The Haunting (1963)
Having recently watched Mike Flanagan's Netflix mini-series The Haunting of Hill House, I decided to revisit this again. For me it is the gold standard for haunted house movies. It epitomises the 'less is more' approach that (I believe) is so important in selling a ghost story. Nothing is so frightening as our own worst imaginings. And whilst I like Flanagan's version, he has a tendency to show too much. I enjoy seeing creepy ghosts as much as anyone (I love The Ring, The Grudge, The Woman in Black, Flanagan's own The Haunting of Bly Manor), but something should be held back - at least in the early stages. Let our minds fill in the blanks. Director Robert Wise does that here - and then some. You don't see any ghosts. Not one. But you know they're there. You can feel them. The atmosphere is filled with more dread and threat than any other film I've seen (only Jaws comes close). The tension and fear are almost smothering. Direction, acting, writing, photography, lighting, set design, and - especially - sound, are all perfect. I cannot fault this film. It has never been anything other than a 10/10 for me.