This movie has a good setup. The house on the cliff is very picturesque with the waves crashing against the rocks below and the expansive staircases. I think that when it was made, it must have been very impressive visually as well as for including Ouija boards and vengeful gypsy spirits. However, it does not hold up for several reasons. The story, which may have covered new territory at the time, feels very simplistic and light-hearted. Comparisons get made between the Uninvited and 1940's Rebecca, but that story feels so much more layered and sinister. At the beginning of the The Uninvited, the characters are enjoying a seaside vacation, and that is the tone that persists. Midway through the movie, when a young woman's life is in danger from the influence of a hateful ghost, we get a scene where she hides on the floor of a car so she can get a ride to church and not be seen by her grandfather. The film is trying to establish life or death stakes, but the characters may as well be discussing their breakfast toast. I didn't necessarily dislike it, but it was not what I expected from the descriptions I had read.
Review of The Uninvited
