The Uninvited in this case are brother and sister Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey who take a seaside house to let in England. Someone should have told them that the place was haunted, by two ghosts in fact. But if they had known that, they and the audience looking in would have missed one of the great Gothic horror films of all time.
Two women who really had it in for each other in life are continuing their feud into the next world with it spilling into this world. The object of their hatred is Gail Russell. She's the child of one of them who the other hates with a passion. It was at this house where one of them fell to her death off a cliff into the ocean and the other died of pneumonia.
Russell lives now with her grandfather Donald Crisp and they own the property where Milland and Hussey are staying. Bit by bit both are drawn into the mystery surrounding where they're living. They truly were not invited by one of the ghosts who does her utmost to get rid of them as well as frighten Russell to death.
The haunting cinematography sets the gloomy mood for The Uninvited and small wonder it got an Academy Award nomination for black and white cinematography. What I can't figure out is how Victor Young's score and theme for this film did not get nominated in that category. It was so popular that two years later Ned Washington gave the theme lyrics and it became a hit all over again as Stella By Starlight.
Acting honors go particularly to Cornelia Otis Skinner who did most of her work on stage both as performer and author. Her own autobiography Our Hearts Were Young And Gay had been filmed by Paramount and I guess she figured she owed the studio some work. She really made it count as the sinister figure who probably had a same sex crush on one of the ghosts when she was alive and said ghost gets her to do some evil bidding. Skinner will really creep you out with her performance.
Over 65 years after it first came out The Uninvited has not lost one ounce of shock value. Don't miss it if you're a fan of Gothic horror it's a must see.
Two women who really had it in for each other in life are continuing their feud into the next world with it spilling into this world. The object of their hatred is Gail Russell. She's the child of one of them who the other hates with a passion. It was at this house where one of them fell to her death off a cliff into the ocean and the other died of pneumonia.
Russell lives now with her grandfather Donald Crisp and they own the property where Milland and Hussey are staying. Bit by bit both are drawn into the mystery surrounding where they're living. They truly were not invited by one of the ghosts who does her utmost to get rid of them as well as frighten Russell to death.
The haunting cinematography sets the gloomy mood for The Uninvited and small wonder it got an Academy Award nomination for black and white cinematography. What I can't figure out is how Victor Young's score and theme for this film did not get nominated in that category. It was so popular that two years later Ned Washington gave the theme lyrics and it became a hit all over again as Stella By Starlight.
Acting honors go particularly to Cornelia Otis Skinner who did most of her work on stage both as performer and author. Her own autobiography Our Hearts Were Young And Gay had been filmed by Paramount and I guess she figured she owed the studio some work. She really made it count as the sinister figure who probably had a same sex crush on one of the ghosts when she was alive and said ghost gets her to do some evil bidding. Skinner will really creep you out with her performance.
Over 65 years after it first came out The Uninvited has not lost one ounce of shock value. Don't miss it if you're a fan of Gothic horror it's a must see.