The Greatest Ghost Story Ever Made Still Terrifies Decades Later And Needs Saving
When contemporary audiences watch horror from Hollywood’s golden age, the entries lack the gore and special effects that modern fans tend to crave. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of films that were able to pack in the chills and suspense, some of which rival their contemporary counterparts. The 1944 film The Uninvited is one such production, which sadly is not available to stream or rent online.
Best To Do Your Research Before Purchasing
The Uninvited is the story of the new inhabitants of the Windward House, a mansion on the English shores outside of London. Roderick “Rick” Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister, Pamela (Ruth Hussey), discover the abandoned dwelling while on a trip, and immediately are taken by it. Surprisingly, they are able to purchase it for a mere 1,200 pounds, and move into it immediately.
Shortly after moving in, the siblings become acquainted with the seller’s granddaughter, 20-year-old Stella (Gail Russell). Stella is unhappy that her grandfather, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp), sold Rick and Pamela the house, as she has a strong attachment to the old seaside mansion. Years before, the young woman’s mother fell from a cliff on the property into the water and perished, an act that has haunted her ever since.
When In Doubt, Have A Seance
As Rick and Pamela settle into their new home in The Uninvited, the two of them begin to experience strange events that begin to erase their enthusiasm about the Windward House. Unexplained chills and drafts, the sounds of a woman sobbing in the night, and other happenings convince them that the place is haunted. As The Uninvited continues, Rick and Pamela have the home’s sinister history revealed to them and decide to have a seance conducted in order to get answers from the spirit that looms over the mansion.
An Expertly Escapist Endeavor
The Uninvited was produced and released to theaters during the middle of World War II, in a time where many citizens were craving an escape from the horrors of the war that they read in the news every day. The film was able to capitalize on this escapism, and quickly became a box office success.
Leaves The Terror To The Viewer’s Imagination
The magic of The Uninvited is that it is able to scare audiences without gimmicks, jump scares, and the gore that is commonplace in horror films from the 1960s forward. Rather, the production relies heavily on the eerie sounds, creative lighting, and suspenseful musical score to generate feelings that grow from unsettling to frightful. The film’s most intense moments rely on the viewer’s imagination, though one scene with an apparition on screen provides a terrifying moment.
Not Readily Available Online, But Worth Seeking Out
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The Uninvited feels like Alfred Hitchcock doing a ghost story in many ways. It’s a slow burn that builds step by step to an intense and rewarding payoff at the end.
While streaming or renting The Uninvited with VOD isn’t currently possible, it’s possible to catch the movie on older physical media releases. The film was first issued on VHS in 1992, and fans were able to see it in 2013 after it was remastered as part of the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-ray.
