'It was an evil house from the beginning - a house that was born bad.'
The Haunting
My love of haunted houses has a simple origin. One of my best friends growing up used to live near an abandoned old house. We often used to hang out, and play in the house. It was usually pretty bright inside, as some of the walls had caved in, and there were no curtains or windows covering any of the windows.
The most eerie part of the house were the things left behind. There were children's toys, books and furniture laying on the floors in most of the rooms. Much had been stolen over the years, but there were enough items left to make you wonder. The story wasn't really as terrifying as it was sad. I was told the family up and left in the middle of the night, running not from axe wielding killers, but instead credit collectors. The house eventually burned down, only adding to it's haunted street cred.
My love of haunted house themed movies is much more recent. I wrote previously that photographer Robert John Guttke used to often send me recommendations. In addition to suggestions of models and photographers to check out, he'd send along books and especially movies that I 'needed' to read and watch.
Given my love of Halloween, he sent a long list of movies to watch during the month of October. All of the films were classics, none made after the 1970's. At the top of his list of Halloween flicks was 1963's The Haunting. Initially, I wasn't really that interested, I'd rented the 1999 remake during the Blockbuster days, and wasn't really that impressed. I did however, promise to DVR the 1963 version when it aired on TCM.
Given today's theme, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I loved it. I loved the cast let by Claire Bloom, Julie Harris, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn. I especially loved the incredible visuals, and the mood so beautifully set by director Robert Wise. I only knew Wise from his musicals, West Side Story and The Sound of Music, and wasn't aware of the many other great films on his resume.
'An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there... walked alone.'
Although not a musical, music, and more specifically sounds, were central to the impact of Wise's The Haunting. Regardless of the genre of horror, all scary movies use music to get the viewers heart pounding and to signal something bad is about to occur..... Music isn't the only commonly used trope in horror movies, there are many others I know you're all very familiar with.
Haunted House Tropes:
They're isolated. Sure, some are in suburban areas, but most haunted houses stand alone, surrounded by trees, and little else.
They're Abandoned: Given they're haunted, most people don't last long in them, meaning they priced just right for the down on their luck family looking for a deal. Once the family moves in, they're not likely going to be able to move out.
The wind: When a family first enters their new abode, they're usually welcomed by a door that slams shut behind them. After that, doors slam at random, floors creak and windows are either sealed shut, or crash open, sending glass flying through the air.
The Electricity is not dependable: The lights are always flickering and going off, especially when something bad is about to happen. Poor Jordan, (pictured) learned this the hard way....
They're cold. People feel the chill as soon as they walk in. Given they're haunted, I'd expect they might be hotter. Then again, years of being uninhabited often means the furnace isn't up to code or working properly.
There's always clergy nearby: Need a Minister or Priest, they're always lurking about. People in Haunted Houses can usually find a medium or agent of a church to perform that much needed Exorcism.
They impact the little ones first: In most haunted house films, the adults are initially oblivious. It's only after the family Doberman begins attacking and snaking on delivery guys, and their children's eyes begin to glow and glaze over, that they figure out something might be up.
1 comment:
Jordan has a pretty pecker
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