The Silver Screen Oasis

mrsl wrote:.
I know I've written about this one before, but even using SEARCH, I cannot find it.

Anyway, I'm here to tell you, if you have never seen this movie, sit down and watch it, or tape it, or DVR it, or TIVO it tonight. It's on at 7:00 in Chicago, so probably 8:00 in N.Y. But as someone suggested, it helps to have the hearing thing on so as not to miss some of the repartee between Ray Milland and his (sister) Ruth Hussey. Some of their remarks to each other are so brother/sister, you'll find yourself wishing you had thought to say that to your own sister or brother at some point in your lives.

A brother/sister team buy a beautiful haunted house and spend the rest of the film trying to figure out what the heck is going on. There is moaning, seances, a misty looking ghost, and although scary in the best of ways, it also has a lot of laughs. So, make some popcorn, turn off the lights, and see what real movie makers used to do with great actors, great scripts, and special effects folks with great imaginations.
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It is a FANTASTIC film. I've seen it twice and the second time I saw it on a big screen. Superb! In fact I chose it for a "screening" for a couple of friends and their mother who's a fan of mystery stories and they were all thrilled and delighted. Besides "Stella by Starlight" was composed for the film. One of my favorite standards. Gail Russell's debut. Great recommendation Anne. I Second the motion!

Anne, this is one of my favorite films. It funny, suspenseful and lit/filmed beautifully.

Usually the haunted house film is a subgenre of the horror film that I don't care for much, but I like "The Uninvited." I think what makes me like it is that the special effects are used to create a character. It's not just a lot of effects to make the audience jump, but there was really some thought about what to use and when to use it to give the impression that there is a character haunting the place.

The Uninvited also showcases a perfect example of just how powerful a brief, intermittent cameo role can be - in this case, Donald Crisp as the Commander.

And Cornelia Otis Skinner as Miss Holloway

knitwit45 wrote:And Cornelia Otis Skinner as Miss Holloway

ditto!

I watched this fine, tasteful ghost story when I was about nine years old. On The Late Show! For years, the name Mary Meredith meant CREEPY in our house! Want to see a haunted house movie that respects your intelligence? That goes for psychological thrills rather than visceral? This is the one.

There's nothing to not like in this quiet, understated classic. Unless it's a little TOO "under the top." This is hard to explain. By the end of the story, I kind of wish they'd thrown a little excitement at us. It's two thirds of a good story. Where's the rest?

Every aspect of the film is handled well. It's scary, atmospheric and smart. And it's better than most movies of its nature, including REBECCA. But it could have used a stronger, more dramatic climax.

I guess I would agree with that Red, but I do love the movie as it is.

The sadly beautiful late 40's supernatural romances are probably my favorite sub-genre.

I do know that the first time I saw it, during the seance, I literally jumped out of my seat and yelled, "GOLLY!" loudly to myself when the glass shot out of their hands and into the fireplace. I guess I could have used one more of those moments, but I'll take it just as it is and be happy. To tell the truth I just worried about the dog most of the time.

Did anyone know that the portrait of Mary Meredith was modeled on actress Elizabeth Russell? I just found this listed in the credits. She seems like an appropriately creepy Mary Meredith.

I absolutely agree. I nitpick a little, just to stimulate discussion. (In a minute, I'm going to do it on another thread!) This may well be the best sophisticated horror film ever made. My hero, Val Lewton not withstanding!

By the way, have I spelled NITPICK correctly? It's not like GNAT, is it? Do people ever gnatpick?

I think nitpick is fine.

I'm a huge Ruth Hussey fan, and love Gail Russell too, so this one really is a great treat for me. Milland walks a fine line between serious and comic, I like the tone of the film, it fits Hussey and Milland to a T.