Top 25 Greatest Halloween Films: #24 — 'The Uninvited' (1944)

#24: The Uninvited (1944)

Roderick (Ray Milland), a music critic and fledgling composer, and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) have escaped the stuffy city of London for a vacation along the rocky, wave-crashing English seaside when they happen upon a vacant, near-Gothic mansion, fall in love with it on the spot and on a whim decide to see if they can convince the owner to sell. Rather than feel wary when Commander Beech (Donald Crisp) immediately agrees to unload the place for an absurdly low price, the duo thanks their lucky stars and embrace the move as the first step towards the simpler life they’ve always dreamed of – something that only ever seems possible in the movies.

Just as soon as Roderick and Pamela move in, two unexpected things happen. The first is Stella, the Commander’s daughter, a luminously gorgeous and fragile Gail Russell … and then there’s the sobbing. Because he’s a healthy, heterosexual male, Roderick’s immediately smitten with Stella and they begin a forbidden romance behind the back of her stern, sheltering father; less troubling, at least at first, is the eerie sound of an unseen woman crying that fills the old house night after night. Needless to say, mysterious pasts and age-old scandals will all require some unraveling in order to bust this particular ghost.

“The Uninvited” must be watched in the evening with the lights off and preferably alone. The spell it casts is almost immediate, as the moody atmosphere and ethereal intrigue slowly catch you off guard until the hairs on your arms are standing straight up.

The story’s intelligent, the dialogue witty, and the performances outstanding, especially Hussey as the willful, practical Pamela. There’s also an added poignancy in the undercurrent of Russell’s performance as Stella, a tragic character in desperate need of saving — just like the actress herself. Russell was an angelic presence, a uniquely delicate beauty you immediately wanted to reach out to and protect. But in her real life, Russell couldn’t or wouldn’t be saved (not even by John Wayne). First alcohol took her career, then, at age 36, it took her life. In 1961, one of the most beautiful women you’ll ever see on screen was found alone and dead in a Los Angeles studio apartment.

Cinematographer Charles Lang, already an Oscar-winner, was once again nominated (he holds the record for 18) for his gorgeous black and white photography, and for those of you who love the timeless standards of the era, through the conceit of Milland’s composer, “The Uninvited” ushered the beautiful “Stella by Starlight” into the world.

As with many of your own personal favorites, a warm memory enhances my affection towards this particular film, the memory of watching it some 25 years ago for the first time at my wife’s urging. It was just the two of us in our first apartment with the Goodwill couch and an entertainment center that looked suspiciously similar to a lawn chair. The power of Hollywood to offer a shared experience and transport to another world was strong that memorable night. Oh, and she jumped in my lap. On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t watch it alone.

Great movie. Great actors. Perfect ghost story.

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What Didn’t Make the Countdown: The Haunting (1963)

In his own ghost story countdown, Andrew Klavan is exactly right about this famous haunted house chiller directed by the great Robert Wise…

The first ten minutes and the last one minute are the creepiest part but there’s also the famous: “Who’s hand was I holding?”

Agreed. Agreed. Agreed.

If only the other hundred minutes were anything close to compelling, “The Haunting” might ring my bell. More than once I’ve tried to see what all the admiration was about and each time I’ve failed. It’s always a bit unsettling to not like movies you know you should.