Is it good & scary? - The Haunting (1963) Discussion

[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

Well, you've come onto a Board with people who have been terrified by the film for 50 years, so... What do you think?

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

Your choice - but I was serious. Take a look at peoples' ratings (1-10) for the film. I'm one of the ones who judges every ghost story by this film.

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Simplythebest11962 10 years ago

a strange old man,

why are you strange?

and yea, I know you were serious, so was I.

My posts are ALWAYS serious EXCEPT when they're NOT.

"It's a good thing!"--Martha Stewart



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[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

@Simplythebest90210

A friend (who brought me here) used to tell me that I was 'a strange old man'.

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] Simplythebest11962 10 years ago

strange old man,

Why would he call you strange? 

You seem normal & fun to me. 

"It's a good thing!"--Martha Stewart



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[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

I used to have some peculiar outgoing telephone messages (because they were actually on a cassette and I could make some pretty elaborate ones) so he would call just to see what strangeness he could hear - and he was always rewarded.

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] Simplythebest11962 10 years ago

by AStrangeOldMan » 6 hours ago (Sat Nov 22 2014 16:17:05)
IMDb member since March 2004
I used to have some peculiar outgoing telephone messages (because they were actually on a cassette and I could make some pretty elaborate ones) so he would call just to see what strangeness he could hear - and he was always rewarded.

Do you do that on Vocaroo too?

"It's a good thing!"--Martha Stewart


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[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

People got annoyed with the outgoing messages - so now it's just the 'android' auto-answer and I have moved onto other things.

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] Simplythebest11962 10 years ago

Did you ever read this book, No Hang-Ups Funny Answering Machine Messages?

It was written by John Carfi & pub. in 1988. 

It's hysterically funny!

Here's the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Hang-Ups-Funny-Answering-Machine-Messages/dp/B00162097K

"It's a good thing!"--Martha Stewart



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[–] ErnstChabinger 10 years ago

It's pretty good but for me the Innocents is a slightly better bet.

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[–] Simplythebest11962 10 years ago

by matoman » 9 hours ago (Fri Nov 21 2014 13:27:02)
IMDb member since March 2013
It's pretty good but for me the Innocents is a slightly better bet.

Thanks, Mayoman. I appreciate your feedback. 

"It's a good thing!"--Martha Stewart


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[–] ErnstChabinger 10 years ago

No probs, if you like good atmosphere in a film you cannot go wrong with either of these films!

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[–] Simplythebest11962 10 years ago

mayoman,

Yea, I definitely enjoy movies with good atmospheres. 

"It's a good thing!"--Martha Stewart



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[–] catbookss 10 years ago

It's pretty good but for me the Innocents is a slightly better bet.

I think The Haunting is outright scarier, but The Innocents is also excellent. Both are very atmospheric, but create different types of atmospheres.

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[–] ErnstChabinger 10 years ago

The Haunting yes certainly has its moments, and is just as scary as the Innocents in some parts, it is only things like the voice over and some elements of Eleanor's character which take it down a little for me. The Innocents overall for me worked better as a story and and in areas chilled me right through, especially that scene at the window!

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[–] catbookss 10 years ago

Your spoiler was a scary moment, I agree. The voiceovers didn't bother me, but I can see how they might take away from it for some. I'm not a Deborah Kerr fan, as I always see her as overacting, or rather stage acting, so that was a problem for me and kept taking me out of the story -- not a good thing for any film, and especially not a psychological horror.

But I am a fan of Henry James, and overall I thought it was an effective, highly atmospheric film.

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

You can kind of look at both films as representative of their times (19th Century and 20th Century) and view them as following the zeitgeist of the periods. The Innocents definitely looks like many of the pictures we see of 'ghosts' that were taken late in the 1800's, and plays upon our expectations and presumptions about Victorian times. The Haunting is just as dark and stark...but the action is taking place in a very recognizable 'modern era' bringing it one step closer to our own life experiences - and giving us some that we'd rather not have - can't ever shake. Both films rank at the top for me, though my affection for The Haunting has always placed it at number one.

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] catbookss 10 years ago

Sort of, yes, although The Innocents is the Victorians by way of the early 1960s. I did love the James novella.

That is a good point. When we first saw The Haunting, it was modern and the story was much closer to our own life experiences, so it felt like it could happen to us. BTW, from one of your posts on another thread, I think your sister owes you!

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

I still won't sleep with my arms outside of the covers.

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] catbookss 10 years ago

I'm glad it didn't affect me that way! Not that I didn't think that whole scene wasn't the scariest thing I've ever seen on film to this day, starting with the mumbling.

I didn't see it in the theater, and I'm glad I didn't because I can only imagine how much scarier it would have been on the big screen.

But, I did see it under scary circumstances. I was a kid, home alone while my parents went out one night. Silly me, I knew it was a scary movie (although I didn't realize how scary) and I thought it'd be fun to turn out all the lights in the house and watch it.

Mistake, BIG mistake.

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[–] ErnstChabinger 10 years ago

but the action is taking place in a very recognizable 'modern era'

However it is very reliant upon its setting?

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 10 years ago

Ohhhh yes. The setting is pretty important in both films - and Hill House is a fairly unpleasant place to visit (by all accounts), though Bly isn't far behind. Hill House seems to have its own (dark) personality, whereas Bly's creep-factor is its (resident?) ghosts - if they are actually there. I don't think I'd like to spend any amount of time in either place.

The black and white adds an even more disturbing edge to both films because it takes a while to become accustomed to a scene change and then...suddenly you think you may be seeing something that wasn't apparent before and...

Scene change again.

No fate but what we make. -Terminator II

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[–] Sonatine97 10 years ago

Slightly off-topic - I recently visited Ettington Park Hall, just 20 odd miles down the road in Stratford Upon Avon, justt a few weeks ago.

Although a hotel now, it was used for the exterior shots of Hill House during the filming of The Haunting way back in '62/3.

Architectually, very little has changed from an exterior point of view, (as far as I can tell). It looks very pleasant & welcoming during the day; but as the day turned to night, it was still possible to feel chilled to the bone at how overpowering & threatenening this grade 1 listed building can be - and that's despite all the floodlights & bedroom lights that almost drown the building like a fluorescent shroud.

Even though the interiors have been completely modernised, and bare little or no relationship to the film's interior, I still found it rather difficult to get to sleep in that place! Moreover, I kept on looking at the doorknob & the walls (no wallpaper in my particular room, thank God!)

One's imagination can really play merry-hell with one's mind, lol

...but what I know about is Texas; and down here, you're on your own!

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] catbookss 10 years ago

Slightly off-topic - I recently visited Ettington Park Hall, just 20 odd miles down the road in Stratford Upon Avon, justt a few weeks ago.

Yesterday I followed a link on this board to a site with the Ettington Park Hotel on it. Although I'm really not someone who's very easily spooked or frightened by scary movies, I have to admit, just looking at the photos of Hill House was unnerving.

It's a beautiful place and intellectually I envy you for being able to go there and explore it, but I don't think I'd go! Even though I love old houses. Just don't want to visit this one in person :)

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[–] ErnstChabinger 10 years ago

The black and white adds an even more

Absolutely agreed. Adds so much to the ghostly feel to both films. A certain glowing quality in some instances.

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[–] kumarihpx 10 years ago

Oh yeah it really is. It's dated of course but I find it very clever the techniques they used to make a scary movie without ghosts or monsters you can see, some of them still in use today because they address so effective.

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