El mandato del otro mundo

The Uninvited is directed by Lewis Allen and adapted to screenplay by Frank Partos and Dodie Smith from the novel Uneasy Freehold written by Dorothy Macardle. It stars Ray Milland, Gail Russell, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp and Cornelia Otis Skinner. Music is by Victor Young and cinematography by Charles B. Lang.

"They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here... and sea fog... and eerie stories..."

Wonderful old fashioned ghost story that neatly blends romance and a light comedic tone into the pot, The Uninvited is very much a movie of significance. It marks a point in cinematic time when the ghost story proved it could be played for true unnerving impact. It remains a sub-genre of horror that is sorely lacking in bona fide classics, spookers that have longevity, the ability to raise the goose flesh no matter how many times they are revisited. With a new special edition DVD recently released, and the likes of Martin Scorsese and Guillermo del Toro championing its cause by putting it on their lists of favourite frighteners, The Uninvited is proving its worth as an old sub-genre classic.

Plot is pretty conventional stuff. It's 1937 and Milland and Hussey play a brother and sister who fall in love with a cliff side house they stumble upon whilst holidaying on the southwest coast of England. Sure enough they snag themselves the house at a ridiculously cheap price, this even though they are warned of some previous disturbances at the address. Cue a mysteriously locked room that when opened reveals itself to be deathly cold, pets that will not go up the stairs and then comes the hauntings... So far so formulaic, then, but as the story begins to unravel in the second half of the movie, where the light touch is left behind, a fizzer of back story comes to the fore and one or two extra surprises leap out of the narrative. This is not lazy plotting, it is well constructed, the mystery element is strong and sidles up nicely with the spooky goings on.

"If you listen to it long enough, all your senses are sharpened. You come by strange instincts. You get to recognise a peculiar cold that is the first warning. A cold which is no mere matter of degrees Farenheit, but a draining of warmth from the vital centres of the living."

This is a spooker that, unsurprisingly for the time, is devoid of visceral shocks and blunderbuss like scares. This is more about atmosphere (Lang was Oscar nominated for his noirish photography) and fear of the unknown, where the sound of a sobbing woman in the darkness chills the blood. Perhaps surprisingly for the time? We do get to see spectral images, and they still work and create the desired effect, who needs a computer generated image spitting blood when you can have ethereal spookiness floating eerily above the ground? While we are at it, who needs a beefed up pretty boy actor fighting the good fight against evil when you can have an elegant Ray Milland doing it with a glint in his eye instead? The cast are very effective, with Russell really making a mark so early in her career, while Young's score is both sinister and tender (the song Stella by Starlight would become a popular standard) at all the right times.

A genuine ghost story for those who prefer the sparing atmospheric touch to the noisy carnage approach. 8/10

This 1944 Paramount film is one of my very favourites. Long hailed as Hollywood's first attempt at a "serious" ghost story, it will no doubt please most all fans of the genre. Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald who are siblings. They are nearing the end of their seaside holiday in Cornwall, England when they happen to come across a lovely old deserted Georgian house while chasing their terrier, Bobby. The Fitzgeralds meet the dour owner (played by Donald Crisp) and they purchase the small mansion for a surprisingly affordable amount of money. Naturally, the house is haunted. The acting - particularly that of Gail Russell as the luminous, moonstruck Stella Meredith - is effective and charming. The black-and-white cinematography by Charles Lang is exquisite as is Victor Young's hauntingly lovely theme, "Stella by Starlight". The film has a moody, frisson quality which few films of the "ghost genre" can match. In one of her very few film appearances, Cornelia Otis Skinner is memorably sinister as Miss Holloway who was a friend of Stella's mother, the deceased Mary Meredith. A thoroughly enjoyable film with some real jolts and a great atmosphere, ghost fans should be enthralled by this one.

Musician Ray Milland (Rod) and his sister Ruth Hussey (Pam) buy a house on a whim whilst holidaying in Devon. It seems quite a cheap price and the purchase is conducted over a few sentences. The owner Donald Crisp (Commander Beech) seems very keen for the sale. He also stipulates to his grand-daughter Gail Russell (Stella) that she is never to visit the house. It is where she spent the first 3 years of her life. She disobeys as she develops a relationship with Milland. And the house has some other occupants ………….. unworldly ones….

It's an enjoyable film with a strong cast although Russell plays things rather too vulnerably for a 20 year-old. Milland throws in some humorous touches but he succeeds in keeping things in the scary, spooky film genre as opposed to the comedy ghost story genre, which is always a let-down. So, he should be congratulated for making the crossover. This is a good ghost story with genuine chills, scary scenes, a story with a twist and a great ghost effect. Lots of atmosphere in this one.

Old Hollywood may not have had digital, but they sure knew how to fake it. Take this movie. I could swear it was filmed on a rocky British coast. But no. According to IMDb, it looks like production never left the LA area or maybe even the studio lot. In my book, that's quite a technical feat. Besides, the crashing waves and and cliff-side mansion add a ton of atmosphere to a really good ghost story.

Actually, it's as much a mystery movie as it is a haunting. Just who the heck is this sobbing spirit and why is she bugging poor sweet little Stella (Russell). In fact, was there ever a more appealing screen presence in any film than actress Russell is here. She's got a level of innocent appeal that most actresses only dream about, and steals the film with an unforgettable charm.

Speaking of charm, Russell's got a lot of competition from Milland and Hussey who are simply delightful as the urbane brother and sister. Their scenes together amount to little marvels of civilized chemistry. In fact, this may be the most charmingly done story of the occult on record. It's almost like the supernatural happenings are secondary to the array of compelling characters, including the tyrannical Commander (Crisp).

Now, neither the swirling specter nor the ghostly sobbing scared me, but Miss Holloway (Skinner) sure as heck did. Talk about ice-cold intelligence. If you weren't wacko when you entered her Nazi sanitarium, you soon would be. Then there's poor flighty Miss Bird (Stickney). I can see her entering the place as a highly competent librarian, but soon reduced by "therapy" to flapping her arms and collecting rocks. Then too, what's with Holloway's attachment to the deceased Mary Meredith—was this Hollywood maybe pushing the envelope.

Anyhow, the movie is studio (Paramount) craftsmanship at its best, including the enchanting title tune "Stella by Starlight". Whatever old Hollywood's failings, and they had many, the studios could on occasion come up with real winners. Fortunately, this is one of them.

Add a beautiful, mysterious Cornish seascape - with cliff and huge house standing alone. Add the likes of veteran actors like Ray Milland, Donald Crisp, Ruth Hussey, Alan Napier, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and a charming newcomer in Gail Russell. Throw in the eerie, suspenseful story of a house with a secret - a house that is worth much, much more than it sells for but is sold for a song to new neighbors Milland and Hussey as siblings. Stir in the ever present, keen eye for mixing atmosphere with action by director Lewis Allen and a thought-provoking, interesting albeit somewhat predictable script by Dodie Smith (based on a popular novel by Dorothy Macardle). For extra measure and a stronger ghostly flavour, present a séance, an asylum for the mentally ill, a true cliffhanger, and of course ghosts with work left to do after they have NOT shuffled off this mortal coil. All these ingredients make a fine film called The Univited, a Paramount release that really tries to be a true ghost story with emphasis on atmosphere rather than action. Though the film has a few stretches which might have been enhanced a bit more with some more action, the film's overall quality succeeds in its goals. The Uninvited is a first-rate ghost story about a secret this solitary, palatial house has, and it creates its suspense with things like creaking doors, lights faintly moving, wind blowing windows in(or out), barely audible whispers floating in the air, and ethereal images casting their ghostly shadows for the living's visual consumption. Ray Milland is as ever very affable in the lead role and Gail Russell as the focus of the ghost intrigue is beautiful and talented. Hussey, Skinner, and Napier do very good jobs with the material, but Donald Crisp as Russell's strong-willed father makes the biggest impression. If you are looking for something that has all the trappings of a sophisticated haunted house film - The Uninvited is it.