The ’60s Horror Movie That Still Terrifies To This Day
Now that we’re well into the spooky season, it’s likely that horror fans are looking for their next fix – whether it be something old or new. Luckily, we have just the classic feature for you as the original 1963 film, The Haunting, is now streaming on Max. With a legacy that has spawned multiple spin-offs by way of television and movies, subscribers can see where all the hype began in the first adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel, The Haunting of Hill House.
The Haunting, streaming now on Max, is a horror classic that has been remade every few years.
In The Haunting, an anthropologist named Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson), a man who feels a special calling to psychic phenomenon, invites two specifically chosen women to an abandoned mansion known as Hill House. One of them, Eleanor (Julie Harris), is a quiet woman who keeps to herself and who has experienced paranormal events in the past, with the other test subject being Theodora (Claire Bloom), who claims to have ESP. The trio joins both Dr. Markway and the heir to Hill House, an untrusting man named Luke (Russ Tamblyn), to the home for an unforgettable experience of horrors and secrets lurking around every corner.
While the cast of The Haunting may not ring many bells in 2023, back in 1963, it was packed with some of the most notable names in Hollywood and beyond. Julie Harris was a well-known stage performer, having nabbed an incredible five Tony Awards during her career, and was also spotted in movies including Reflections in a Golden Eye, in which she starred opposite Marlon Brando. Claire Bloom was another celebrated theatrical actress holding credits in celebrated titles, including A Streetcar Named Desire and A Doll’s House, with many recognizing her for her film role as Queen Mary in 2010’s The King’s Speech.
As for the film itself, die-hard fans can have a pilgrimage of their own to Hill House as exterior shots of The Haunting were filmed at Ettington Park, which is now a hotel in Ettington Warwickshire. Like many other titles of the day, the inside sequences were filmed on the sets of Hollywood, but it was the movie’s special effects that would make it stand out from everything else in the industry. The Haunting still stands as an homage to old Hollywood and the beginnings of what would become the brilliance of what viewers see by way of special effects today.
While the cast of The Haunting may not ring many bells in 2023, back in 1963, it was packed with some of the most notable names in Hollywood and beyond.
Putting itself on yet another special pedestal, The Haunting was one of the industry’s first films to work queerness into its plotline and not be afraid to do so. The original novel hinted that Theodora was a lesbian, with the film completely putting it out there. What made this one a special moment for the LGBTQ+ community is that Theodora was in no way made to appear predatory but just like any other human being in the story.
The Haunting was, in fact, such a piece of beloved horror that it spawned a slew of other projects both on TV and in film.
Upon its opening, The Haunting nailed its horror edge as audiences were completely terrified of the jumpy ghost story. Though it didn’t hit its production budget of $1.05 million, only raking in $1.02 million at the box office, the feature has gone down as a classic bit of horror cinema.
The Haunting was, in fact, such a piece of beloved horror that it spawned a slew of other projects both on TV and in film. The first attempted remake of The Haunting came in the early 1990s by fan-favorite spooky author Stephen King, who wanted to pair up with Steven Spielberg on what he renamed Rose Red. Unfortunately, King and Spielberg just couldn’t end up on the same page regarding what they wanted from the feature, dropping the movie with King to resurrect it as the miniseries Rose Red, in 2002.
While King and Spielberg were squabbling about their visions for a remake of The Haunting, the legendary Wes Craven was approached to remake the film. While Craven dipped out on the project, Jan de Bont picked up the torch and dropped his vision in 1999. Starring in it was the perfect ‘90s mix of names, with Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, and Lili Taylor.
Most recently, Mike Flanagan took on the project in a miniseries for Netflix, reverting to the original novel’s name – The Haunting of Hill House. Though it changes parts of the story, the series proved to be a major success for the streamer, kicking off a partnership with the filmmaker with other mini-series, including The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and, most recently, The Fall of the House of Usher. Just in time for the Halloween season, you can catch the film that started the craze with The Haunting, now streaming on Max.
