THE HAUNTING (1963) on the big screen in New Jersey! (1 Viewer)

[Peter Apruzzese]

Just wanted to post a head's-up that tomorrow night (Thursday the 17th, at 8pm) there is a presentation of Robert Wise's 1963 classic, THE HAUNTING, at the Galaxy Triplex in Guttenberg, New Jersey (just minutes from NYC). The screening is in 35mm Panavision and glorious Black & White in the main auditorium of the Galaxy on the 45'-wide screen. Additional information on the Big Screen Classics series and the theatre is available here: Big Screen Classics website
I just finished assembling the print and it's a beaut! I had to do a little work on it repairing some torn perforations but, for the most part, it's fine. No missing footage and what appears to be very little surface wear, (though it's hard to tell on the bench). Contrast is gorgeous. Everyone should be very happy with how this looks tomorrow night.
Come out and see what is considered by many to be the scariest film ever made. THE HAUNTING is not on DVD and the VHS is pan-and-scan (and the LD wasn't from the best source), so this is your best opportunity to see this masterpiece in the way it was intended!

 

[Jack Briggs]

Peter, this continent issue! Why don't we have this film on DVD? Why not? Damn, but I wish I could be there! Tell me what the print looks like. Thanks.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Hi, I'm from New Jersey, I suck, please hate me.

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Thanks, Peter. I knew it was going to be worth waiting for! I'll be there tonight with three of my friends.

--Bill

 

[Jack Briggs]

Seth, I thought you lived near Indianopolis. When did you move? And I do not hate you.

Please give us an update once the screening is done, Peter. Thanks!

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Tonight's showing of the THE HAUNTING was awesome all around. The print looked great, especially for a film from 1963. Just to see wide-screen black and white on a really wide screen was a treat in itself. And when the movie is as good as this one ... let's just say it was one of those rare movie experiences that will never be forgotten. Thanks to Robert Wise, Julie Harris, etc., as well as Bob Furmanek, Peter Apruzzese and the Galaxy Theater.
Fans of the movie might be interested to know that they can actually spend the night in "Hill House" - it's now a 5-star hotel near Stratford-on-Avon in England!
http://www.shirleyassociation.com/En...manor_home.htm
To Jack Briggs: Don't feel too bad. At least you have THIS IS CINERAMA (and soon HOW THE WEST WAS WON) on your side of the country!
--Bill

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Thanks for the good words, Bill. Glad you enjoyed yourself. It sounded to me like most of the crowd had a good time. Bernie Anderson sounded great on the organ before the show, too. He's really warming up to that instrument now. Between him and Jeff Barker, we have two of the best organ players around.

While there was a little more wear on the print than I anticipated (a couple of the reel changes, especially), I was happy that there was only a frame or two missing here and there. I was very happy with the focus I was able to get out of it, as older black & white stock is sometimes tricky. I was very pleased overall (except for that small "arc burn" that appeared from time to time in reels 2 & 4 - I want to meet the projectionist responsible for putting that damage on there and let him have it...)

 

[Jack Briggs]

Well, the Forum is down for the day, but we mods can still poke around!

Peter Kline, Pamela, RobertR, and I got to see This Is Cinerama! at the refurbished Cinerama Dome two weeks ago. What a treat! And the screening ended with the Cinerama trailer for How the West Was Won. Amazing experience.

I believe Peter Kline is planning to post a review. Peter?

As for The Haunting, here's a heartbreaker of a story. Back in the early '90s, when I was an editor at the now-departed Los Angeles Reader, I had an invitation to a special screening of The Haunting at the Directors' Guild of America. Robert Wise was to deliver a post-screening talk (this was the inaguaral screening in a special Robert Wise appreciation series at the DGA).

Alas, at the last moment, due to a very heavy editorial workload that week, I had to nix on attending the screening!

I've regretted it ever since.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Jack,

Thanks for the Cinerama update - sounds like it was a great show. I've seen just aobut every film format projected in its proper manner except for one, Cinerama. I hope that I can make my way out to LA sometime and catch a showing there. I hear that they will be having monthly screenings of TiC and HtWWW once the regular runs are done.

Interesting story about Mr. Wise at the DGA. In our current series, we noted that he was represented by three different films - West Side Story, The Body Snatcher and The Haunting (we hadn't planned it that way, strangely) - and we thought it would be neat to try and get him out here for one of the shows. Unfortunatly, our budget couldn't accomodate him at this time. Maybe next year if he's up to it - I'm lobbying for a presentation of The Day the Earth Stood Still next spring.

 

[Seth Paxton]

I wasn't bragging Jack, I'm still in Indy. I was giving Jersey boys the hard time they deserve. LA/NYC area people have it so good when it comes to film. :frowning:
(I couldn't tell if you were turning the sarcasm around on me or if you missed mine thinking I really had moved )

 

[BarryR]

I'm SO glad to now know the location and story behind my favorite horror movie mansion!! I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is worth a pilgrimage to England someday!!! Thanks for posting the information!!

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Thanks for posting the information!!

You're welcome, Barry. Seeing the pictures on that website made me realize the power of black and white photography. In color, that house looks like a beautiful place to stay. In black and white, and considering the way it was shot by Robert Wise and his crew, it's the most frightening-looking house ever to appear in a movie.

--Bill

 

[Jack Briggs]

Bill, you are sooo right about that Gothic mansion we know as Hill House. I love the scene as Eleanor is first pulling up to the front of Hill House, looking at the menacing facade, and her voiceover "thoughts" can be heard: "It knows I'm here."

And that unnerving scene sets the tone for the genuine (and well-earned) scares to follow.

Wonderful, wonderful film.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I have to admit that I got a real thrill out of running this film for an audience. I know a good number of the people there had not seen the film before, so it was a treat to hear dead silence during the big "moments". You could hear audible sighs of relief at the conclusion of those scenes.

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Peter:

During the organ recital I counted around 30 people in the theater, but I forgot to count heads when the movie ended - too overwhelmed by how scary it was, I guess. Did you break even this time?

Speaking of being scared, the trip down to the parking garage through the deserted Galaxy Mall was a little scary in itself, especially right after seeing THE HAUNTING. Long empty corridors leading to the elevator with lots of doors on all sides, including a pair of huge wooden doors that looked just like the entrance to Abagail Crain's nursery!

--Bill

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Big news for Los Angeles residents!
While surfing around on rec.arts.movies.tech, I came across a small notice of a screening of THE HAUNTING in LA! Here is the info: it's at the LACMA - Los Angeles County Museum of Art - Tuesday Matinee series on October 29th at 1pm. Go here - www.lacma.org - and click "film" for more information.
EDIT (Bill, we were posting at the same time). We had about 35 for the show. Disappointing. We're trying to come up with ways to get the word out, but not much is working. Our ad budget is tight (and the Bergen Record and Star-Ledger charge far too much), so that's out for now. We're working on trying to get another story in the papers - we'll probably have some success doing it with the December holiday shows. As of now, we're tentatively working on the next set of films, but we neeed to get a bigger crowd to confirm the series. We should have the mailing list from the Fort Lee Film Commission in hand this week - and they have a lot of members - so that'll help. Does anybody out in HTF-land have any unique ideas for inexpensive publicity?
You must have parked by the "green" elevator, then. Yes, that's a little unnerving that late at night.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Peter, you earned your blue star for the day!

LACMA has an excellent film series.

I will see if some other area HTFers might be interested in this one. Amazing! Thanks!