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The Haunting

Play trailer Poster for The Haunting G 1963 1h 52m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Dr. John Markway, an anthropologist with an interest in psychic phenomena, takes two specially selected women to Hill House, a reportedly haunted mansion. Eleanor (Julie Harris), a lonely, eccentric woman with a supernatural event in her past, and the bold Theodora (Claire Bloom), who has ESP, join John and the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn). They are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events, and Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her.
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The Haunting

The Haunting

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Critics Consensus

Both psychological and supernatural, The Haunting is a chilling character study.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker Jul 6, 2022
An elegantly sinister scare movie, literate and expensive (though basically a traditional ghost story), with those two fine actresses Claire Bloom and Julie Harris. Go to Full Review Ian Freer Empire Magazine Sep 8, 2020
5/5
Wise brilliantly uses black and white widescreen to strand his characters in odd-shaped rooms or corridors, making the watcher's eye skitter frantically over the letterbox screen to catch every ingeniously rendered detail. Go to Full Review James Powers The Hollywood Reporter Nov 2, 2018
When The Haunting digs into the internals of its story, summons its spirits and lets them play havoc with cold reason, it has a power and fervor unmatched by any film ghost stories. Go to Full Review Grant Watson Fiction Machine Sep 9, 2026
It is a brilliant production, and yet another slice of proof that – when it comes to that country’s best film directors – Robert Wise is too good to be ignored. Go to Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast Mar 1, 2023
4/5
Wise's use of the camera is vital to creating a sense of tension and atmosphere; it's practically its own character. Meanwhile, Theo is a vital LGBT character in horror history: an out woman in a 60s film is a true rarity. Go to Full Review Samantha Allen them. Oct 27, 2022
Dripping with queer subtext, this 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is a master class in reading between the lines. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bill B @RT01438538 Sep 5, 2026 Absolutely saturated with an ominous atmosphere, the production, direction and acting are terrific throughout. Aside from a couple inconsistencies in the script, this is about as close to a perfect film that one can get. Classic. See more B P @Bradster69 Sep 3, 2026 Definitely Recommend It See more Abro A @Ozuuu Jul 19, 2026 Great movie. Watched it with the new Shout Factory 4k. Really loved this! Good haunted house flick. See more Bigbossbalrog T @Jigokju Jul 19, 2026 By far the best version of the Haunting of Hill House. I prefer this version over the netflix series, and the very homophobic remake. Fantastic atmosphere, and something very faithful to the novel. Shirley Jackson worked on this! See more Richard L @KaneLives Jul 13, 2026 Neither an accurate adaptation of Jackson's masterpiece, nor interesting enough to stand on its own. Although well shot, and truly impressive in the wholly two(!) scenes in which actual haunting takes place, it asks the viewer to sit through nearly two hours of wooden and repetitive dialogues between painfully schizophrenic characters - two hours during which nothing new is actually revealed about the house, nor any of its temporary occupants, ironically retroactively making me appreciate the 1999 version (which was (not unfairly, or so I thought) universally derided) more. See more Fumi A @Lordoflords Mar 31, 2026 Fantastic movie. The best version! Not that TV stuff! See more Read all reviews
The Haunting

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Wise

Director

Julie Harris

Eleanor "Nell" Lance

Claire Bloom

Theodora "Theo"

Richard Johnson

Dr. John Markway

Russ Tamblyn

Luke Sanderson

Lois Maxwell

Grace Markway

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The Haunting

The Haunting (1963) The Haunting (1963) The Haunting (1963) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Dr. John Markway, an anthropologist with an interest in psychic phenomena, takes two specially selected women to Hill House, a reportedly haunted mansion. Eleanor (Julie Harris), a lonely, eccentric woman with a supernatural event in her past, and the bold Theodora (Claire Bloom), who has ESP, join John and the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn). They are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events, and Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her.
Director
Robert Wise
Producer
Robert Wise
Screenwriter
Nelson Gidding
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures International
Rating
G
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 52m
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