The Uninvited (1944)

A composer and his sister discover that the reason they are able to purchase a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion very cheaply is the house's unsavory past.

Director:

Lewis Allen

Writers:

Dodie Smith (screen play), Frank Partos (screen play)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Milland	...	Roderick Fitzgerald
Ruth Hussey	...	Pamela Fitzgerald
Donald Crisp	...	Cmdr. Beech
Cornelia Otis Skinner	...	Miss Holloway
Dorothy Stickney	...	Miss Bird
Barbara Everest	...	Lizzie Flynn
Alan Napier	...	Dr. Scott
Gail Russell	...	Stella Meredith

Storyline

A brother and sister move into an old seaside house they find abandoned for many years on the English coast. Their original enchantment with the house diminishes as they hear stories of the previous owners and meet their daughter (now a young woman) who now lives as a neighbor with her grandfather. Also heard are unexplained sounds during the night. It becomes obvious that the house is haunted. The reasons for the haunting and how they relate to the daughter whom the brother is falling in love with, prove to be a complex mystery. As they are compelled to solve it, the supernatural activity at the house increases to a frightening level.

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Plot Keywords:

house | haunting | mansion | dog | ghost | 

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Taglines:

From the Most Popular Mystery Romance since "Rebecca"!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1 September 1944 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Der unheimliche Gast

Filming Locations:

Elk, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With Ned Washington's romantic lyrics added to Victor Young's graceful melody, "Stella by Starlight" turned into a major hit song three years after the film's release. Noteworthy recordings arrived in 1947 from Frank Sinatra on Columbia, Dick Haymes on Decca and Dennis Day on RCA Victor. Unfortunately, Young's score failed to attain an Oscar nomination in the category of Dramatic Score of 1944.

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Goofs

When Roderick & Stella are sailing in a small boat, they did the old chestnut of hitting him on the back of the head with the boom. However Stella pushed the tiller. That would have sent the boom to starboard, away from Roderick's head. Background didn't shift either.

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Quotes

Roderick Fitzgerald: [narration] They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here... and sea fog... and eerie stories...
Roderick Fitzgerald: That's not because there are most ghosts here then other places, mind you. It's just that people who live here about are strangely aware of them. You see, day and night, year in, year out, they listen to the pound and stir of the waves. There's life and death in that restless sound. And eternity ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Boy Meets World: The Uninvited (1994)

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Soundtracks

My Silent Love
(1932) (uncredited)
Music by Dana Suesse
Heard over the radio Rick's first night at Windward House

User Reviews

A Thriller that will stay with you for years

I saw this movie many years ago. Every time I knew it was coming on, I would turn off all the lights and make sure I was alone. It scared me to death. Years later I would look for it, but never could remember its name or the actors in it, but it haunted me. It is a movie you will never forget. With no blood or gore, it will frighten you or give you chills for a long time to come. The acting is great and the music helps set the mood. The house was beautiful. 10 years after I saw it, the image of the house, the sound of the cries and that cliff...those were the things I remembered. Now that I know it, I will go buy it. It is the best thriller I have ever seen.