The Haunting

My first encounter with The Haunting was with the remake in 1999.  It was a jump fest starring Liam Neeson that relied on random gore, too much CGI, and *spoiler altert!* let Owen Wilson get his head knocked off in a gigantic fireplace.  That’s what I remember most today.  At the time, I had no idea it came from an old horror classic and ate it up like popcorn.

The Haunting from 1963, directed by Robert Wise, is a fun, suspenseful horror film featuring the haunted Hill House.  The film starts out with the house’s grizzly history: built by Hugh Craine for his wife who died on her way to Hill House, he met an unfortunate end as well, leaving a small daughter.  As an old invalid woman, she dies in the house, due to neglect, and her negligent companion hangs herself in the house after inheriting it.  Clearly, you don’t want to own the house next.

In the present, Dr Markway (Richard Johnson) wants to document scientific evidence to prove that ghosts do exist.  He invites meticulously picked candidates to stay for the weekend at Hill House.  These include Luke (Russ Tamblyn), an skeptical young man and the heir to the house; Theo (Claire Bloom), a psychic with the style of a movie star; and  Eleanor (Julie Harris), a shy woman who has spent most of her adult life taking care of her sick mother, who recently died.  Together, they experience some extraordinary events and whatever haunts Hill House grows stronger and more violent.

Even before she leaves, Eleanor has a strange pull toward Hill House.  Staying with family since her mother’s death, she practically steals a car to accept Dr. Markway’s invitation.  There are hints to Eleanor’s psychic abilities, but she is insecure and denies them.  Even when frightening things happen at Hill House, Eleanor wants to stay, right up to the very end.  Perhaps it’s a kind of destiny.

Some of the scariest moments in The Haunting focus on what it is you don’t see.  At night, Theo and Eleanor huddle together, scared out of their wits about the noises in the house.  These are much more than creepy creeks, but violent pounding, children screaming and a threatening roaring sound.  You could swear something awful is just outside the door.  What you can imagine is probably scarier than any image.  Later in the film, a door seems to swell and contract, almost as if it were breathing, and just barely holding back whatever beast is haunting the house.  If Dr. Markway had invited me in his study, I would have wet my pants the first night and ran the next morning.

What makes The Haunting frightening is how it relies on the presence of the house and a building sense of dread.  To most viewers today, it may not be very scary, but more creepy and unsettling in a fun way.  However, younger viewers may have nightmares, so judge accordingly.  The wonderful details of the mansion are great eye candy, as well as the freaky-door scene.  There’s also a wonderfully suspenseful scene featuring a spiral staircase that will make anyone think twice about climbing the next one they see.

“God!  God!  Whose hand was I holding?”

East of Eden

Based off the second half of John Steinbeck’s novel and directed by Elia Kazan, East of Eden is a retelling of Cain and Abel set around the beginning of World War I.  The biblical references are easy to notice; Cal and Aron are sons of Adam, competing for their father’s love.  What is surprising, and rather fitting, is where Eve plays in this scheme.

Cal (James Dean) believes that he and his twin brother Aron (Richard Davalos) are opposites, good and bad.  Aron is the obvious good one, always winning his father’s love and going steady with a sweet girl, Abra (Julie Harris).  Cal is self loathing and fixated on the bad he sees in himself.  His father, Adam (Raymond Massey), is the most well loved, righteous Christian men in town.  Cal concludes that all the bad within him must have come from his mother, who died after giving birth, so he and Aron were told.  In his troubled wanderings, Cal finds a businesswoman (Jo Van Fleet), who he finds far too much in common with.  His yearning to find where he comes from and win his father’s approval may destroy his family.

Dean portrays a troubled teen perfectly, with plenty of passion and no cliche.  He shows curiosity, confusion and self loathing in a way that helps us connect with Cal.  He turns Cal into a very sympathetic character, always bringing the audience in, even when it feels like he is pushing away from everything.  He brings the pain of feeling unloved by his father to a heartbreaking climax.  It’s a role Dean similar to his later film, Rebel Without a Cause, yet Dean not at all the same.  Sadly, East of Eden was Dean’s only major film released before his death.  His nomination for best lead actor was the Academy’s first posthumous nomination.

Along with Dean’s Oscar nomination were three others for East of Eden.  Elia Kazan was nominated for best director and Paul Osborn for best adapted screenplay.  Jo Van Fleet won the award for best supporting actress in her role as the secretive business woman who turns out to have quite an impact on Cal’s life.

East of Eden is an essential film of the 1950s.  To think that it lost a best picture nomination to Picnic saddens me.  The story is compelling and thought provoking.  The acting is riveting and the cast works beautifully together.  Kazan’s direction is at the same amazing level as his best picture nominated films.  When discussing James Dean, it’s a shame not to mention his performance here.

“Man has a choice and it’s a choice that makes him a man.”