31 Days of Halloween: Day 21

The Uninvited (1944) Director:  Lewis Allen

I'm not gonna lie.  I blind bought this movie because I think the Criterion box art is amazing.  At the very least, I thought I would enjoy looking at it on my shelf.  I also later found out that Martin Scorsese listed The Uninvited as one of the 11 scariest movies of all time.  Well if Martin Scorsese says that it's scary, then it's gotta be, right!? 

Eh, not really. 


I don't know why, but for some reason many critics and directors often say scenes of movies or entire movies themselves are terrifying, but there is no way that they could actually believe that. 

I call bull shit. 

I don't quite understand it.  Part of me thinks that they are just going along with the "horror canon," and will say a movie is scary because it's supposed to be scary, or whatever.  No one else, that is people on the internet, thinks it's scary so I doubt that some of these other guys are being sincere in their assessments.  Of The Uninvited Scorsese has this to say:

Another, more benign haunted house picture, set in England, no less atmospheric than The Haunting—the tone is very delicate, and the sense of fear is woven into the setting, the gentility of the characters.

Mk.

I once saw a documentary about gangster films, and good old Marty was one of the filmmakers who were interviewed.  In it he discusses one gangster film and how it was so great for not showing the violence, instead leaving it to the imagination.  I laughed to myself when he quickly noted that he was not "skillful" enough to do the same.  He's acting like someone who broke his dad's school record, but is making up excuses as to why it doesn't count, and his dad is still great.  Of all the people to talk about violence in gangster movies...

Right.

So in case you couldn't guess, I didn't find The Uninvited to be scary, although I certainly wasn't surprised by that.  The problem with some of these older films, when it comes to producing scares, is not in the visuals, but the sound.  When a classical Hollywood soundtrack with sweeping strings began to play I almost started to chuckle.  With that playing in the background there is no way this can be scary.  Horror comes from atmosphere, and having some sort of romantic music playing can only destroy it.  The most effective scenes are the ones where there is no music at all, instead only ambient sounds.

Aside from the fact that the film isn't scary (clear yet?), the film is rather quite good.  The story is classic and is archetypical by now.  A brother and sister purchase a big, old house at a great price and soon discover that it is haunted.  The two then investigate the haunting, and what is it that the ghost(s) want.  The mystery is played at well and has been copied numerous times since 1944.  Anyone familiar with haunted house or ghost movies can probably guess the major turning points in the final act, but that doesn't make the movie any less enjoyable.  Of other haunted house movies, The Changeling (1979) perhaps bears the greatest resemblance to The Uninvited.

The cinematography and special effects are the real stars of this film.  Visually, the film sets up a terrific atmosphere with strong use of darkness, with faint light offered only by candles.  The ghost effects are also impressive, and don't look cheep or dated in the least. 

If you have a low tolerance for scary movies then The Uninvited is the perfect movie for you.  The story is well told and interesting, and the classic haunted house vibe is easy to become immersed in.  Plus, the Criterion box art is beautiful.