Starring Ray Milland, Gail Russell and Ruth Hussey
Written by Frank Partos and Dodie Smith from the novel by Dorothy Macardle
Directed by Lewis Allen
Production year 1944
Running time 99 minutes
The
Christmas season is a traditional time for tales of the supernatural -
for many years the BBC would televise works by the British horror writer
MR James - some of them very scary indeed...
This little-known gem
from 1944 is one of the best and most atmospheric ghost stories to be
filmed. Like the best spooky tales, such as Robert Wise's chilling 1963
movie The Haunting, it relies more on suggestion and what you do not see
than elaborate special effects and big noisy scares.
Ray Milland
and Ruth Hussey play a brother and sister who buy Windward House - an
old abandoned Gothic mansion in a rocky coastal area of England. After
they move in a series of strange events lead them to believe that the
house is haunted and their attempts to find out the identity of the
spirit lead to some spine-tingling moments.
The Uninvited boasts
stunning black and white photography, an atmospheric score and well
judged performances by Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and the others in the
cast.
Among the writers of the screenplay is Dodie Smith, the British
novelist whose much-loved books included I Capture The Castle and 101
Dalmatians.
Don't miss this classy tale of the uncanny - our last film of 2012.
