In my many years of watching horror films, I have yet to find one that comes close to the terror that I experienced when I saw "The Haunting." This is the quintessential haunted house movie of all time.
The plot runs like this. A scientific researcher is interested in researching a house which has had a miserable history of driving its inhabitants crazy to determine whether or not it is actually haunted. He gathers a team of two other researchers and the nephew of the old lady who owns the house. One of the scientific researchers, played by Claire Bloom, is somewhat crazy herself. She often hears voices in her head, which of course, the movie audience gets the pleasure of witnessing. The owner's nephew is a non-believer in the supernatural and refuses to accept the fact that the house is haunted. Thus, the stage is set for this unusual group to spend the week-end inside the house to prove whether or not there is a ghost in the house.
The house is creepy at first glance. There's a locked wrought iron fence that surrounds the property. Nothing has gone in or out for 7 years with the exception of the caretakers, who are very creepy in their own right. Once inside the house, you get the feeling that the group is locked in. As the doors shut with a loud thud, the group begins to explore. It is dark inside and there are many rooms to explore. They are all warned not to wander for it is easy to get lost inside the many passageways that wind through the long corridors.
From this point on, the four researchers learn that there is a presence in the house. It is not a presence that you can see, but one you can hear and even feel. As the guests sleep at night with their bedroom doors locked, they all hear a loud rhythmic thumping sound outside their rooms. The walls move inward as if a giant force is trying to push them down. Other scary events are hallucinations which Claire Bloom experiences. On the first night, she slept the entire night while holding hands with her female roommate. The queer thing is, the next morning her roommate has no recollection of even sleeping in the same bed with Claire. This leaves you to wonder who she was actually holding hands with.
As the story unfolds, each of the guests has their own individual experience that no one else remembers. The climax is intense, not for the faint of heart.
Horror film buffs will love this movie. Rent it some night, if you dare.
The plot runs like this. A scientific researcher is interested in researching a house which has had a miserable history of driving its inhabitants crazy to determine whether or not it is actually haunted. He gathers a team of two other researchers and the nephew of the old lady who owns the house. One of the scientific researchers, played by Claire Bloom, is somewhat crazy herself. She often hears voices in her head, which of course, the movie audience gets the pleasure of witnessing. The owner's nephew is a non-believer in the supernatural and refuses to accept the fact that the house is haunted. Thus, the stage is set for this unusual group to spend the week-end inside the house to prove whether or not there is a ghost in the house.
The house is creepy at first glance. There's a locked wrought iron fence that surrounds the property. Nothing has gone in or out for 7 years with the exception of the caretakers, who are very creepy in their own right. Once inside the house, you get the feeling that the group is locked in. As the doors shut with a loud thud, the group begins to explore. It is dark inside and there are many rooms to explore. They are all warned not to wander for it is easy to get lost inside the many passageways that wind through the long corridors.
From this point on, the four researchers learn that there is a presence in the house. It is not a presence that you can see, but one you can hear and even feel. As the guests sleep at night with their bedroom doors locked, they all hear a loud rhythmic thumping sound outside their rooms. The walls move inward as if a giant force is trying to push them down. Other scary events are hallucinations which Claire Bloom experiences. On the first night, she slept the entire night while holding hands with her female roommate. The queer thing is, the next morning her roommate has no recollection of even sleeping in the same bed with Claire. This leaves you to wonder who she was actually holding hands with.
As the story unfolds, each of the guests has their own individual experience that no one else remembers. The climax is intense, not for the faint of heart.
Horror film buffs will love this movie. Rent it some night, if you dare.