Horror Film Reviews

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As well as having a big interest in the paranormal I have a huge love of horror films old & new. I'm going to use this section to write up and post reviews of the best films that I recommend seeing. I hope its both entertaining & useful to you the members in choosing which film(s) to see next!! 

As this group is all about member participation, if anyone would like to write a film review to be included in this section please write it up and email it to me and I will include it here.

[email protected]

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Film: The Haunting (1963), a Robert Wise Film Running Time: 107 Mins Approx

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Its a 1963 film and is shot in black and white. The basic story is about a small group of people who are brought together to participate in a ghostly investigation/experiment at the sinister Hill House. None of them know why they have been invited exactly, but they have all been specifically selected because of the various traits and/or ghostly occurences they have known in their lives. As their time there unfolds.....strange things start happening.  Hill House, is a huge monstrous house which holds a multitude of secrets. In more than one reference in the film, its described as "being alive". The house is actually a stately home called Ettington Park Hotel which is in Warwickshire, England. Here is a still from the film showing Hill House in all its gothic glory:-

And here is photo of Ettington Park Hotel, in its true light:-

The reason this film is so effective and so scary is because its what you don't see that is so frightening. As soon as the group set foot in the house a dark sense of foreboding and claustrophobia sets in. All of the ornate designs, furniture, pictures, decorative ceilings look dark and grotesque. To imagine yourself trapped in a place such as Hill House seems like the worst thing in the world.  The halls seem endless and all the time, as you are watching the film, you are expecting something to jump out from the shadows and grab you!

The story is quite a simple one and to me, its the house itself which attributes to most of the spooky atmosphere....add music and voila!  The film doesnt rely on special effects to try and scare the viewer, instead it plays on the viewers own fear of the unknown. There is one section of the film which is a stand-out where the two women are awoken in their beds first by footsteps and scratching noises outside their door which sounds like some sort of animal or dog. Gradually begins the knocking at the door, handles turning around, culminating in loud banging and rapping which reaches an unbearable level...leaving the two women completely terrorised. Doesn't sound scary to you? I assure you it is...how this film manages to be so effective and so scary without special effects and daft storylines (such as the completely un-necessary hollywood remake) is beyond me. If they put a showing of the original film into a cinema today it would be an amazing experience I'm certain. If you haven't seen this film already - give it a shot - you might be surprised!! 10/10

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