The Uninvited

An excellent ghost story, one I had never heard of. A good building of suspense, almost Hitchcockean, throughout the film. And Gail Russell had such beauty. I was unfamiliar with her as well, and in reading the bio on IMDb, I see why. What a shame. Check this one out. Grade: A

If you're in the mood for a chilling, well-plotted, atmospheric mystery, you owe it to yourself to see this house-on-the-edge-of-a-cliff type of mystery. The intricate plot will delight mystery fans and the acting by Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Gail Russell, Donald Crisp and Cornelia Otis Skinner is excellent. Especially fascinating and chilling is the performance of Miss Skinner as Miss Holloway, the sinister owner of a clinic for disturbed women. Victor Young's background score adds immeasurably to the tense proceedings. His "Stella by Starlight" has become a classic composition for piano and orchestra. The old house itself with its huge windows overlooking the sea and its spacious interiors inhabited by an unseen presence, is the sort of dream house anyone would love to live in--except for 'The Uninvited'. Truly a high quality ghost story that also happens to be an absorbing mystery.

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.

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.