'The Uninvited' seeks to show us that an atmospheric horror film CAN be made in the 1940s, and it can hold it's audience as captivated now as it did all those years ago.
Ray Milland might not be everyone's idea of a heroic character, but he does such a good job here that you can forgive the casting directors for choosing him.
The scene is a rambling old mansion Windwood, in the same style as Mandalay from 'Rebecca' (in fact, a great many areas of this film bare some similarity to Daphne Du Maurier's classic.
Rick and his sister Pamela are on holiday in Cornwall and immediately fall in love with Windwood house, deciding on the spot to buy it (or rather, Pamela decides and Rick goes along with it.) They purchase it at a very low price from a gentleman who seems to be trying to put them off the sale. They also meet his granddaughter Stella who is devastated that the house has been sold, most notably because it was the home of her late mother Mary.
Rick and Stella become close, and subsequently Stella insists on being allowed back into the house (despite her grandfather's ban on her entering the premises) which leads Rick, Stella, Pamela and the local country doctor into a terrifyingly, supernatural nightmare.
Gail Russell is very sweet as the feisty Stella, and although Ruth Hussey is a pain to start with, she soon becomes endearing as Pamela.
This film is dark, frightening, eerie, romantic and funny all mixed together with an element of fantasy thrown in.
No comments:
Post a Comment