The Haunting (12)

110 mins approx.

(DVD: Check online for best prices, this won’t cost much)

Directed by Robert Wise, written by Nelson Gidding, based on Shirley Jackson’s novel.

Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson & Russ Tamblyn

Forget the Jan De Bont-directed, Liam Neeson-starring fluff, the only adaptation worth acknowledging is still the 1963 original, ‘The Haunting,’ expertly directed by Robert Wise (of The Sound of Music, The Day The Earth Stood Still – the original fifties version – and Star Trek: The Motion Picture fame). Elegant and sinister, Wise’s film is an intelligent, dark haunted house flick, and it’s no surprise to see that it’s since become a critical classic influencing generations of horror films to come.

Extras: cool commentary track by actors Julie Harris, Claire Bloom and Russ Tamblyn, plus director Robert Wise & screenwriter Nelson Gidding. There’s some trailers, a stills gallery, and a screen essay. A mixed bag, really, but the commentary is worth a listen.

Greg Whelan, Bookseller (& award-winning writer),

Waterstone’s Edinburgh West End