The Haunting 4K 1963

The film "The Haunting" is an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s gothic novel. Directed by American cinema classic Robert Wise nearly half a century ago, it remains one of the unrivaled pinnacles of its genre. It is no wonder that the greatest filmmaker of our time, Martin Scorsese, called it the scariest horror film of all time. The masterful build-up of an atmosphere of hopeless fear and utter despair causes the viewer to freeze in awe-struck terror time and again. The truly brilliant use of sound effects, combined with the cinematographer’s remarkable work, allows us to experience that very “magic of cinema”: the line between reality and what is happening on screen blurs—and suddenly we find ourselves in the heroes’ shoes, trapped by the ghosts of the sinister house-mausoleum. The remarkable ensemble cast leaves no doubt for a single second about the authenticity of the events unfolding before us—particularly captivating is the uninhibited performance of Claire Bloom, whose natural magnetism instantly transforms her into the queen of the frame.

This makes it all the more interesting to compare the 1963 film adaptation with the 1999 remake directed by Jan de Bont, which received four Golden Raspberry Award nominations: Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay. The new version, despite its magnificent visual execution, turned out to be a continuous string of clichés and nonsensical plot twists, while the lead actors didn’t even attempt to get into character. In Wise’s film, however, the painstaking and sincere effort of every member of the production team is evident. And, most importantly, the original "The Haunting" very accurately conveys the Gothic aesthetic of its literary source and its ideological ambiguity. It is a beautiful, intelligent, and in many ways philosophical film.

Yet, above all, it is frightening. The play of light and shadow, indistinct outlines and mysterious patterns, ringing silence and a sudden deafening knock—this is how the director brings our most hidden, childlike fears to life. The viewer suddenly finds themselves once again a small child, lying in bed amid the darkness of night, straining to listen to the silence of the room: did the closet door creak, where that very monster sits—straining to make out a barely perceptible movement in the gloom: has the ghastly face staring at them from the old tapestry on the wall come to life… It is precisely this superstitious, almost animalistic terror that permeates the film "The Haunting". And many more generations of movie lovers will freeze in front of the screen, watching the slowly turning doorknob in panic and mentally begging the director: “Please, don’t let it open!”—for behind that door lies the wild realm of our subconscious nightmares.