"Look, I know the supernatural isn't something that's supposed to happen, but it does happen."

The Haunting (1963)
Director: Robert Wise
Stars: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn
Plot: Four participants of a paranormal study find themselves unwelcome at the notoriously haunted Hill House.One woman, Eleanor, feels as if she belongs there with the others. However, the ghostly head of the house has other plans for her.

This is one of my favorite horror movies. It freaked me out when I was little and still affects me today. In 1999 a blockbuster remake for this movie came out starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones, featuring cheap scares and a big, angry, CGI shadow figure. The original, based off of Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting of Hill House (1959), is more low-key and creepy. This movie continues to impress me because it can still hold its own as a scary movie today. Let me explain!

I'm sure we all remember the hype that came with Paranormal Activity. I too was excited for it; however, once I saw it, I was extremely disappointed. It was boring. My brother and I get into arguments over Paranormal Activity all the time: he argues that it's scary because of all the little things they focus on. That's fine, I have no problems with strange things happening on a small scale. The Haunting has scares like that throughout the movie that I am thoroughly creeped out by. My problem with the little things in Paranormal Activity is that they don't end. After an hour of the girl standing over her boyfriend at night, keys being thrown to the floor, and ceiling lights swinging, I was waiting for SOMETHING to happen. By the time something exciting did happen - what was it, the last ten minutes of the movie? - I didn't care anymore. About an hour after Paranormal Activity ended, I channel flipped into The Haunting. It was after watching this movie, not PA, that I procrastinated going up the dark staircase to bed.

The difference between these two movies is that The Haunting has something that every good horror movie should have - suspense. In Paranormal Activity, those little things would just...happen. Nothing lead up to the keys being thrown or the Ouija board setting itself on fire. These events would happen without anyone witnessing them, we don't get to react off of the actors' reactions. In The Haunting, there is a buildup of suspense for every eerie thing that happens. The technology and special effects that we have today were not available in 1963 and suspense was heavily relied upon. Instead of a door suddenly opening...

Suspense is a magical thing. I think that this is a great addition to any horror movie collection because of the suspense. Plus, the band White Zombie features a quote from this movie in the song "Super-Charger Heaven." So, what do you think? Would you give The Haunting a shot? If you've already seen it, did I do it justice?