by Sun Meilan

Created on: October 29, 2010

Hill House has a ghostly past, full of violent deaths and hauntings. No-one wants to live there, because no-one seems to escape unscathed. However, Dr Markway is desperate to spend some time there for research purposes, and takes along three assistants - Nell and Theodora, who are psychic, and Luke who is in line to inherit the house. Nell's mother has just died and instantly finds that the house seems to be trying to communicate with her. However, several strange happenings fill the four researchers with fear and the arrival of Dr Markway's wife only adds to the strange happenings. Does Nell have the answer to all the weirdness, or is she the cause of it? Will any of them manage to escape alive? 

Released in 1963, the film is in black and white, but it is nevertheless an extremely sharp, well-made production. Haunted house movies are ten a penny, but this one is superior to the majority, because it is actually scary, while not being remotely full of gore. What really makes it creepy is the camera angles, which are really cleverly done. The house, both from the inside and out, is filmed from the floor, so that the viewer is constantly looking up at the fixtures and fittings. The first glimpse of the house really sets the scene, especially with the clouds rushing past in the background. However, it is really an amazing spiral staircase that has been responsible for a number of deaths in the house that really stands out. Viewed from the bottom, it becomes more than just a staircase, it is an entity, and one that wants to kill at that. 

The acting is occasionally over the top in the way that it is often portrayed in films of the time. Nevertheless, on the whole, the acting is of a high quality. Nell, the main character, is played by Julie Harris. Nell could be hugely annoying to some, because she is highly neurotic and has the most incredible mood swings. However, the fact that her mother has just died and she doesn't get on with her sister does partially help to explain that she has not had a particularly happy life and makes her behaviour more convincing. The fact that she is slightly unhinged also adds to the intriguing nature of the story; there is a feeling that she is somehow connected to the story, but it is not clear exactly how. The hint of a potential romance with Dr Markway also adds to the story's interest. 

The other actors are generally good too. Dr Markway is played by Richard Johnson and although he is responsible for putting his

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