The Haunting (1963) on Netflix
Dr. John Markway invites strangers to Hill House for a study of sleep disorders. Theodora, a psychic, and Eleanor Lance, who nursed her invalid mother until her recent death, accept.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb7.4/1044,977 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
Dr. John Markway wants to investigate the paranormal activity reported at Hill House, the Massachusetts mansion Hugh Crain built for his wife. Mrs. Sanderson, who owns the house, insists that her heir Luke Sanderson be included. Only two others accept: Theodora, a psychic, and Eleanor Lance, who met poltergeist activity as a child and spent her adult life caring for her invalid mother, now recently dead. The house's walls stand at askew angles, and its doors open and close on their own.
Cast
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Haunting (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Panavision's only wide-angle anamorphic lens was a 40mm, so Robert Wise pressed for a 30mm the company was still developing; it distorted the image, and Panavision handed it over only after Wise signed a memorandum acknowledging it was imperfect.
- Touring Ted Turner's colourisation facilities as a member of the Directors Guild, Robert Wise discovered Turner was colourising The Haunting and stopped it by pointing to his contract, which stated the picture could only be in black-and-white.
- The library's collapsing spiral staircase was rigged by tying steps and railing to a cable inside the central support column, so slackening the cable made it move; it shook the cast so badly that Robert Wise had to climb it while it shook to prove it was safe.
- Russ Tamblyn initially turned down the role of Luke Sannerson because he felt the character was a jerk; MGM, which had him under contract, forced him to reconsider by threatening him with suspension.
- To show the mansion's "cold spot", Robert Wise had the makeup department apply a compound to the actors that was invisible to the naked eye but appeared under certain filters, which were then gradually drawn over the set's lights.
- Nelson Gidding's script had a scene of Theodora in her city apartment just after breaking off with her female lover, with "I hate you" written in lipstick on the mirror; Robert Wise cut it as too explicit for a film that worked to keep things implicit.
- Stephen King attempted a remake of The Haunting in the early 1990s, pitching it to Steven Spielberg under the name Rose Red; Spielberg wanted more thrills and action while King wanted more horror, and after several years they shelved it and King bought back the script.
