Your rating. - The Haunting (1963) Discussion

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] maskfaced 12 years ago

I agree, excellent haunted house movie. Use of shadow makes for creepy atmosphere!
Gutierrez! Spider-Mag!

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 12 years ago

As I've mentioned elsewhere, the movie has been mined so much for every detail that some of the original impact has been lost over the last 50 years. My sister took me to see this in 1963 when it was released (and the psychological damage of taking a seven-year-old to such a film is another post entirely) The Haunting is the ultimate film about a haunted house - or a horror film in general - against which I compare every horror film - and they always (always) come up lacking. Can't rate it - it's already at the top.

"No fate but what we make." -Terminator II

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] tkip19 12 years ago

As a movie on its own, it gets a 9/10. As a horror and haunting movie, it gets a perfect 10/10. It has no equal in my book...

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[–] StarryEyes1 11 years ago

Definitely 10/10.

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[–] twofortulip 11 years ago

Agree,10/10. The remake was a disgrace. This movie is still the scariest ever because of the power of psychological horror. The graphic horror so popular now really cheats the audience with cheap thrills.

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[–] Sonatine97 11 years ago

9/10.

I never get tired of watching this: it has all the right ingredients to keep me entertained on a cold winter's night. And even though I've seen the film many many times it still leaves a psychological mark on my mind as I retire to bed for the evening. And funny as it may seem, I always keep my hands under the blankets ;-)

"One must first get behind someone, in order to stab them in the back!"

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 11 years ago

And funny as it may seem, I always keep my hands under the blankets ;-)

I've been doing that since 1963!!!

"No fate but what we make." -Terminator II

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[–] shazgwinn 11 years ago

My Nan used to have wallpaper a bit like THAT! wallpaper, ooh,, I get chills just thinking about it.

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 11 years ago

Yes, certainly for lifelong psyche scarring the film has few equals.

"No fate but what we make." -Terminator II

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[–] Suskis 11 years ago

6/10, maybe 6.5/10
this movie aged quite badly. the whole premise of not knowing wether the house is really haunted or not fails completely, as events clearly show that there is indeed a paranormal activity in the house. still, even the scientist gathere the people to have a "final word" about afterlife existence, in the end this is totally dismissed. the only great thing about this movie is the way it frightens the audience.

'What has been affirmed without proof can also be denied without proof.' (Euclid)

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[–] eweland 11 years ago

5/10

Just not a scary film. And if you saw it when you were seven I bet you were traumatized by "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?"

It's got a lot of great atmosphere - I kept waiting for it to get scary.

Psycho is scary.
The Innocents is terrifying - IF you realize the kids are doing anything but innocent things to each other.

The Haunting's best scenes don't involve the main 4 cast members. The flashbacks are the real scares, if any.

The Kubrick film IS far superior, in every way.

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[–] AStrangeOldMan 11 years ago

10/10, the measure of every 'horror' film I've ever seen -
and, except for the usual mining of every aspect of the film effective only because of the connections made to the vastly superior original, they have ALL fallen short.

"No fate but what we make." -Terminator II

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[–] PrometheusTree64 11 years ago

10/10.

You can't really do this subject any better than Robert Wise did it.

Yes, you can do it bloodier, but not better.

--

Non-sequiturs are delicious.

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[–] leader-7 11 years ago

To me, it's clearly a 10/10. And (OMG) I saw this as a child, with my dad -- we used to go to horror films all the time -- and this was hands down the scariest I'd seen.

It still is... feeding on the paranormal, and everything else. Brilliantly done.

Don't forget Robert Wise's other "thriller," -- The Day The Earth Stood Still.

another perfect 10/10 sci fi/anti-war movie.

He did have a magical touch.

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] DracTarashV 11 years ago

Although I didn't give it a perfect rating, to me it rightfully deserves more than a 7. Very effective film indeed.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

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[–] Sewaat 11 years ago

I gave it a solid 7. It was a perfectly adequate film with good atmospheric tension and cinematography. But I think it's quality really deteriorated in it's ending. I hate to say that I was a little disappointed and though the last act would have been better. I guess I expected too much from what everyone was saying about it. That being said, it was still an enjoyable film.

Real is good. Interesting is better.

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[–] Trax-3 10 years ago

I gave it a solid 7. It was a perfectly adequate film with good atmospheric tension and cinematography.

Same here, a well made film (it looks beautiful) but didn't quite live up to its reputation. Never actually scared me though there certainly were some moments of mild unease watching it. I gave it 8 but it is a weak 8 something like 7,6.

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[–] GrahamtheDesigner 11 years ago

8/10

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[–] !!!deleted!!! (20781574) 11 years ago

9/10.

Not based on nostalgia as terribly it's taken me too long to give it a much deserved watch. It's the simple moments that make this film a thing of beauty. A shadow leaning across the wall, a noise of unknown origins; that ENTIRE scene on the spiral staircase which sent goosebumps trailing up my arm. I adore all facets of the horror genre but this is without doubt is one of my favourite haunted house films, period.

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[–] Ariane67 11 years ago

10/10 : I always adored this movie, the epithome of haunted house's stories, for me. Simply a classic.

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"Don't act, be !" (Kate Winslet)

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