A classic

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it seems to have a solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list, among other things), I thought I might as well check it out. I have actually seen the remake a few times and it has a rather dismal reputation. Eventually, it’s interesting how both movies took such completely different approach with the material. In fact, in my opinion, it is actually a rather weak story. Indeed, the concept was about some doctor who decides to investigate the paranormal activities in this house by inviting some individuals who might be more sensitive to such phenomenon. There is also a younger guy invited because he might inherit the house at some point. However, it is actually narratively all pretty weak, especially with the 99 remake which then focused heavily on modern special effects (which were actually pretty cool) to cover up how weak and preposterous the story actually was. With the original version, the very same story was still pretty weak but they went for a much more minimalistic approach which made the whole thing much more interesting. Indeed, like later on with ‘Jaws’ and even more later on with ‘Paranormal Activity’, they displayed pretty much nothing. Indeed, the most explicit things were some noises, screams during the night and this one door acting really weird at some point. And, yet, because you never see anything, it was actually much more efficient than all the fancy special effects they gave us in the remake. The other thing which really transcended the actually weak material was Julie Harris’s strong performance. Indeed, while all the other characters were barely developed and, to be honest, borderline ridiculous, her character was so complex, one of the most complex I have seen in a horror movie like this one. At the end, you basically don’t know anymore if this house was really haunted or this woman was actually batsh*t crazy and this ambiguity made the whole thing quite spellbinding to behold. Anyway, to conclude, it is a really solid vintage horror feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.  

7/10