The Haunting (1963)

UK 112m, B&W
Director: Robert Wise; Cast: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Fay Compton, Rosalie Crutchley, Lois Maxwell, Valentine Dyall

The Haunting is a beautifully photographed psychological thriller with complex camera movements and an eerie use of shadow and light which are combined with the power of suggestion to create a terrifically frightening horror film. The story follows an anthropologist whose interest in the supernatural brings him and his assistants to a haunted mansion in the English countryside. While a series of unexplained phenomena are witnessed by everyone, “Nell”, a lonely depressed woman comes to have an especially strong connection with the house and eventually comes to believe that it is her destiny to remain – forever. As Paranormal Activity (2009) reminded a new generation of horror audiences, one’s imagination is more powerful and frightening than any monster, fiend or special effect (Klaus Ming November 2012).