted her mother is overcome by a huge sense of dread and depression. Pets refuse to go up the steps. While playing a love song for Stella on the piano the music Rod is playing turns haunting and surreal. This is great stuff folks, told with mysterious atmosphere and a continual sense of foreboding that edges slowly toward its climactic ending. Not one single headless rotting guts hanging out corpse makes an appearance. Yes we do see the ghosts, but by using the simplest of special effects, they are more realistic and haunting than any amount of CGI could ever hope to duplicate. To top it all off, we are treated to what I consider to be is of the best seance sequences I've seen in any film.
A film like The Uninvited will probably not appeal to many of today's youthful film watchers. Things like subtlety and atmosphere are too foreign to those waiting for the next special effects extravaganza to hit the big screen. For a serious film viewer, who wants to see what a true haunted house film should be, The Uninvited is a must see. It's a genuine puzzling mystery film that will leave you guessing and a truly chilling ghost story with just enough romance and a few light comedic touches thrown in to top things off.
I
will say a little something about Gail Russell who plays Stella. With
this movie she was a 20 year old rookie actor. Bringing not only
beauty to the screen, she also brought grace. Unfortunately to calm
her nerves during the shot she turned to alcohol. Not long after
that it turned into an addiction. She was found dead in her apartment
at a young age of 36 due to chronic alcoholism. Besides that, The
Uninvited is considered to be one of her best rolls.
So how does one see The Uninvited? Criterion released a beautiful blue-ray last year. The picture is purley amazing and the soundtrack is flawless. The best part of the release is the original trailer. Watch that and you can plainly see how much work went in to sharpening the film.
So how does one see The Uninvited? Criterion released a beautiful blue-ray last year. The picture is purley amazing and the soundtrack is flawless. The best part of the release is the original trailer. Watch that and you can plainly see how much work went in to sharpening the film.
The
has become one of my favorite haunted house movies. I highly
recommend this movie for the ventage horror fans, and if any younger
fans want to give a old black and white film a chance, this is it.
9/10
IMDB:
7.5
No comments:
Post a Comment