Movie Reviews

Bosley Crowther of New York Times says: 
''...And, believe me, before this antique chiller drags to an ectoplasmic end, you'll agree that it does have just about everything in the old-fashioned blood-chilling line except a line of reasoning that makes a degree of sense...'' (Crowther 1).


Crowther, Bosley. "The Haunting (1963)." Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York 
Times - The New York Times. 19 Sept. 1963. Web. 25 Feb. 2011. <http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A06E4D81431E73BBC4152DFBF668388679EDE&partner=Rotten Tomatoes>.


Reaction:
    I agree with Crowther that although this movie was a bit nerve wracking in a sense, it didn't make much sense to me. Although, I didn't really get why Eleanor did the things she did in the book. The movie had good acters, suspense, and a nice setting, but the movie just didn't really make sense in terms of the storyline. 

Reaction to the Film

-Low Angle shot: Low angle shot was used right from the beginning, looking up at Hill House, while the lights were low-key to pronounce shadows and show that Hill House was a dark place.
-High angle shot: When the companion hanged herself, while looking down, you see the bottom of the staircase, and the companion's legs as they angle high in the air.
-Bird's eye shot was used to vertically look down on the spiral staircase as the camera spins, as if going down the staircase.
-When Eleanor first sees Hill House, the camera uses low angle shot once again to look up on the house as a threatening object after she warns herself that it's her last chance to get away.
-Birds eye shot is used afterwards, as if Hill House looks down on her small car.
-When Eleanor enters the house, the camera pans, to show the inside of the house through Eleanor's eyes.
-When Dr. Montague goes up the rusty staircase to get Eleanor, Eleanor seeings Ms. Montague on the ceiling (probably in the attic) and screams. Then the scene fades into blackness for a few seconds.

Pg 182-243

Summary:

     Dr. Montague's wife arrived with a friend, Arthur. She came with the plan to get in touch with the spirits or 'elements' that disturbed the house via a planchette, a board much like the Ouija board. After a session, she suggested that a nun must have been walled up in a well alive somewhere in the cellar. However, Dr. Montague refuses to temper with the house, since his lease with the owner of the house forbids him. After assigning rooms for Ms. Montague in the nursery, at night, Theodora, Eleanor, and Luke all met in Dr. Montague's room and the shaking began to start. It seemed like all the noise happened in Eleanor's head, an animal paced back and forth outside, and laughter echoed the halls. After a while, it stopped, and all the broken paintings outside had become normal again. The next day, Eleanor and Theodora wrote their notes about what happened that night (that was their original purpose for being in Hill House) and when Eleanor proposed to live with Theodora after leaving Hill House, Theodora asked a question that suggested she wasn't wanted. Eleanor reveals that when she was younger, her mother knocked on the walls and called Eleanor for her medicine, but Eleanor had ignored her, which resulted in the death of her mother. That afternoon, Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke walked to the brook. When Eleanor walked ahead, Theodora and Luke had stayed back in the shade, and when she turned back, she felt her mother's spirit holding her. At night, while Ms. Montague complained that their disbelieve of the planchette was angering the spirit, Eleanor recognized a small melody in the corner of the room, only she could hear. Later in the evening, while everyone slept, Eleanor roamed the halls, calling her mother, she then proceeded to knock on everyone's door, waking them up, and leading them in a wild goose chase. When they caught up with her, she ran into the library and ran up the rusty staircase up the tower. Luke eventually got her down. Next morning, everyone insisted Eleanor leave Hill House, they feared the house was possessing her. Eleanor laughed and insisted staying. She felt the house wanted her to stay. Eleanor refused to leave because she felt Hill House was 'her's'. She drove her car into the tree, killing herself, which allowed her to roam Hill House alone.