The Haunting was out early (1 Viewer)

[David Von Pein]

"Oh, Claire! Hold me, you vixenous wench you! Hold me!"

 

[Bill Huelbig]

David:

I can't recall if the "Mrs. Dudley ultra-creepy smile" shot is accompanied by any underscoring of music / musical cues. Is it?

The music starts up just when she smiles and turns around - a wonderful moment among so many in this film. I also like the way Mrs. Dudley says nothing to Eleanor when they first meet until they lose each other in the Hill House corridors. She has to give in and actually speak ("Here!") so Eleanor can find her way to her room. What a great impression Mrs. Dudley makes with so little actual screen time.

--Bill

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Ah ha ha ha!

Nice one, David!

The previous year, Rosalie Crutchley was in John Huston's Fraud - a superb biopic on the legendary psyhoanalyst. Never been on video - or at least very, very difficult to find, it would be really great if a DVD edition came our way soon. I'm a big Huston fan - this year has been great for me!


Gordy

 

[JeremySt]

It was on Fox Movies Thursday at midnight... in glorious Cinemascope. Glad I have Panasonic DVD Recorder

I have never seen this movie, but thats because I had not heard of it it until a couple of years ago, and Ive been holding off watching it until I could see it in widescreen. I had surgery on Wednesday morning... wisdom teeth. Ive been doing alot of movie watchingw while I take time off from work, and it looks like some night this weekend Ill be watching THE INNOCENTS for the first time.

 

[BarryR]

A fraud-ian slip on FREUD???

I'm so glad about THE HAUNTING too--though did anyone notice that the sound seems so much better on the trailer? Why is that?

 

[Kenneth_C]

it looks like some night this weekend Ill be watching THE INNOCENTS for the first time.

Lucky you!

Though I haven't seen it in years, I actually prefer THE INNOCENTS to THE HAUNTING, finding it much scarier, creepier, & ultimately more disturbing. (But, then, I had read THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE before I ever saw the movie, so some of its more powerful scenes were already known to me and didn't have the same impact.)

Still, they're two of the classiest Ghost Stories ever put on film. Accept no remakes or substitutes!

 

[David Von Pein]

Yes, having 1961's The Innocents on DVD would be the ideal disc to sit right beside 1963's The Haunting.

Just watched the FF VHS of "The Innocents" today in fact. It's in the same league with "The Haunting" and "The Uninvited" to be sure.

These films have a kind of built-in feeling "that something's just not quite right". Something's a little off-kilter. There's a constant sense of disquiet and uneasiness. A credit to the writing & directing I would have to say.

That little boy in "The Innocents", Miles (played by a dang good child actor by the name of Martin Stephens), gives a chilling portrayal of a little boy possessed by something evil. (I could easily envision this young man playing Damien in 1976's "The Omen".)

I liked the ending of both of these bone-chillers (Haunting & Innocents), although Deborah Kerr's smooching Miles flat on the mouth in the final scene seemed a bit odd to me. What was the motivation for this rather erotic lip-kiss? I thought a tender kiss on the cheek would have been more appropriate, as she realizes Quint has "taken" Miles to his grave.
Anyone agree?

In any event, "Innocents" is certainly a first-rate "unsettling" motion picture experience (esp. upon its initial viewing).

BTW...Can anyone confirm the ratio of "The Innocents"? My VHS appears to have the usual hacked-up, awful P&S "motion" back & forth in many scenes; so I'd presume it was done in a 2.35:1 AR (same as "The Haunting"). Is my surmise correct? (Would love the film in Widescreen form some day.)

Let's start a Sign-Up Campaign. Can't hurt.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

OH MY GOD!

That is the typo to end all typos!

That's unbelieveable.

Well spotted, Barry!

PS: I'll check the sound on the trailer vs. feature.


Gordy

 

[Dave Mack]

Yeah, it seems like Warner put the audio through some Noise reduction to "clean" up the track. It is VERY midrangey, sometimes gratingly so. A few times it was genuinely unpleasant to listen to. I recall the VHS sounding better. (Wouldn't be the 1st time, My "Romeo is Bleeding" VHS sounds better than the DVD) I will do an A/B soon.

Video quality however is wonderful.

 

[Jack Briggs]

For anyone having trouble finding the disc at his or her local B&Ms, go online. I notice that at DVD Empire The Haunting currently resides at number six in the sales rankings. So the demand is obviously there.

 

[Dick]

THE INNOCENTS was filmed with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio by Freddie Francis. Gorgeous.

 

[David Von Pein]

THE INNOCENTS was filmed with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio by Freddie Francis. Gorgeous.

That's what I suspected.
Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[Bill Huelbig]

If any fans of THE HAUNTING and THE INNOCENTS are in the New York area or can get there, the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center is showing THE INNOCENTS on August 20th and 21st as part of a widescreen festival:

http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/programs/8-2003/scope.htm

--Bill

 

[BarryS]

I've been wanting to see The Haunting for years, but I've only had access to a pan and scan VHS copy, so I've been awaiting the DVD. Knowing the film's reputation, I bought it sight unseen last week. I just watched it for the first time tonight and I was not disappointed in the least. It was every bit as great as I expected. Definitely the most eerily effective haunted house movie I've seen. It certainly puts modern "horror" movies to shame, particularly the '99 remake. It's amazing how a simple black and white film with no blood and hardly any special effects can be so incredibly creepy and heart-pounding in comparison to today's CGI-filled pieces of garbage.

I'm glad I bought it, I feel that it will be highly rewatchable. Love the beautiful Panavision photography.

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Glad you enjoyed it, Barry. Welcome to THE HAUNTING's fan base.

--Bill