History Film / TheHaunting1963

Directed by Creator/RobertWise and adapted from Creator/ShirleyJackson's classic novel ''Literature/TheHauntingOfHillHouse'', the 1963 film ''The Haunting'' is perhaps the ultimate example of less-is-more in horror cinema and one of the signature standards of the HauntedHouse genre in film.

** [[spoiler: Mrs. Markway]] is basically as Luke, but turned UpToEleven.

[[Film/TheHaunting1999 Remade]] in 1999 with Creator/LiamNeeson, Creator/LiliTaylor, Creator/OwenWilson, and Creator/CatherineZetaJones. There has also been a stage adaptation.

--> '''Eleanor "Nell" Lance'''

->''"Oh God. Oh '''God'''. Whose hand was I holding?"''

* LipstickLesbian: Theo is all but stated to prefer women - and she's always dressed fashionably, with her hair done and some jewellery. She also shows Nell how to paint her nails ([[PinkMeansFeminine and in pink!]])

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: By playing up the psychological element - specifically, Nell's dubious sanity - the film leaves open the possibility that nothing supernatural was happening. We never ''saw'' anything, after all. Which makes it much scarier.

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Creator/JulieHarris) -- still wracked with guilt over the recent death of her invalid mother, for whom she'd been the caretaker -- volunteers for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Creator/RichardJohnson), along with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Creator/RussTamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House, the empty, decrepit New England manse where the study is being held; and Theodora aka "Theo" (Creator/ClaireBloom), a supposed psychic. It soon turns out that Markway's suspicions regarding the existence of ghosts are correct: there is ''something'' in the house with them. But what?

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Creator/JulieHarris) -- still wracked with guilt over the recent death of her invalid mother, for whom she'd been the caretaker -- volunteers for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Creator/RichardJohnson), along with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Creator/RussTamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House, the empty, decrepit New England manse where the study is being held; and Theodora aka "Theo" (Creator/ClaireBloom), a supposed psychic. It soon turns out that Markway's suspicions regarding the existence of ghosts are correct: there is something in the house with them. But what?

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Creator/JulieHarris) -- still wracked with guilt over the recent death of her invalid mother, for whom she'd been the caretaker -- volunteers for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Creator/RichardJohnson), along with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Creator/RussTamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House, the empty, decrepit New England manse where the study is being held; and Theodora aka "Theo" (Creator/ClaireBloom), a supposed psychic. It soon turns out that Markway's suspicions regarding the existence of ghosts are correct. There's something in the house with them. But what?

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Creator/JulieHarris) -- still wracked with guilt over the recent death of her invalid mother, for whom she'd been the caretaker -- volunteers for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Creator/RichardJohnson), along with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Creator/RussTamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House, the empty, decrepit New England manse where the study is being held; and Theodora aka "Theo" (Creator/ClaireBloom), a supposed psychic. It soon turns out that Markway's suspicions about the existence of ghosts are correct. There's something in the house with them. But what?

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Creator/JulieHarris) -- still wracked with guilt over the recent death of her invalid mother, for whom she'd been the caretaker -- volunteers for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Creator/RichardJohnson), along with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Creator/RussTamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House, the empty, decrepit New England manse where the study is being held; and Theodora (Creator/ClaireBloom), a supposed psychic. It soon turns out that Markway's suspicions about the existence of ghosts are correct. There's something in the house with them. But what?

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Creator/JulieHarris) -- still wracked with guilt over the recent death of her invalid mother, for whom she'd been the caretaker -- volunteers for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Creator/RichardJohnson), along with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Creator/RussTamblyn), who stands to inherit the decrepit Hill House, where the study's being held; and Theodora (Creator/ClaireBloom), a supposed psychic. It soon turns out that Markway's suspicions about the existence of ghosts are correct. There's something in the house with them. But what?

Directed by Creator/RobertWise and adapted from Creator/ShirleyJackson's classic novel ''Literature/TheHauntingOfHillHouse'', the 1963 film ''The Haunting'' is the ultimate example of less-is-more in horror cinema and one of the signature standards of the HauntedHouse genre in film.

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_haunting_1963.png]]
[[caption-width-right:310:Theo (left) and Nell (right).]]

* TheOphelia: [[spoiler:Nell as the house slowly drives her insane. She even starts twirling and humming to herself.]] This is perhaps foreshadowed earlier: [[spoiler:her first night, Nell comments that everything here is strange, yet comfortable, "like drowning". At the same moment, she lies down against the William Morris floral bedspread in a way that echoes Millais's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_(painting) painting of Ophelia]].]]

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Julie Harris) -- still wracked with guilt over the recent death of her invalid mother, for whom she'd been the caretaker -- volunteers for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson), along with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn), who stands to inherit the decrepit Hill House, where the study's being held; and Theodora (Claire Bloom), a supposed psychic. It soon turns out that Markway's suspicions about the existence of ghosts are correct. There's something in the house with them. But what?

->''"Whose hand was I holding?"''

* PsychicPowers: Theo is supposedly psychic.

* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Luke and Theo are played a lot meaner than they were in the book in order to highlight Eleanor's isolation. Also, in the book Mrs. Markway was a spiritualism enthusiast determined to reach the spirits in the house, while in the film she's a hard-headed skeptic.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haunting.jpg]]

Eleanor "Nell" Lance (Julie Harris) has volunteered for a study on paranormal activity conducted by Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson), with two other participants: Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn), who stands to inherit Hill House, where the study's being held, and Theodora (Claire Bloom) a supposed psychic. Turns out the doctor's suspicions about the existence of ghosts are correct. There's something in the house with them. But what?

* HauntedHouseHistorian: Dr Markway, who's an expert on the history of Hill House.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: By playing up the psychological element - specifically, Nell's dubious sanity - the film leaves open the possibility that nothing supernatural was happening. We never saw anything, after all. Which makes it much scarier.

* PreludeToSuicide: There's a scene where Nell is on a balcony of the house and her inner monologue starts describing an unspecified "she", who leaped to her doom from an upper window. This doesn't match anything we've been told has ever happened in the house, so the most logical explanation is that Nell is imagining her own death, and how she'd be remembered as part of the house's history.

* RaisingTheSteaks: There is apparently a ghostly dog sneaking around the house, although its history - like a lot of the ghosts - is never completely clear. There's a statue of a dog in the conservatory, but Markway says he was unaware of any dog featuring into the house's history

** Eleanor feels Theo hold her hand as they're both frightened by mysterious noises and considers that Theo must be completely terrified with how tightly she's holding on. [[spoiler:Then the lights come on and reveal Theo is actually clear across the room, with no sign of what was actually holding Eleanor's hand.]]

* AgeCut: In the opening, a shot of Abigail in bed as a child fades to her in the same bed as an old woman.

[[Film/TheHaunting1999 Remade]] in 1999 with Creator/LiamNeeson, Creator/LiliTaylor, Owen Wilson, and Creator/CatherineZetaJones. There has also been a stage adaptation.

** After his wife died, Crain was incredibly harsh with Abigail. He made her stand and look at her mother's fresh corpse as he read scripture over it, and his idea of bedtime stories was a book detailing how she'd be tortured in hell for her sins.
** Nell's mother. Every time she recounts her care of her, she speaks as if it was a horrible experience. Her brother-in-law even refers to her as a horrible old woman. Her sister doesn't contradict him, she simply reminds him not to speak ill of the dead.

* AmbiguousSituation: The film never confirms whether the house is haunted or not. Throughout the whole film, one never even sees a ghost.

* FrightBesideThem: An example taken directly from [[Literature/TheHauntingOfHillHouse the source material]]. In bed, Eleanor clings tightly to Theodora's hand as sinister sounds emerge from the darkness in their room. Suddenly, the lights go on, and Eleanor sees Theodora sitting up in her own bed. She has clearly not been anywhere near Eleanor for some time. For Eleanor's reaction, see the quote at the top of the page.

* DrivenToSuicide: One of the past owners of the house hanged herself. [[spoiler:Nell]] may qualify too.

* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The air around the nursery is terribly cold, Dr. Markway says it's the heart of the house.

* TheOphelia: [[spoiler:Nell as the house slowly drives her insane. She even starts twirling and humming to herself.]]
** This is perhaps foreshadowed earlier: [[spoiler:her first night, Nell comments that everything here is strange, yet comfortable, "like drowning". At the same moment, she lies down against the William Morris floral bedspread in a way that echoes Millais's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_(painting) painting of Ophelia]].]]

* SkepticNoLonger: Luke, just before the final credits.

%%* TitleDrop

%%* [[{{Manchild}} Womanchild]]: Eleanor, somewhat.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Theo is attracted to Nell who isn't interested (and is repulsed by the very idea of homosexuality). Nell is attracted to Dr. Markway who is committed to his wife, however incompatible they may be. Luke is attracted (albeit casually) to Theo who orders him to keep his hands to himself.