The Uninvited (1944)

just watch it!

good back-story, and good acting

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

An atmospheric haunted-house yarn nestled on the coast of Cornwall, Broadway workman Lewis Allen's directorial feature debut THE UNINVITED is not a spine-tingling scare-fest one might expect it to be, but a decorous melodrama seeking out the truth about a past tragedy tinged with a tint of Gothic spookiness owing to Charles Lang's stupendous Oscar-worthy camera work through minimal torchlight and candlelight in the mansion where the London siblings Rick (Milland) and Pamela (Hussey) Fitzgerald dwell. The mansion is called Windward House, which the siblings buy from Commander Beech (a lumpen Crisp) for a knockdown price. The Commander is very cagey about the history of the house and whose only intention is to get the pecuniary profit to secure the future for his 20-year-old granddaughter Stella Meredith (Russell), he brazenly makes it clear that they don't want anything to do with the Fitzgeralds after the deal is cut and dried, intriguing, isn't it? It is not every day someone is offering to buy a jinxed house. But an impressionable and spontaneous Stella takes a liking for the debonair but expansive Rick, confides in him that she feels a strong yet strange connection toward the house where she has been forbidden to set her foot since she was three, when her mother fell to her death from the escarpment in front. So, apparently it is the apparition of Mary, Stella's mother who torments the new residents with the nightly wailing, chilling draft and pungent scent of mimosa (a clever olfactory indicator as we have to take the characters at their word), but the plot thickens when more details are disclosed: Stella's father had a gypsy mistress Carmel, and the rumor says that it is her who murdered Stella's mother then died of illness afterward. At this step, the ghosts become plural, the rub is whether it is Mary's benevolent calling or Carmel's malignant hex that draws Stella back to the place? Or, as we are all fully aware, there would be a final reveal to overturn all the previous presumptions, after the fuss of a seance and the intervention of a formal nurse, Mary's best friend Miss Holloway (Skinner), there is something fishy about Stella's real identity. Not quite often a pair of siblings is put in the center of a household, Milland and Hussey make do with their rivalry-free interaction and instill a patina of sangfroid which doesn't seem to be congruent with the mystical happenings, and willfully gives the movie a jocund vibe, if they are not spooked, how can we, armchair rubberneckers, be startled through vicariousness? Forever remembered by Victor Young's theme strain STELLA BY STARLIGHT, a fresh-faced Gail Russell is pleasant to behold, but couldn't be bothered to register a convincing reaction after receiving the bolt from the blue, which mars this otherwise fairly sustained suspense (along with Rick's half- hearted final smack-down with Mary's misty specter). In fact, the best part comes from a scrumptiously scenery-chewing Cornelia Otis Skinner, flagrantly furnishes the story with the requisite venom which one cannot get enough in the genre of uncanny mysteries, which, if really is your cuppa, bearing in mind that Jack Clayton's THE INNOCENTS (1961) is a far superior achievement to be amazed, transfixed and awe-struck.

I'm a big fan of classic supernatural movies, and The Uninvited is an enjoyable ghost story that takes the subject seriously, but it does have a few flaws. Set in Cornwall, it tells a simple story in which Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play the new owners of a large house on the coast. They discover that is is haunted. Rather than flee, they endure the frightening situation and try to put the spirit to rest. The photography and art direction are great. The house looks elegant at yet slightly sinister but not overtly "spooked-up" . The acting is good, although somewhat dated in delivery and style when viewed today. And the story follows an interesting flow of turns and revelations, with a satisfying conclusion. The scares in the film are well handled. When there are strange noises at night, or when Milland is exploring in the dark, the sense of unease is handled well. One of my favourite scenes is when all the characters are in a room and some large double doors open. In the first second we don't register this, but when the doors are fully open and nobody is there. it's suddenly frightening. Same thing when Milland and Hussey hear noises at night and look down the stairs. Somehow, the inky blackness of the lower hallway looks horrific. The director should be given credit for being able to turn the mundane into the unsettling, and he does it on several occasions.However I said the film has flaws, and I do think it falls down in certain areas. There are scenes of humour inserted all over the place which really dilute the tension. Cute dogs and squirrels running about with Disney-esque music, Ray Milland saying he's feeling brave but performing almost goofy facial expressions to "portray" that he is not come to mind. The "salt-of-the-earth" Irish housekeeper is a complete cliché. To be honest the central premise is also slightly off-kilter by having Milland and Hussey as brother and sister rather than a married couple. This robs the film of having any real emotional heart as there is no visible emotional investment between the pair. Instead, they both find romance with other characters: Milland sets his cap at a 20 year old girl which is excruciating to watch as he is far too old for her, and Hussey gets stuck with a doctor as he's the first and only eligible male she meets in the movie. Ah, romance!One more thing that didn't sit well with me is how disappointing the climactic revelation is. It really only hit me on my second watch of the move, but the way the film wraps up the proceedings once the truth behind the haunting is revealed is botched. I think it's the way the revelation is handled by the actors who quickly blurt out some expository dialogue and that's that. The film doesn't do drama via close ups or pauses, and the way that the character of Stella almost tosses off what could be a life-changing revelation with a few seconds of script reading is very poor. And now I realise what troubles me about the movie as a whole - none of the characters has any emotional depth. Milland and Hussey are as dull and dry as cardboard. Stella is blank and gauche, and everyone else is even more lifeless. In writing this I have just realised I how much have heavily criticised a movie which I am actually quite fond of, and that I recommend as a good treatment of the supernatural in serious vintage cinema. I still think it is, but I'm not going to shy away from saying that it has faults. Ghostly atmosphere and unease it definitely has, but passion or believable emotion seems to be lacking.

Taking a leaflet out of Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca to permeate its frames with a disquieting chill, The Uninvited is a finely crafted horror mystery that manages to be captivating for the most part and implements the traditional horror aspects in an effective manner but the decision to give the picture a lighthearted touch every now n then isn't something that works out in its favour.The Uninvited tells the story of a brother & sister who move into an abandoned seaside mansion after purchasing it at an unusually low price. But their fascination with the house dissipates once they learn about its dark past and experience unnatural activities during the night. Compelled to solver the mystery, the two attempt to find a reasonable explanation behind the place's haunted nature.Directed by Lewis Allen in what's his directorial debut, the film opens with a brief monologue that acquaints the viewers with the place where most of its events unfold. All its characters have well- defined arcs, and a sense of foreboding is palpable in nearly every scene that takes place inside the mansion. Allen handles the horror aspect of the story with skill but is unable to juggle it well with elements of comedy.The mansion is gorgeously photographed and appears to have a life of its own, with both a dark past & concealed secrets. Cinematography is a highlight in itself, for the smooth manoeuvring of the camera, precision use of lighting n shadows & controlled zooms encapsulate the story with a Gothic, foreboding ambiance. Its 99 minutes runtime is finely paced, Editing is unable to properly balance its shifting tones while the background score adds subtle enhancements of its own.Coming to the performances, Ray Milland & Ruth Hussey play the siblings and their chemistry with each other has a familial feel to it, not to mention that their individual input is just as good. Gail Russell takes the role of Milland's love interest but her part plays a far more vital role in the final outcome, Alan Napier is in as the local doctor and performs with gentleman-like professionalism while Cornelia Otis Skinner almost steals the limelight from the rest and delivers an enigmatic performance.On an overall scale, The Uninvited is a well-made haunted house horror that utilises its resources quite well to keep the audience's interest alive but it's not scary, or maybe time has diminished its scare factor by a great deal. It's still creepy though, in bits n pieces, but its ill-timed humour really undermines its moments of horror, for you can picture an unsettling haunted house tale if only the film had toned down its melodramatic & lighthearted approach. Failing to match its reputation yet providing a sufficiently thrilling experience, The Uninvited is worth at least one shot.

SYNOPSIS: A moderately well-off Londoner (Ray Milland) and his sister (Ruth Hussey) buy an old house, perched near the dangerous edge of a cliff on the Cornish coast. Although they are soon made aware that the house is haunted by a ghost, they fail to realize the ghost's particular animosity towards a sensitive young woman (Gail Russell) who lives nearby. NOTES: Charles Lang was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Black-and-White Photography, but lost to Joseph LaShelle's Laura.COMMENT: Just as well the photography is so wonderfully atmospheric, because the script now seems a little strained and doesn't quite add up to the shock impact it originally had on audiences in 1944. Too many ghost stories have intervened. The humor too (some of it contributed by producer Charles Brackett) fails to jell at times. Perhaps the modern setting is also a drawback. Maybe "The Uninvited" would have survived more effectively as a period piece. As it stands, the writers are forced to utilize a haunted house which, while it is connected to the electricity supply, has no electric lights—a mystery for which they proffer no explanation whatever. We watch all these people running around with lamps, whilst Ray Milland listens to the radio and makes regular telephone calls. In this sort of caper, automobiles look anachronistic. Furthermore, Ray Milland, competent actor though he is, fails to measure up here as a romantic hero. Whilst he's certainly quite pleasant to watch, his performance lacks the polish that all the other players, particularly Cornelia Otis Skinner (an unforgettable villainess), Gail Russell (who skillfully projects an enchanting vulnerability), Donald Crisp (a particularly well-rounded performance) and Ruth Hussey (beautifully efficient) bring to their roles.Lewis Allen's direction is professionally competent, but lacks the imaginative vigor that transforms mere entertainment into a masterpiece. In fact, he throws most of the burden for carrying the artistic effectiveness of the film on to the photographer, the set designer, the music composer and the special effects technicians. These men all render superlative work. The music score in fact is one of Victor Young's most memorable. It's hard to believe it wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award. Who remembers some of the nominated scores like Frederic Rich's "Jack London" or Edward Paul's "Up in Mabel's Room" today?