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The Haunting

Play trailer Poster for The Haunting G 1963 1h 52m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Dr. John Markway, an anthropologist with an interest in psychic phenomena, takes two specially selected women to Hill House, a reportedly haunted mansion. Eleanor (Julie Harris), a lonely, eccentric woman with a supernatural event in her past, and the bold Theodora (Claire Bloom), who has ESP, join John and the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn). They are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events, and Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her.
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The Haunting

The Haunting

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Critics Consensus

Both psychological and supernatural, The Haunting is a chilling character study.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker An elegantly sinister scare movie, literate and expensive (though basically a traditional ghost story), with those two fine actresses Claire Bloom and Julie Harris. Jul 6, 2022 Full Review Ian Freer Empire Magazine Wise brilliantly uses black and white widescreen to strand his characters in odd-shaped rooms or corridors, making the watcher's eye skitter frantically over the letterbox screen to catch every ingeniously rendered detail. Rated: 5/5 Sep 8, 2020 Full Review James Powers The Hollywood Reporter When The Haunting digs into the internals of its story, summons its spirits and lets them play havoc with cold reason, it has a power and fervor unmatched by any film ghost stories. Nov 2, 2018 Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast Wise's use of the camera is vital to creating a sense of tension and atmosphere; it's practically its own character. Meanwhile, Theo is a vital LGBT character in horror history: an out woman in a 60s film is a true rarity. Rated: 4/5 Mar 1, 2023 Full Review Samantha Allen them. Dripping with queer subtext, this 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is a master class in reading between the lines. Oct 27, 2022 Full Review David Reddish Queerty The Haunting endures as a horror classic, albeit one that doesnt quite the credit it deserves as an unusual queer love story. Heres a movie both scary and romantic as Hell. Rated: 4/4 Mar 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é mais ou menos a, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/16/25 Full Review Trevor T Possible the best ghost story ever filmed. Being old (1963) and being low budget it relies on imagination and is not spoilt by special effects. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/22/25 Full Review Ollie W I didn’t find it particularly scary and not much happens. However, it is a good film with a spooky atmosphere, period charm and set in a great location. I found the main character somewhat annoying. Her internal monologue was disturbing and she’s certainly believable as a crazy person, but she’s also a bit obnoxious. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/01/25 Full Review j f Scared the hell out of me Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/13/24 Full Review Mitch V Based on the novel by Shirley Jackson (author of "The Lottery") its an excellent movie that doesn't get its due. One of my top ten faves. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/12/24 Full Review John K First few times it scared me. Not only good acting but haunting musical score. Seems like a lot of Americans need more gore and violence in their movies these days, whereas I'm opposite, the scariest movies have some finess; it's not what you see but what you don't see. This movie is like that. And it is a psychological study. Each character has some hidden depths. Julie Harris does a great job. While Dr Markaway reminds me of both Clark Gable and Ernest Hemingwway. Another great directorial effort by Wise. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Haunting

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Wise

Director

Julie Harris

Eleanor "Nell" Lance

Claire Bloom

Theodora "Theo"

Richard Johnson

Dr. John Markway

Russ Tamblyn

Luke Sanderson

Lois Maxwell

Grace Markway

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The Haunting

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dr. John Markway, an anthropologist with an interest in psychic phenomena, takes two specially selected women to Hill House, a reportedly haunted mansion. Eleanor (Julie Harris), a lonely, eccentric woman with a supernatural event in her past, and the bold Theodora (Claire Bloom), who has ESP, join John and the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn). They are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events, and Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her.
Director
Robert Wise
Producer
Robert Wise
Screenwriter
Nelson Gidding
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures International
Rating
G
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 52m
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