The Uninvited [PG]

When London-based siblings Rick and Pamela discover a huge empty country house in Cornwall, they fall head over heels in love with it. Fortune seems to be on their side when they learn that it’s for sale at a rock bottom price. But town rumours about bad business taints the cliff-top manor and soon it becomes clear that there is something horribly wrong with the house. The pets won’t go anywhere near the staircase, there’s a strange coldness in the upstairs studio, and just before dawn the ghostly sound of a woman crying can be heard all throughout the house. 

A little bit Rebecca, a little bit The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Uninvited is quite a lovely little gothic, romantic ‘horror’ that is wonderfully balanced between comedy, romance, and suspense. Minus any great violence or bloodshed, it’s got everything you could want in a gothic romance, complete with a scandalous love triangle that’s still making noise from beyond the grave! 

More beautiful than scary, director Lewis Allen (Suddenly) shows a definite flare for light and shadowing in this movie with many of its most thrilling shots so perfectly depicting just why black and white is better for horror movies. Between white faces floating about with the rest of their bodies in shadow, wide light pools made by candles that eerily elongate our heroes’ shadows, and a wispy special effect that would be pretty if it wasn’t so malignant, there is so much to marvel at visually in this movie. 

But without a doubt the best thing about this flick is that it’s so nicely balanced between suspense, romance, and comedy. The haunting crying sounds, candle flames blowing without wind, doors opening/closing, and pages of a book moving on their own are enough to stimulate the adrenaline that comes with watching a horror movie. Then we have this quite cute little romance that flourishes between Rick and Stella, the manor’s owner’s granddaughter who is central in the ghostly story. The classic quest narrative comes into play as the siblings, in true horror mystery fashion, decide to stay in the house, try to solve the mystery and set all the trapped spirits free, freeing themselves from nightly disturbances in the process. 

Although we are dealing with ghosts, there’s a strong non-horror feel about the movie, which is rare and refreshing because you don’t really get that a lot when you think about it. The point of this movie is not to scare. Indeed much of the beauty and lightness of the movie comes in the form of its accompanying score by Victor Young, which blends eerie crescendos with beautiful serenades as well as perky and upbeat tunes that bring a lovely bounce and sense of comedic timing to the film. 

Starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Dorothy Stickney, Barbara Everest, Alan Napier, and Gail Russell, The Uninvited, although it does sound like a good spooky horror movie, delivers a pleasant surprise in its gothic romanticism. Filled with supernatural hauntings, romance, drama, scandal, and comedy, it’s really just a lovely little film.